General Guidelines for the Development of Speech and Language
Between Five and Six
Milestones
Has a sentence length of 5-6 words
Has a vocabulary of around 2000 words
Defines objects by their use and can tell what objects are made of
Knows spatial relations like "on top", "behind", "far" and "near"
Knows their address
Knows common opposites like "big/little"
Understands "same" and "different"
Counts ten objects
Asks questions for information
Communicates basic wants and need
Activities to Encourage your Child's Language
Praise your child when she talks about her feelings, thoughts, hopes and fears
Comment on what you did or how you think your child feels
Sing songs, rhymes with your child
Continue to read longer stories
Talk with him as you would an adult
Look at family photos and talk to him about your family history
Listen to her when she talks to you
DEVLOPMENTAL ORDER OF SPEECH SOUNDS
Children should be able to produce all the sounds they need to communicate effectively by 8 years of age or at around 3rd grade. There are exceptions, for example, some children may produce “later” sounds at an early age or “early” sounds at a later age. Most children learn to produce the various sounds, but they may not produce them in the suggested developmental order. The following chart should only be used as a guideline.
*There is no “set-rule” as to when a child can produce various sounds.
Developmental Order of Speech Sounds
Age Example
3 years
p pie, apple, cup
b boy, baby, crib
m man, hammer, gum
h hair, horse, house
4.5 years
t tea, potato, cat
d dog, candy, bed
k cat, pocket, book
g go, wagon, pig
n nail, penny, pan
ing ring, finger, swinging
f foot, telephone, leaf
6 years
ch chair, peaches, church
j giraffe, badges, fudge
l light, pillow, pale
s sun, lasso, pass
6.5 years
v vase, even, glove
zh pleasure, television
sh shoe, washing, fish
l lady, yellow, ball
y yellow, yard
7.5 years
z zipper, scissors, rose
r rabbit, carrot, car
ch chair, kitchen, match
j jacket, angel, orange
th thin, pathway, bath
then, mother