Though your child’s vocabulary has grown tremendously in the last year, she can still become frustrated in the pursuit of communication. By 18-24 months, your toddler will have stronger Receptive Language skills, possessing a good understanding of the communication process and the words and phrases used in your home. However, the number of words she understands will still far outnumber the ones she can produce at this point, causing frustration when she understands what you are saying but doesn’t know the right words to use in reply. If she gets frustrated enough, her failed attempts to communicate could lead to tantrums.¹

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Even with the occasional struggles, though, you should expect your child to be communicating both verbally and non-verbally a great deal more now, though she will probably chose verbal communication more often! Communicative intentions, or reasons to communicate, will increase quickly now as she develops “an awareness of the power of words.”² You may notice her asking questions, pointing out interesting things, and commenting more frequently.

At this point, your child should respond appropriately to questions when asked, point to items being discussed, and figure out your meaning using context. These may seem like advanced abilities, but her language skills are developing very quickly at this age. Practice familiar vocabulary with her by using common phrases or asking questions rather than giving commands. When you say “It’s time to go bye-bye,” she may now understand that she will be leaving and should start putting her shoes and coat on. Asking “Can you go get your shoes?” should prompt her to go get her shoes, while using a command like “Time to put your shoes on,” may get no response at all. Ask your child to make choices, such as which color shirt to wear, give opinions about what to have for lunch, and weigh in on decisions like “Should we go to the park or the beach?” This will give her a sense of being in charge of her own life, and will allow her to use her language in a meaningful way.

Another way to engage your toddler in using Receptive Language is to give her simple instructions. At 18-24 months, she has a growing ability to follow directions with understanding and consistency.³ By asking her to do simple 1-2 step activities, such as finding her jacket, picking a book to read, or stepping up to the sink to wash her hands, you are giving her an opportunity to stretch and demonstrate her Receptive Language skills.

Play Tips:

Do you want to know how you can support your child’s development of these Receptive Language skills at this age? It’s easy! Read on for some simple tips to incorporate into your daily play time together.

1. Give simple, familiar instructions. Your child is still developing her understanding of words, in terms of definition and context. Be sure to keep your requests simple enough for her to easily follow. Recognize and praise her efforts to motivate her to continue to take part in future activities.
2. Ask your child many detailed questions. From “Where’s your nose?” to “What should we have for lunch?”, these specific questions allow you to notice which words and phrases she is familiar with and where her vocabulary might need some support and additional practice. Praise all of her attempts to use language, even if they are not perfect. If your toddler makes mistakes, correct her by restating what she tried to say using the correct words and proper grammar. For example, if she points at her cup and says “Bow, Bow” you can guess that she is actually asking for her cup and not a bowl. So reply, “You want your cup? Here is your cup.” This correction will allow her to hear the correct language without focusing on her mistakes and making her feel bad.

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Developmental Milestones:

Has your baby achieved the following Receptive Language developmental milestones yet? If yes, check off all the skill(s) she has already mastered to date using Playful Bee’s developmental milestones tracker. It’s absolutely FREE and easy to use, just click HERE!

• Responds to 1-step verbal directions without gestures.

Sources:

¹Marrs, Isa. When Toddler Tantrums Mean Something More. Speech Language Feeling.Retrieved December 22, 2013, from http://www.speechlanguagefeeding.com/toddler-tantrums/.

²Public Broadcasting Service. Toddler Talking Milestones. PBS Parents. Retrieved December 22, 2013, from http://www.pbs.org/parents/education/reading-language/reading-milestones/toddler-language-development-milestones/toddler-talking/.

³Maryland State Department of Education (2010). Healthy Beginnings: Supporting Development and Learning from Birth through Three Years of Age.

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Playful Bee

Education Team at Playful Bee

Playful Bee is an e-Preschool that delivers inquiry-based preschool learning from the classroom to your home. Our preschool curriculum was created by our talented team of rock star teachers. With years of hands-on preschool and Kindergarten teaching experience, they've developed a high-quality preschool experience that is convenient-to-use and easy-to-teach by you, grandparents, or your nanny at home.

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