3 year old's speech ability

Platinum Member Joined: Sep 11 2004 Posts: 19241

I'm looking for the expert advice from experienced mothers which is why I'm asking here Wink

:

does your 3 year old have the ability to understand a complete storyline and have a good grasp of what happens step by step?

can your 3 year old repeat the story back to you with details?

does your 3 year old appreciate simple story tapes?

(please note if your 3 year old was/is an advanced talker, average, or slow talker.)

Active Poster Joined: Oct 23 2006 Posts: 87

My 3.5 year old girl (will be 4 in shvat) can definitely tell and understand stories with pretty significant detail. Usually more detail than anyone else remembers. She started off talking slowly, but by 18months was definitely normal, and since then has been extremely verbal (read: chatter box). She uses pretty big vocabulary, and has a very good memory for details. When we are with other kids her age, including a male cousin the same age, she is often ahead of the game in that area. There is one female cousin her age who was always ahead of her in talking, and is still on par, although the cousin has some trouble with articulation. Hope this helps. From what I can tell, there is a huge range still at this age of what they can do\understand.

Posted: Sun, Nov 05 2006, 5:06 pm Post subject: Re: 3 year old's speech ability

Platinum Member Joined: Sep 20 2004 Posts: 17151

Posted: Sun, Nov 05 2006, 6:22 pm Post subject: re: 3 year old's speech ability

Yep at that age my kids got confused with which king was which, like achashveirosh on pesach and antiochus on purim etc.
At this age perhaps if a story is short done well with use of puppets etc and lasts the whole week rather then a different one each day.
The child can grasp easier.

Oh yes the yachners (aka early talkers) got it more confused, then the ones that actually stopped to listen Razz

Platinum Member Joined: Sep 11 2004 Posts: 19241

we have the Shmuel Kunda tapes and although he enjoys the small parts he thinks are funny, the storyline itself is way above him.

we have the Mitzvah Tree. I tried it once and thought it wasn't for him, but I'll try it again. thanx Motek for the recommendation.

I tried the Uncle Yossi stories today, and I thought some lines in the story were for babies while some of the things he talked about in the story were for much bigger kids. it didnt seem to be at any age level. Confused

Platinum Member Joined: Sep 11 2004 Posts: 19241

Tefilah, thanx for your input. he could follow and answer questions on a very short story, and on stories that he actually sees, like puppet shows.
but the parsha questions were hard for him. Confused

I dont know if he was even listening during circle time and I dont even know if other kids in his class could answer them, but I'm going to find out tomorrow.

(the big talkers usually add in their own details. Smile

)

Silver Member Joined: Jun 05 2006 Posts: 894

I guess it would depend on if your child just turned three, is about to turn four etc. My daughter just turned three recently and she cannot tell over a story. She can sometimes answer basic questions about the story, like who is this ? Is he sad ? Why is he sad ?

Posted: Sun, Nov 05 2006, 11:05 pm Post subject: re: 3 year old's speech ability

My 3 year old (he is actually 3 1/2) can understand a detailed story, if he's interested.

He can mostly understand the sequence of the story. He likes to hear the same stories over and over, and obviously gets the sequence better and better each time.

He remembers most details. Some catch his attention more than others I can tell. Sometimes mixes up details.

Yes, he does appreciate simple story tapes.

The rhythm and sound of the words is very important to him also; he likes stories with rhyming or funny names.

He started out slow talking (was in speech therapy for 8 months) but now I think is above average.

Posted: Sun, Nov 05 2006, 11:28 pm Post subject:

GR, if you are concerned about your three year olds speech I suggest you call Early Intervention and get him evaluated.

Platinum Member Joined: Sep 11 2004 Posts: 19241

healthymama- I also find there is a huge difference in 3 year olds and 3 1/2 year olds. that 1/2 year can be a big gap.
Meema2kids- thank you for describing your 3 year old. you put some of my worries to rest. Smile

and thanx for the tip about rhyming books, I'm going to get a whole bunch, maybe theyll interest him more.

I did lots of research last night on the internet about speech delay and I'm no longer worried that it may be something more than just a late start. he is obviously slow but he's catching up nicely and IYH will improve over time.