5 Signs Your Child Is Verbally Advanced and Ways to Support Them

Every new language skill our kids hone in on over the years can feel like a big accomplishment — and for good reason, because it is!

But have you ever wondered if your young child’s vocabulary is especially expansive for their age, or if it’s normal that they repeat new words almost instantly? If so, you might have a verbally advanced learner on your hands, and having the right books on hand can make all the difference in sharpening their skills.

Understanding Your Child’s Verbal Development

“Generally, verbally advanced children move through the process of gaining and understanding speech much more rapidly,” says Sally Reis, Ph.D., special advisor to the interim provost at the University of Connecticut and past president of the National Association for Gifted Children.

Every child develops skills at different ages and speeds. Sometimes, children are quick to develop language skills, but their gross motor skills like walking develop at a slower pace (and over time, those might switch), says Jann Fujimoto, MS, CCC-SLP, a certified speech-language pathologist in Oconomowoc, WI. 

“Just because children are advanced at one age doesn’t necessarily mean they’ll continue that trajectory,” Fujimoto says. “Likewise, if you’re thinking, ‘My kid is just on target right now,’ that doesn’t mean your child won’t advance later on.”

The following language development milestones can help you determine if your young child is verbally advanced for their age. But no matter where they are on their developmental path, the most important thing is to constantly expose them to a rich language environment — this will help expand their vocabulary and knowledge of the world while nurturing a love of learning.

6-9 Months: They Speak Their First Words

Most children say their first words around one year of age, but verbally advanced children might utter words like “Dada” or “No” even earlier. 

“Some verbally precocious kids speak their first words at six to nine months of age,” says Reis. “Before that, they may be trying to communicate, even if they can’t speak yet.” For example, you may notice your baby is attempting to mimic your mouth movements or sticking their tongue out.

To encourage those first sounds, make sure your baby hears words through many different mediums. “Try to broaden the language experience in multiple ways by singing to them, reading to them, or showing them objects and saying the corresponding words,” says Reis. The more words your child hears, the better they'll be primed for speaking.

Scholastic Early Learners: My Busiest Book Ever (Touch and Explore) is a great way to introduce your child to new concepts while also helping to develop their fine motor skills.

1 Year: They Can Say Short Sentences

It may be as simple as “I goed home,” but when a one-year-old strings together words to create meaning, it’s a sign of verbal advancement, says Fujimoto. 

“The sentences may not be grammatically correct, but that’s okay, because that can come later,” she says. It’s still advanced — at this age, most children link around two words at once (such as “Hi, Mama” or “More milk”).

If your one-year-old is starting to form short sentences, Fujimoto recommends adding one more descriptive word to each statement they make. For example, you can respond to “I want apple!” by saying, “You want more apples!” or “You want a red apple.” This shows your child the many ways we use language to speak descriptively.

Try Brown Bear, Brown Bear, What Do You See? As you read this beloved classic and point to striking illustrations of animals like a red bird, a yellow duck, and a green frog, your child will learn the vivid adjectives that color our world.

2 Years: Your Child Says Sentences With Multiple Verbs

Most children at age two are experimenting with onomatopoeia (aka using words that describe noises, like “beep beep!”) and starting to ask questions (“Where’s Dada?”), but verbally advanced kids might already be speaking in longer sentences with many verbs, such as, “I played and I jumped and I sang!” says Fujimoto.

By age two, your child may have also already grasped when speech is meant to be funny. “Verbally advanced children like the subtleties of language and see the humor in it at a young age,” says Reis. “If you read a line from a book that’s funny, they’ll laugh.” 

It’s appropriate to begin subtly correcting mistakes in irregular verbs at this age. For instance, when your child says, “I goed night-night,” you might say, “Oh, you went night-night!” 

“They don’t need to repeat it or say it correctly at that very moment, but it can provide a model for the next time,” says Fujimoto. You can also try this with irregular nouns — for instance, by using the word “geese” when your child says “gooses.”

The Wonky Donkey is a great choice for humor-loving one-year-olds. They will be in fits of laughter during this read-aloud tale about a spunky, hanky panky, cranky, stinky, dinky, lanky, honky tonky, winky wonky donkey! This lovable story also demonstrates how to correctly use past-tense verbs such as “saw,” “smelt,” and “had.”

3 Years: Your Child Has Interest in Nonfiction Books

Some verbally advanced children show a fascination in books about factual places and events as young as age three.

“As some of these verbally precocious kids get a little older, they might show natural curiosity and a thirst for information, and oftentimes will demonstrate a preference for nonfiction or informational text,” says Reis. Your child may also correctly use many irregular verbs and nouns at this age.  

Take this time to experiment with what types of books and information your child is most interested in — both nonfiction and fiction. “They may not be able to understand everything yet, but if they enjoy hearing the story, the repetition of the words will eventually give them an even more advanced vocabulary,” says Reis. (Here's more on the benefits of nonfiction books for kids.) 

Scholastic Early Learners: Baby Animals is a fun, educational way to satisfy your child’s curiosity with endless entertainment! This charming book uses bite-sized text and playful illustrations to make learning about animals fun and informative.

4-5 years: You Child Is Correctly Pronouncing Difficult Sounds

Many children don’t master more challenging sounds until about the age of 7, but if your child is verbally advanced, he may do so by ages four or five. These sounds include “th” (as in thumb), “l” (as in lemon), “s” (as in sister), “r” (as in red or carry), “v” (as in victory), “j” (as in January), “ch” (as in chair or much), and “sh” (as in ship or mash).

“These sounds take a lot of coordination in terms of where you put your tongue, what you do with your lips, and how you move air in your mouth, which kids don’t often have until they’re a little older,” says Fujimoto.

Now and throughout grade school, continue to encourage your child’s language skills by introducing alternative words for certain scenarios. 

For example, you can say, “I gazed at the stars last night!” rather than “I looked at the stars.” “It’s a really small tweak, but your child might ask what ‘gazed’ means, and it gives you the opportunity to explain the word,” says Fujimoto. 

And of course, incorporate as many books, games, and songs into your child’s daily life as possible — as you do, their vocabulary will continue to skyrocket.

The Word Collector by celebrated author Peter H. Reynolds is perfect for exploring various words and their meanings with eye-catching illustrations that will engage their imagination and build their vocabulary even further.