How much 'should' an almost two year old speak ? '

[xmastreezz]

I know it's different for every child. But I'm always worrying about it.

We are also trying to raise her bi-tri lingual. But her English is taking off more, because that's what we speak at home with each other mainly.

I don't want to confuse her either. It's tough ! So I'm putting other languages on the back burner a little bit. This also makes me sad. Like I'm not doing my best. She'll learn English anyway.

What are your experiences ?

If you have a native language then speak to her exclusively in that language, if another parent has a different language s/be should
Talk to her in that language. English she will learn from nursery, environment etc
Have several friends with bi/trilingual kids who didn’t seem that ahead at 2 or 3 excuses they’re processing 2/3 languages but they are flying now in multiple languages and it has a knock on effect too for things like grammar, vocab, music and maths.
But you do have to be consistent with speaking in your language and eventually giving her books etc in that language or she’ll take the default ‘easy’ option of just English.

The ‘norm’ is walking at 1, talking at 2 amd she already seems to be knocking out complicated sentences for her age.

My bilingual (well, sort of but the second language is very much a minority) child didn't have 10 words at his 2 year check (that was the criteria way back). About 27 months, his language just exploded and he went very quickly to sentences. He's not lacking in the brains department - now at secondary, and has had 5 languages thrown at him at various points and seems just fine.

My monolingual son is nearly 3 and not speaking in full sentences, nor with good pronunciation yet. He can only be completely understood by us and his nursery.

Mine went to French speaking at nursery aged 2 and Maternelle at 2.5. We speak English at home. She said barely a word at school for 6 months though was speaking in basic sentences in English from what I remember. Then it was like someone flicked a switch and a whole stream of Franglais came pouring out. We just repeated the correct English and enjoyed the rest. I still ask her if she is accroched in the car and she's 17. The important thing is consistency.

My First child (DD) was speaking in sentences and telling me stories by the time she was 2.

My DS hardly spoke when he turned two. Probably had about 20-35 words. Was very he’s not to compare but Now at 2.5 he’s speaking in sentences and I couldn’t count the words he knows, his speech just rocketed.

A lot of the time at 2 they have a lot more understanding than they do language to back it up (hence ‘terrible twos, frustrations etc.’

I’d speak as you do naturally and she will learn. What an amazing skill to be able to pass on to your child!

I used to work in a nursery (in the UK), and remember a child there whose parents had come to the UK for work reasons. She was 2 and picked English up within weeks. She understood every single word I said to her, but always answered me in her native language (which I speak, as it happens, though I always spoke to her in English). She used to shrug and say she didn't understand English. She was a little rascal and was an absolute charmer. I know teachers aren't supposed to have favourites, but she was my secret favourite.

@xmastreezz

I know it's different for every child. But I'm always worrying about it.

We are also trying to raise her bi-tri lingual. But her English is taking off more, because that's what we speak at home with each other mainly.

I don't want to confuse her either. It's tough ! So I'm putting other languages on the back burner a little bit. This also makes me sad. Like I'm not doing my best. She'll learn English anyway.

What are your experiences ?

If she's being raised bi lingual then her speech will.be less. Dont worry , the ability to speak 2 languages will more than make up for a slow start.

One if mine talked really late and the other really early OP. Now they both can obviously talk brilliantly and you wouldn’t know which one struggled. I’d definitely persevere with the other languages as it is so much easier to teach them young. It’s such a gift to be fluent in more than one language and really this is your chance for your child to have that. A little bit of short term pain for a massive wealth of long term gain.

DS is weeks away from being 2 and has just moved on to three word sentences like Mummy clean it, mummy big kiss, tie it up (his dressing gown, just incase that sounds odd!) etc etc
He recognises shapes and can count to 5 (when he feels like it) but can be quite hard to understand - DH and I recognise everything he says but my mum sometimes struggles! I don't think there's a hard and fast rule