top of page

3 years

By the age of 3 years, your child should be able to:

UNDERSTANDING

  • Follow two step related commands (get your socks and put your shoes on)

  • Understand prepositions (top/bottom, under/over)

  • Understand quantity concepts (empty/full)

  • Understand basic concepts (hard/soft, big/little, same/different)

  • Point to body parts (simple- eyes, complex- eyebrows)

  • Knows function of body parts and objects

  • Understands ‘who’, ‘where’ and ‘what’ questions (what’s the dog doing?)

  • Understands negatives (no shoes, not running)

  • Recognises simple colours (red, blue, green)

  • Name actions from pictures (running, jumping)

  • Understand gender (boy/girl)

TALKING

  • Uses approximately 500 words

  • Uses 3-4 sentences

  • Begins to use simple grammar (kicked, socks)

  • Begins to ask yes/no questions

  • Asks questions ‘what’, ‘where’ and ‘who’ questions

  • Starts to tell stories

  • Identify gender (boy/girl)

  • Use basic verbs (play, do a wee)

SPEECH SOUNDS

Children can be understood 60% of the time. Sounds that are produced correctly:

  • p

  • b

  • m

  • w

  • h

  • t

  • d

  • n

  • k

  • g

  • y

WARNING SIGNS

  • Using short sentences (2 words)

  • Doesn’t respond to questions or repeating back your questions, rather then answering

  • Doesn’t ask questions

  • Doesn’t follow two step instructions

  • Doesn’t play/ not interested in playing with other children

  • Doesn’t produce sounds at the beginning, middle or ends of words

  • Less familiar people find it hard to understand your child

bottom of page