2-3 Year Milestones

• Consistently uses 2-3 word phrases
• Uses “in” and “on”
• At least 50% of speech is understood by caregiver
• Follows 2-step unrelated directions, e.g. “give me the ball and go get
your coat”
• Understands basic nouns and pronouns
• Understands “mine” and “yours”

• Asks “what” and “where” questions
• Uses plurals, e.g. “dogs”
• Most speech is understood by caregiver
• Simple understanding of concepts including color, space, time
• Understands “why” questions
• Understands most simple sentences

• Knows familiar faces and begins to know if someone is a stranger
• Likes to play with others, especially parents
• Responds to other people’s emotions and often seems happy
• Responds to sounds by making sounds
• Strings vowels together when babbling (“ah,” “eh,” “oh”) and likes
taking turns with parent while making sounds
• Makes sounds to show joy and displeasure
• Begins to say consonant sounds (jabbering with “m,” “b”)

• Is shy or nervous with strangers
• Cries when parent or caregiver leaves
• Has favorite things and people
• Shows fear in some situations
• Repeats sounds or actions to get attention
• Plays games such as “peek-a-boo” and
“pat-a-cake”
• Responds to simple spoken requests
• Uses simple gestures, like shaking head “no”
or waving “bye-bye”
• Say “mama” and “dada” and exclamations
like “uh-oh!”

• Copies others, especially adults and older children
• Gets excited when with other children
• Shows more and more independence
• Plays mainly beside other children, but is beginning to include other children,
such as in chase games
• Says sentences with two to four words
• Follows simple instructions
• Plays simple make-believe games

• Copies adults and friends
• Shows affection for friends without prompting
• Understands the idea of “mine” and “his” or “hers”
• Shows a wide range of emotions
• May get upset with major changes in routine
• Follows instructions with two or three steps
• Can name most familiar things
• Understands words like “in,” “on,” and “under”
• Says first name, age, and sex • Names a friend
• Says words like “I,” “me,” “we,” and “you” and some
plurals (cars, dogs, cats)

• Enjoys doing new things
• Is more and more creative with make-believe play
• Would rather play with other children than by himself
• Cooperates with other children
• Often can’t tell what’s real and what’s make-believe
• Talks about what she likes and what she is interested in
• Sings a song or says a poem from memory such
as the “Itsy Bitsy Spider” or the “Wheels
• on the Bus”
• Tells stories
• Can say first and last name
• Remembers parts of a story

• Wants to please friends
• Wants to be like friends
• More likely to agree with rules
• Likes to sing, dance, and act
• Can tell what’s real and what’s make-believe
• Speaks very clearly
• Shows more independence (for example, may visit a next-door neighbor by
himself [adult supervision is still needed])
• Is sometimes demanding and sometimes very cooperative
• Tells a simple story using full sentences