Preschool Speech and Language Milestones from 3 to 5 years of age
Ministry of Children, Community and Social Services of Ontario • March 21, 2020
Your preschool child's speech and language development from 3 to 5 years of age.
Your preschool child is busy talking, exploring and playing. All of these activities are important for his or her growth and development – and for learning communication skills.
Your child will need well-developed communication skills when it’s time to start going to school – to make friends, learn new things, and start learning to read and write. Communication skills are critical to your child’s future success.
You play an important part in your child’s ongoing communication development. Talking, listening and playing with your child will help to build the skills he or she needs to succeed in school and in life.
About one in 10 children needs help developing normal speech and language skills. Without help, it’s a struggle to listen and talk, it’s difficult to learn to read, and it’s hard to play with other children.
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It is important for children to meet their speech and language milestones at the expected age. This gives your child a strong foundation for learning at school and later in life.
When children have a strong first language base, they learn a second language more easily. They also do better at school with reading and writing.
Although young babies don’t understand the meaning of your words, they understand a lot by the way that you touch and hold them. They also learn from the expression on your face, the tone of your voice and the gestures that you make. Remember it is by talking to them that they learn words. Surround your baby with words when you feed, diaper and play with them.
