Early Sentences - an exciting milestone in language development

It's an exciting milestone when toddlers start talking in sentences! 

This development opens up a whole new world of communication for them, allowing them to express their thoughts, ideas, imaginations, and feelings in more detailed and exciting ways. They will begin asking questions, making jokes, and telling stories, which is amazing to witness as a parent.

If you're a parent of a toddler, you might be curious about the building blocks that lead to this important language milestone. 

My name is Stephanie, and as a pediatric speech therapist with seven years of experience, I'm here to guide you through the process of talking in sentences. In this post, we'll delve into:

• The skills that come before talking in sentences

• How to encourage your little one to use sentences

• What to do after your child has started using sentences  

Let's embark on this journey of language development together and support our little ones as they become confident sentence speakers!

When do kids start talking in sentences?

Kids usually start talking in sentences between the ages of 2- to 3- years old. 

It's worth noting that the timing of when kids start talking in sentences can differ based on factors like their vocabulary size and diversity. The key to using sentences lies in their understanding and usage of verbs—remember, every sentence includes a verb. When children have a wider range of action words in their vocabulary, it enhances their ability to express themselves through sentences.

What comes before talking in sentences?

Language development is cumulative, each new skill builds upon a skill your child has already learned. This principle definitely holds true for talking in sentences. 

If you're wondering whether your child is ready to start using sentences, there are four essential skills to consider. Take a look at these skills and assess if your child has already mastered them. If you notice that any of these skills are still developing or missing, it's crucial to dedicate time to practice and reinforce them before moving on to sentences. This approach will help establish a strong foundation for your child's language development. 

To assist you in teaching and strengthening these skills, we provide free lessons that you can access by clicking on each skill.

1. Your child says many different words on their own

2. Your child is putting 2 words together on their own

3. Your child uses a variety of action words or verbs on their own

4. Your child is copying or repeating 3 words at a time

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Talking in Sentences

Early sentences are formed with a subject and at least a verb. Generally, children will begin using early sentences by the age of 30 months. It's important to note that early sentences differ from two-word combinations because word combinations lack both a subject and a verb.

Take a look at this list comparing word combinations and early sentences:

Word Combinations → Early Sentence

• Yummy cookie → Cookie is yummy

• Dog food → Dog eat

• Mama up → Mama! Pick me up

• Daddy outside → Daddy is outside

As you can see, early sentences can be as short as two words, such as "Baby eat" or "I play." They don't need to adhere to all the grammar rules of adult sentences. Just like children adjust the pronunciation of challenging words, they may shorten sentences to a few key words while they are learning. With practice, sentences will gradually become longer and more complex.

Here are some more examples of early sentences toddlers may say:

• Me feel happy

• I stuck

• Baby cry

• I need food

• Me go potty

• Daddy come home

• He is happy

Keep in mind! As children start using early sentences, they will still continue to produce word combinations alongside them. It's important to remember that they are expanding and adding to their existing language skills to express themselves more effectively. They are building upon what they already know, and both word combinations and early sentences play a role in their language development.

Here are 3 things you can do to encourage your child to use early sentences:

1. Turn your child’s word combinations into sentences

When your child says a word combination, repeat it back to them and expand it into an early sentence. This provides them with examples they can imitate to create their own sentences. For instance:

• Child: "Mommy up." Expanded sentence: "Mommy, pick me up."

• Child: "Go so fast." Expanded sentence: "I'm going so fast."

• Child: "Look airplane." Expanded sentence: "Look! I see an airplane."

  You can apply the same technique if your child says a single word by adding necessary words to form a simple sentence.

2. Repeating early sentences in various ways

Repeating a word or word combination as an early sentence helps with your child's learning. Say the sentence in different ways to provide them with more examples. Repetition is key for toddlers. 

For example, if your child says "eat apple," you can say: "Mommy is eating an apple. Mommy is eating an apple because she is hungry." 

You can also expand upon an early sentence and add context to complete it as an adult would say.

3. Use your tone and volume to emphasize key words

When speaking to your child, use correct grammar and emphasize key words. This helps them understand how sentences should be formed in the long run. Although your child may not repeat the entire sentence with all its grammatical elements, it's important to model the sentence correctly. Use your tone and volume to highlight the keywords you want your child to notice or repeat. For example, say "Mommy's eating her dinner" rather than "Mommy eat."

To learn all the Do’s and Don’ts of Baby Talk from a speech therapist, refer to this post.  

I have also created a comprehensive blog post about teaching early sentences, and we offer a free activity guide with three simple and enjoyable activities you can do at home to teach early sentences.

Click this link to go to the Teaching Early Sentences lesson and activities

After early sentences

After your child has become comfortable with early sentences, it's time to help them progress to the next level. One effective tip for this is expanding on their phrases or sentences. By repeating what your child says and gradually adding more words or expressing it in different ways, you naturally assist them in learning how to combine words and form longer sentences.

In addition to expanding sentences, it's important for toddlers to develop grammar skills. Here are two key grammar skills for toddlers to learn once they start using early sentences:

1. Adding "-s" to indicate more than one: dogs, balls, apples. To teach this skill, you can refer to our Toddler Talk lesson, which provides helpful tips and engaging activities.

2. Adding "-ing" to describe ongoing actions in the present: playing, eating, sleeping. Again, our Toddler Talk lesson offers valuable tips and activities to teach this skill effectively.

Saying many sentences together

Once your child is confidently speaking in longer and more elaborate sentences, and has acquired some age-appropriate grammar skills, the next exciting milestone in their language development is the ability to tell short stories. This involves combining multiple sentences to convey a message or describe an event.

Typically, around the age of 3, children start to demonstrate the ability to share what happened by stringing together sentences to create a narrative or story. To support your child in this important skill, I have compiled a set of helpful tips and engaging activities designed specifically to teach toddlers how to tell stories effectively.

By clicking the link, you can access these valuable resources and embark on an exciting journey of nurturing your child's storytelling abilities.

A few more common questions about talking in sentences:

• Should a 2 year old be able to say a sentence?

  Yes, toddlers usually begin to use early sentences between 24-36 months. Keep in mind, early sentences may contain just 2 words, a subject + a verb. As toddlers get more practice and grow their vocabulary, sentences will grow in length and complexity.

• When should a toddler start talking in full sentences?

  While early sentences may just contain a few words, full sentences sound like sentences adults says. In full sentences, kids use appropriate grammar and don’t leave out any words. These sentences commonly appear between the ages of 3- to 4- years old.

  Keep in mind, when children start talking in full sentences, they will continue to use early sentences as well.

• Why is my 2 year old not speaking in sentences?

  If your 2 year old isn’t talking in sentences yet, it may be that they haven’t mastered the foundational sentence skills yet. Refer to this list of skills to work on before encouraging your little one to talk in sentences.

Written By: Stephanie Hatleli, MS CCC-SLP

© 2020-2023. Stephanie Hatleli, MS CCC-SLP. All Rights Reserved.

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