How Do I Help My Toddler Start Combining Words?

When do toddlers start to combine words? 

Your baby is starting to say many single words, both independently, and in imitation, but how can you help them move to the next step of making phrases, or combining words together? In typical analytical language development, children will have approximately 50 words in their inventory of words they say independently before starting to combine words to make phrases. They also typically need a variety of types of words, such as nouns, verbs, prepositions, adjectives, and pronouns, as 2-word combinations are typically made by adding two different types of words together (e.g. object + action - car go; object + preposition - block in; person + action - mama help; adjective + object - green ball). This may start around 18 months of age, and is the milestone for 24 months of age (meaning 75-90% of children have a minimum of 50 words and are making 2-word combinations by 2 years of age). 

What can I do to help my toddler start saying phrases?

Two great strategies to help take your toddler from single word productions to phrases is by using expansions and the plus one strategy. Expansions are when you repeat the single word your child just said, and put it into a sentence that applies to the context. The plus one strategy is when you repeat their word and add one (or two) additional words to it to make a 2-3 word phrase. These additional words add more information, such as a verb, adjective, noun, pronoun, or preposition. 

For example, if your toddler says, “car,” you can model back, “push car,” and , “I’m pushing the car!”

Why do expansions and the plus one strategy work?

Children need to hear language modeled in order for their language and vocabulary to continue to grow. When you use expansions and the plus one strategy, you are giving them a real-time example of how to combine words in a meaningful context. When we provide language models during everyday routines, children are more likely to absorb these words because they are able to associate them with relevant activities. 

While it is important to model grammatically correct sentences using the expansion strategy, your child may be more likely to actually imitate 2-word combinations when using the plus one strategy, especially if you model two words that are already in their repertoire of words they are saying independently. It is also possible they will imitate a new word with a word they are already saying. This is why I recommend using both strategies, by modeling both grammatically correct sentences, and 2-3 word phrases, especially if your child is having more difficulty starting to combine words.

How do I use expansions and the plus one strategy?

You can use these strategies any time your child says a single word. Repeat their word back by adding words such as action words (e.g. go, jump, run, roll), adjectives (e.g. blue, big, small, happy), prepositions (e.g. on, in, out), nouns (e.g. mama, baby, dog), or pronouns (e.g. you, me). The word or words you add will be specific to the situation or context you are currently in to add more information to their single word. When using expansions, you are modeling their word in a grammatically correct sentence, and when using the plus one strategy, you are modeling an appropriate 2-3 word phrase for the situation. When using the plus one strategy, it can also be helpful to clap while saying each word, as well as use parentese (higher tone of voice, or in a sing-songy way, with a slower rate, and more drawn out vowels). This helps draw your toddlers attention to the words even more, and helps them almost see and feel the addition of another word.  

Note that we are not asking our child to say the phrase, or expecting imitation, we are simply modeling it for them. 

Clap out each word, such as, “block [clap] on [clap].”

Examples of expansions and the +1 strategy

Here are some examples of a single word your child might say, and different sentences (expansions) and word combinations (plus one strategy) you can model, that will vary based on the context, whether you’re playing, running errands, eating, getting dressed, reading a book, etc.:

Child: “go”

Parent expansions: “It’s time to go,” “The car is going,” “Let’s go fast” 

Parent +1 strategy: “car go,” “go up,” “go in,” “go fast” 

Child: “baby”

Parent expansions: “I see a baby,” “The baby is sleeping” 

Parent +1 strategy: “baby sleeping,” “hug baby,” “look a baby,” “hi baby”

Child: “doggy”

Parent expansions:  “The doggy is on a walk,” “I see a brown doggy” 

Parent +1 strategy: “brown doggy,” “nice doggy,” “bye-bye doggy,” “doggy eat”

Child: “help”

Parent expansions: “I need help,” “help me open it” 

Parent +1 strategy: “help me,” “help open,” “help please”

Child: “car”

Parent expansions: “I see the car,” “Mommy’s driving the car” 

Parent +1 strategy: “blue car,” “car go,” “fast car,” “drive the car”

Child: “bye-bye”

Parent expansions: “Time to tell your toys bye-bye,” “It’s time to go bye-bye,” “We’re going bye-bye”

Parent +1 strategy: “bye-bye mama,” “bye-bye dada,” “bye-bye truck,” “bye-bye toys”

Child: “no”

Parent expansions: “No more apples,” “no thank you,” “No I don’t want that”

Parent +1 strategy: “no apple,” “no more,” “no hat,” “no help”

Child: “on”

Parent expansions: “We’re putting on our shoes,” “Put on your socks,” “Let’s turn it on”

Parent +1 strategy: “put on,” “shoes on,” “socks on,” “turn on”

Child: “cracker”

Parent expansions: “I want crackers,” “You’re eating crackers”

Parent +1 strategy: “more crackers,” “eat crackers,” “crackers please,” 

Child: “ball”

Parent expansions: “I want the ball,” “You rolled the ball” 

Parent +1 strategy: “roll ball,” “kick ball,” my ball,” “green ball” 

Once your child starts to use 2-word combinations consistently, the same strategy can be utilized for expanding 2-word utterances into 3-4+ word phrases and sentences: 

Child: “want more”

Parent expansions: “I want more,” “I want more apples,” “You want more”

Parent +1 strategy: “want more please”

Child: “car go”

Parent expansions: “The car is going,” “You’re making the car go” 

Parent +1 strategy: “car goes fast,” “car is going” 

Child: “baby sleep”

Parent expansions: “The baby is sleeping,” “The baby is sleeping in her crib”

Parent +1 strategy:  “baby is sleeping,” “baby sleep in crib,” “quiet, baby sleep”

What should I do if my child isn’t combining words?

If your child has not yet met the milestones for their age, such as 2-word combinations by 24 months of age, reach out to your pediatrician for a referral to a speech-language pathologist. If you are concerned about your child’s speech and language development, it’s important to get an evaluation with a speech-language pathologist. Early intervention has been proven to have better outcomes than the outdated “wait and see” approach, so speak to your pediatrician if you are concerned. Every state has a state-funded early intervention program, although these programs can be difficult to qualify for. If you are still concerned, you can reach out to a private practice in your area. 

For more strategies you can start implementing today to help increase your child’s language development, click here, here, and here, and follow us on Instagram for “bite-sized” information on language strategies:

This website and information on this blog post is provided for educational purposes only. It is not meant as medical advice, intended to replace a speech-language assessment, therapy from a speech-language pathologist, or serve as medical care for a child. It is recommended that you discuss any concerns or questions you might have with your speech-language pathologist, pediatrician, and medical team, and develop an individualized team plan specifically for your child.

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