Your 23-month-old's language and cognitive development: An exploding vocabulary

Your 23-month-old's language and cognitive development: An exploding vocabulary by Dana Sullivan
New this month: An exploding vocabulary

Your 23-month-old can probably follow a simple two-step command such as "Come here and sit down so I can tie your shoes." Her vocabulary likely includes at least 20 words that she can say clearly (and many more that are harder to understand), and soon she'll be adding words so quickly that you won't be able to keep track any more. Your toddler may utter short sentences, like "Juice all gone," or "Dog run out." And she can answer simple questions such as "What is your name?" and "What does the cat say?" She will use words to tell you when she's hungry and thirsty, so you no longer have to guess if that's why she's a little bit crabby... at least some of the time. She may also understand opposites. If you look at a book with pictures of, say, a big dog and a little dog, or a big car and a little car, and ask her which is which, she should know.

What you can do

You already know that reading to your child is one of the best ways to boost her language skills. But up until now, you probably focused on familiar stories that you may have been reading together since birth. Now's the time to start broadening your book choices. Look for stories with a wide range of objects in them that are both familiar to your child and not so well known. When you read, pause occasionally and ask her questions about the book ("What is the kitty doing? Where is the boy?). Point at objects, and give her the opportunity to say aloud the names of those she knows.

Other developments: Memory and moreWhen your child was an infant, out of sight meant out of mind. But now she has the cognitive skills to remember that she left her doll in the car, for instance, even after several hours have passed. She can also associate items she's seen in real life — monkeys at the zoo — with ones she sees in a book. If you have a shape sorter, you'll probably notice now that she can put several pieces in their proper spot. Many toddlers are also experimenting with dramatic play, such as pretending to eat a plastic banana and reporting to you how yummy it is. It will be a few years before you see elaborate fantasy play where she makes up stories and characters, but this is the foundation for it.