Speech, Language and Communication Journey: Stages
3-4 Years
Talk to me about feelings, emotions and all the new things that I am fascinated by
Did you know...?
I enjoy listening to storybooks with pictures and can answer some questions about a story we’ve just read together
I understand and often use words for colour (e.g. ‘red’), number (e.g. ‘three fingers’) and time (e.g. ‘tomorrow’).
I am beginning to be able to answer questions about ‘why’ something has happened, although this still might be at quite a basic level. I can also use question words e.g. ‘what, where, why’
I can use sentences that have 4 – 6 words in them. E.g. ‘I want to play with cars’.
I am starting to link 2 sentences together by using ‘and’ e.g. ‘I went to the park and I had ice cream’.
I can talk about the future and the past e.g. ‘I will watch you’ or ‘I jumped down’.
My sentences aren’t exactly like adults’ yet, so I may still make some mistakes such as saying ‘runned’ for ‘ran’.
I can tell a short story about something I have seen or experienced e.g. ‘Two boys played with the ball. It went over the fence.’
I enjoy make-believe play and start to play cooperatively with others
I can start conversations with other people and will use words instead of actions when I disagree
I can say most sounds correctly but may still find it tricky to put ‘ch, j, r, l into words
Things to do with me
Children learn a lot from looking at your face and body language when you talk. Make it easy for the child to see you by getting down to their level and talking and playing face-to-face
Share lots of books with me, letting me look at the pictures and tell the story back to you
Encourage me to tell you about the things I have done such as when I have been at nursery
Additional Support
If your child is not yet doing these things, discuss with your Health Visitor, GP or Early Years Professional in a nursery setting who can provide advice and support.
Look at the BBC Tiny Happy People website and social media for more ideas of things to do with your child.
Look at the timetables for your local Family Hub for more advice and activities local to you.
Referrals
Referrals can be made to the Early Years and Portage teams and to the Speech and Language Therapy team. Speak to your Health Visitor or your child’s nursery key worker for advice.
