Speech and Language Traits of the
Three-Year-Old

At age three, your child will…

• Match primary colors, name one color
• Begin to follow instructions such as “Put the block under the chair.”
• Use words to relate observations, concepts, ideas, and relationships
• Frequently practice by talking to himself
• Know his or her last name, sex, and several nursery rhymes
• Tell a story or relay an idea to someone
• Have an average sentence length of three to four words
• Have a vocabulary of nearly 1,000 words
• Sing songs
• Ask “what” questions often
• Have his or her speech understood by a stranger

You can stimulate the three-year-old’s speech and language by…

• Continuing to extend his or her conversation
• Using words he or she has trouble with frequently in your speech
• Teaching your child relationships of words, objects, and ideas
• Talking about similarities or differences between things
• Encouraging the child to tell stories using books and pictures
• Letting the child play with other children
• Reading longer stories to the child
• Paying attention to the child when he’s talking, remembering that repeating words and sound is normal during this period of growth.

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