Talking with Toddlers

The following is a list of the first words that children tend to learn. You can use it to determine the number of expressive words and signs that your child is using. "Expressive" means just the words and signs that your child is actually producing, not the words and signs that your child understands. After printing this page, circle the words and put a box around the signs. Add the unique words/signs to get a total expressive language vocabulary for your child.

1. Social Words: all done (gone) more stop no mine please hi bye night-night don't shhh boo thank you uh-oh

2. Prepositions: around at away back behind beside down for in/side off on out/side under up

3. Animals: bear (Teddy Bear) bee bird bug bunny cat chicken cow dog duck fish frog giraffe horse monkey mouse pig puppy sheep spider wolf

4. Vehicles: bike boat bus car motorcycle plane rocket train truck (dump, garbage)

5. Food and Drink: apple banana beans bottle bread cake candy cereal cheese chips coffee coke cookie cracker donut drink hotdog french fries grapes green beans gum hamburger ice cream juice lollipop milk orange pizza pop popcorn popsicle potato chip pretzel pudding raisin soda soup toast water yogurt

6. Clothes: bib boots button coat diaper dress hat hood jacket mittens pajamas pants (T) shirt shoe shorts sneaker sock sweater bathing suit underpants

7. Body Parts: arm belly button bottom chin ear eye feet finger hair hand head knee leg lips mouth nose penis shoulder teeth thumb toe tongue tummy vagina

8. Toys: baby ball balloon bat blocks book bubbles dinosaur doll game puzzle story toy

9. TV Characters/Shows/Movies: Barney Big Bird Blues (Clues) Burt Buzz Cookie Monster Coral Dory Lightyear Dipsy Elmo Ernie Grover Hulk Lala Luke Skywalker Marlin Mickey Mouse Nemo Po Pooh Sesame Street Snoopy Spiderman Superman Star Wars Teletubbies Tinky-Winky Toy Story Woody

10. Household: bath bed blanket brush buckle chair couch clock comb crib cup dish door DVD fork fridge garage garbage glass glasses hammer key kitchen knife lamp light money movie picture pillow plate potty purse radio soap spoon stairs stove table telephone tissue toothbrush towel trash TV VCR watch window

11. Outside: cloud farm flower garden grass house hospital ladder lawn McDonalds mower moon outside park playground pool rain rock sandbox school shovel sky slide snow snowman star stick store sun swing tree water wind wood work yard zoo

12. People: aunt babysitter's name boy brother clown daddy doctor fireman friend girl grandma grandpa man mommy nana own name papa papi people policeman sister uncle

13. Actions: bath bite blow break breakfast bring brush build bump buy call change climb close comb come cook cry cut dance draw drink drive drop dry dump eat fall feed find fix get give go help hide hit hold hug hurry hurt jump kick kiss knock know let's go lick look love nap put read ride run say scribble see shake share shopping show sing sit sleep smile spill splash stop swim swing take talk tear tell think throw tickle touch turn on/off wait walk want wash watch wipe wish work write

14. Qualities: all another awake bad better big black blue booboo brown careful clean cold cute dark dirty dry fast good green happy hard heavy high hot hungry hurt little mad more new nice noisy old one orange ouch poor pretty quiet red sad scared sick sleepy soft sticky stuck some thirsty tiny tired wet white windy yellow yucky

15. Pronouns: he her here him I it me mine my that them there these they this those us we you your

16. Grammatical Words: a the how what when where which who why