What can I expect from my 24 month-old child?
- Says about 100 words and puts two words together: “go car.”
- Verbally requests wants and needs: “want cookie.”
- Clearly produces: /p, b, m, n, w, h, y, t, d, t/ with 50% clarity to an unfamiliar listener.
- Produces early developing pronouns: my, me, I, mine, it, you, your.
- Points to familiar objects in a picture and names three pictures.
- Imitates sounds, words, and gestures involving objects (e.g., rolls car).
- Follows simple two-step related directions.
- Asks and answers “what” questions with rising intonation.
- Imitates animal or environmental sounds (e.g. vroom, beep).
- Imitates a 2-3 word phrase.
How Can I help my 24-Month-Old?
- Label everything you see and talk about what you’re doing.
- Provide two choices and ask your child to request one, modeling “I want + object.
- Speak in simple, 2-3 word phrases with your child.
- Participate in “mommy and me” classes and park play dates.
- Imitate everything your child says and imitate their play.
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Look at picture books every day, perhaps as part of a bedtime ritual.
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Expand what the child says (e.g., If he says, “More juice,” you say, “Want more juice”? Okay, here’s more orange juice”).
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Hold a preferred object under your chin and label the object.
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Sing to your child and constantly talk about what you’re doing and seeing.
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Expose your child to many new experiences and talk about them before, during, and after the event.
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Help your child learn new words in a meaningful way by experiencing object in a variety of ways (seeing, touching, tasting, smelling, hearing).
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If your child leads you to a desired object, ask him/her to point and “use your words.”