Moving from words to sentences – what does your toddler need to know (and how can you help)?

Your toddler is beginning to use short sentences when they talk; they might use three or four words – which probably makes understanding what they’re telling you a bit easier! But, as you’ll know if you’ve learnt a new language as an adult, there’s much more to talking than simply knowing the words. So, what does your toddler need to master as they move from words to sentences? 

The basics of language terminology and grammar 

Simply put, grammar can be defined as the 'rules' of a language.^[1] We tend not to think about the intricacies of the language or languages we learnt as babies and young children, but these rules help us to understand meaning.    

For example, the same words arranged in different ways can change the meaning of a sentence:   

The teddy fell on the bed.    

The bed fell on the teddy.   

To comprehend the difference between two sentences like these, your toddler needs to understand grammar.  

They do this by learning about ‘morphology’ and ‘syntax’. 

Morphology is simply word structure, so includes things like using word endings to make a word plural or to change its tense.  

Syntax is about sentence structure, so how words are ordered in a sentence to make the meaning clear.  

As your toddler begins to combine words and develop their understanding of the rules linked to language, they will sometimes make mistakes.  

You can help by chatting about things that interest them, and if they make a mistake, don't ask them to repeat what they said, simply say it again correctly.  

Through their conversations with you and other people around them, your toddler will refine their understanding of the rules of language and gradually use a wider range of word types and make fewer mistakes.  

Why not make a note of some of the things your toddler says – or capture some voice notes of your toddler talking now so you can look (or listen) back on this amazing development in the future? 

Reference:  

[1] Mitchell, P. & Zieger, F (2013) Fundamentals of Developmental Psychology (2nd edn.). Hove: Psychology Press.