Speech and Language Milestones for 3-Year-Olds

There are several speech and language milestones to look for at age 3, since there is typically a major growth in skills at this age. In this article, you’ll find 3-year-old speech and language milestone checklists, along with the signs that speech therapy may be helpful for your toddler.

Key takeaways

• Most 3-year-olds are growing dramatically in their expressive and receptive language skills. 

• Receptive language refers to what a child understands, such as the ability to follow spoken directions or understand the names of items.

• Expressive language refers to how a child communicates, whether it’s verbally or nonverbally. 

• When a child turns 3, they should be able to say the following speech sounds: /p/, /b/, /m/, /d/, /h/, /w/, and /n/.

• If your child isn’t meeting 3-year-old milestones, it’s important to contact a speech therapist so they can start getting support.

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Receptive language milestones in 3-year-olds 

Receptive language refers to the words a child can understand. There are many receptive language milestones you should be seeing in your child by age 3. They will have likely made big jumps in receptive language during their second year, so the receptive milestones established in year 3 will build on those.

You can check out our guide to 2-year milestones here.

3-year-old receptive language skills

• Can identify colors by name 

• Understands names of shapes

• Understands family names (sister, grandma, etc.)

• Begins to understand descriptive words like “big” or “bumpy”

• Can follow multistep directions (“Put down your backpack, put your shoes by the door, then go sit at the table”)

Ciara Smith-Vazquez, M.S., CCC-SLP, is an Expressable speech therapists who often works with young children. She explains, “Overall, you should notice your child understanding more and more of what you say to them. As kids grow receptively, this helps them learn to use more words themselves in their expressive language.”

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Expressive language milestones in 3-year-olds

Expressive language refers to how someone communicates, either verbally (with words) or nonverbally (such as with gestures). For many kids, a large amount of verbal growth happens during their third year. Let’s review these skills.

3-year-old expressive language skills

• Asks who, what, where, when, and how questions, like "Where is Mommy?"

• Uses plural “s,” like “cars”

• Uses verbs with “ing,” like “walking” or “sleeping,” and can name these actions in pictures, such as when reading a book with you

• Can express their ideas and feelings with words 

• Can say about 300 to 500 words, and continue learning new ones every day

• Talks to you in conversation using at least two back-and-forth exchanges 

• Discusses what they’ve done that day

• Says their first name when asked

During a toddler's third year, they should be using more correct grammar, talking about a wider variety of things, and speaking in longer sentences. Smith-Vazquez says, “As a whole, your 3-year-old should be able to communicate with others much more easily. You’ll notice that the way they talk sounds more mature, and they’ll be even more specific in what they are trying to communicate with you.”

3-year-old speech sound milestones

As children grow, they can typically pronounce more speech sounds correctly. This makes their speech easier to understand. When a child turns 3, they should be able to say the following sounds: /p/, /b/, /m/, /d/, /h/, /w/, and /n/.

If your 3-year-old has trouble with any of these sounds, it may be a sign of a speech sound disorder. This is when kids are either missing speech sounds or saying them incorrectly.

Overall, your 3-year-old’s speech should be becoming clearer. However, there is a wide range of typical development at this age. Children are still learning to produce and combine many speech sounds. Their speech may be easier to understand by people like family members who talk with them often.

Play skills in 3-year-olds

Another skill that’s developing rapidly at this age is your child’s ability to play. They're learning how to interact with and play with other children.

Three-year-olds can engage in something called associative play. This is when they play near other kids, and may even share toys, but don’t play the same activity together. For example, if your child is playing in the sandbox with other kids at the park, they may share the same shovels and buckets, but they would each build their own sandcastles. They wouldn't build one together.

Playing with you is a natural chance for your child to practice communicating.

Smith-Vazquez loves to teach caregivers the importance of play. “Believe it or not, play is an excellent way to help your child learn communication skills!” she says. “Playing with your child can prompt communication. Maybe your child has to ask for a certain toy, or ask you for help with a toy. Or two dolls or action figures can talk to each other. These are natural chances for your child to practice communicating.”

Not to mention, playing is just plain fun! It can motivate your child to do new things that may feel challenging otherwise. For example, if you’re helping your child learn to say a new speech sound, it may feel hard, and they may not be interested. But if you're practicing as you play a game together, they're more likely to try.

Take a look at our therapist-recommended top toys for 3-year-olds here!

How do I know if my 3-year-old needs speech therapy?

Learning the milestones for receptive and expressive language, as well as speech sound production, should give you an idea of whether your child may need speech therapy. If your child is 3 years old and not meeting some of these skills, it's likely time to talk with a speech therapist. 

Here are some of the key signs that a 3-year-old needs speech therapy:

• They're not yet using three-word phrases, like “I want that”

• They don’t seem to understand what’s spoken to them

• Their speech is very hard to understand

You should also consider how confident your child feels in their ability to communicate. If they avoid talking to others, or get frustrated because they’re not understood, this is another important reason to talk to a speech therapist.

The best gift you can give your child is the support they need to become a confident communicator. Don’t wait to see if they’ll “catch up” on their own. Reach out to Expressable and get scheduled for a speech and language evaluation today!