Gestures, First Words & Phrases: A Parent's Guide to Early Expressive Language

Long before your child says their first word, they're already communicating. A wave goodbye, a point at the dog across the street, a head shake that clearly means no thank you — these are some of the earliest and most important signs of language development.

Understanding how expressive language unfolds can help you know what to look for as your child grows, and feel more confident about where they are. Here's a look at three key stages: gestures, first words, and the move into phrases.

A quick note before we start: every child develops at their own pace. The milestones below are a general guide, not a checklist or a test. Children reach these skills at different times and in different ways, and there's a wide range of what's considered typical.

Gestures: Communication Before Words

Gestures are the earliest way children communicate before words, alongside words, and even after words begin to emerge. They're a child's first toolkit for sharing what they want, need, and find interesting.

When do they start? A child's first gestures often begin to appear around 9 months old. By around 16 months, many children are using close to 16 different gestures.

What does this look like?

Common early gestures include:

• Waving
• Pointing
• Reaching up to be picked up
• Clapping
• Shaking the head "no"
• Blowing kisses
• High fives
• Showing or giving objects

Why it matters. Research shows that early gesture use is strongly connected to later language. Because gestures are one of the first ways children express their wants, needs, and interests, they can also help reduce frustration during the stretch before words arrive.

First Words: What Counts (and When)

A child's first word, whether spoken or signed, often develops between 10 and 12 months.

A reassuring thing to know is that words don't have to sound perfect. A word "counts" as long as your child uses it consistently and intentionally. That includes:

• Approximations: a close and consistent attempt at a word, like “da” for dog or “baba” for bottle
• Signs: baby or ASL sounds, like “more” and “all done”
• Play sounds: fun sounds used during play, like “beep” or “moo”
• Exclamatory words: sounds that express feeling or excitement, like “wow” or “uh oh”

Spoken, signed, and approximated words all count toward your child's vocabulary.

How vocabulary typically grows

As children move through their second and third years, their vocabulary expands dramatically. The table below shows two useful numbers at each age:

• Milestone — what most children (about 90%) are able to do by that age
• Average — what about half (50%) of children are doing at that age

Phrases & Combining Words

As vocabulary grows, children start putting words together to share more complex ideas. This is an exciting shift, as it means your child is moving from naming things to actually building little sentences.

• Around 24 months: Beginning to use a few two-word phrases, like "more milk" or "mommy go."
• Around 36 months: Beginning to use a few three-word phrases, like "mommy drink water."

The Big Picture

These milestones are one helpful way to understand your child's development, but they're only one way, and they're meant as a general guide rather than a strict standard. Children grow on their own timelines, and a lot of natural variation is completely normal.

When to seek support

If you have concerns about your child's communication, it's always worth talking with your child's doctor and/or a licensed speech-language pathologist. Early support can make a big difference, and reaching out sooner rather than later is never the wrong call.

Looking for more?

Download our FREE expressive language milestones guide here to help you track your child’s progress.

Link: https://speechkick.com/products/expressive-language-milestones