Expressive language skills really grow a lot as kids go from being babies to preschoolers. It’s amazing to see how they change. Let’s take a closer look at this journey:

Infancy (0-12 months):

• Cooing and Babbling: Around 6 months old, babies start to make cooing sounds and then move on to babbling. These are the early sounds they make as they begin to learn how to speak.
• Gestures: By about 8 months, babies also start using gestures like pointing or waving. This shows they understand how to interact with others.

Toddler Years (1-3 years):

• First Words (around 12 months): Most babies speak their first words by their first birthday. They often say simple words like "mama," "dada," or "ball," which are very important to them.
• Two-Word Phrases (18-24 months): By 18 months, toddlers begin putting two words together, saying things like "more juice" or "big truck." This is a huge step in how they express themselves!
• Vocabulary Explosion (around 2-3 years): Between ages 2 and 3, kids usually experience a big jump in their vocabulary. They can learn a lot of new words very quickly. It’s normal for their word count to grow from 200 to 400 words in just a few months!

Preschool Age (3-5 years):

• Complex Sentences: By the time they are 3 to 4 years old, kids start making longer sentences and can share their thoughts and feelings. You might hear them say things like, "I want to play outside" or "Can we have ice cream?"
• Storytelling: By 4 to 5 years old, many children enjoy telling simple stories and playing pretend. This shows how they are becoming better at expressing their ideas.

Watching these changes happen is really amazing!