by Narissa Ventress, M.A., CCC-SLP
Between 13-15 months, toddlers are becoming more expressive and may start combining words with gestures to communicate.
What Should My Child Be Doing?
- Receptive Language: Follows simple instructions, recognizes people and objects by name, and shows interest in songs or stories.
- Expressive Language: Uses 5-10 recognizable words, communicates through gestures, and imitates familiar words or sounds.
Ways to Encourage Language Development
- Model Simple Sentences: Say “big truck” when they say “truck.”
- Sing Simple Songs: Songs with repetitive lyrics encourage imitation.
- Offer Choices: “Do you want apple or banana?” encourages vocabulary growth.
A Note for Parents
If your child isn’t using a few words by 15 months, discuss with a pediatrician or speech-language pathologist.
Here are some tips for helping your baby develop speech and language skills:
- Talk to your baby often. The more you talk to your baby, the more they will hear language and the better they will become at understanding and using language.
- Read to your baby. Reading to your baby helps them learn about language and how words sound.
- Sing to your baby. Singing to your baby helps them learn about rhythm and melody, and it also helps them develop their vocal cords.
- Play games with your baby. Games like peek-a-boo and patty-cake help your baby learn about social interaction and how to take turns.
Be patient. It takes time for babies to develop speech and language skills. Be patient and encouraging, and your baby will eventually reach their milestones.
For more examples and a wonderful explanation of the developmental milestones, see the video below published by the Children’s Evaluation and Rehabilitation Center (CERC) at Albert Einstein College of Medicine:
For more info, see:
Verbal Expectations: Birth to 3 Months
Verbal Expectations: 4-6 Months
Verbal Expectations: 7-9 Months
Verbal Expectations: 10-12 Months
