Speech sounds
They can say the sounds p, b, t, d, m, n, w, k, g, s, f, l and y in words. They might still find sounds like sh, ch, th and r harder.
Most adults, even those who don’t know them, can usually understand what they are saying.
Their speech is mostly smooth, and they don’t often repeat sounds or get stuck on words.
Vocabulary
They understand and often use words for colours (like “yellow”), numbers (like “four biscuits”) and simple time ideas (like “tomorrow”).
Attention, listening and understanding
They ask lots of questions using “what,” “where,” and “why.”
They are beginning to answer “why” questions, though their answers may still be quite basic.
They can answer easy problem-solving questions, like “What do you do if you’re thirsty?”
Sentence building and grammar
They can speak in sentences of about 4–6 words, for example, “I want to play with bricks.”
They may start joining two sentences using “and,” such as “I went to the shop and I got a toy.”
They talk about things that have already happened and things that will happen. They may still make mistakes, such as saying “runned” instead of “ran.”
Storytelling and narrative
They can listen to picture storybooks and answer a few questions about a story you’ve just read together.
They can tell a short story about something they saw or did, for example, “I played with the train. It went round the track.”
Conversations and social interaction
They enjoy pretend play and are beginning to play more cooperatively with other children.
They can start conversations with you and with other people.
They have started to use words, not actions, when they disagree or argue with others.