12 Language Acquisition Stages for Children

Language acquisition is the process children go through to learn and speak their first language. Essentially, a child begins to understand and use the language naturally and automatically through repeated exposure to and immersion in the language. 

This process differs from language learning, which involves consciously studying a language’s rules (grammar, phonology, sentence structure) and is associated with how older kids and adults learn their second language. 

The distinction leads to two types of language acquisition: first-language acquisition (learning a native language) and second-language acquisition (learning any additional language after the first one). 

We’ll define each type and explain how they differ in the next section. 

First-language acquisition—children learning their very first language—is a natural process. For example, a toddler passively listens to speech and other sounds in English at home, begins to mimic them, and later produces English words.

Meanwhile, second-language acquisition—older kids and adults learning a language other than their native one—is a formal process. For instance, a 12-year-old whose native language is Spanish learns English by practicing and studying the vocabulary, grammar, phonology, and sentence structures of the new language in school.

There are also different language acquisition stages for kids learning their first language versus their second.

First-language acquisition encompasses six different stages:

1. Pre-talking 
2. Babbling 
3. Holophrastic 
4. Two-word 
5. Telegraphic 
6. Multiword 

Second-language acquisition encompasses six stages: 

1. Pre-production 
2. Early production 
3. Speech emergence 
4. Beginning fluency 
5. Immediate fluency 
6. Advanced fluency 

Each of these stages have their own criteria for what children should be able to do and when. 

If your child is learning their first language—whether that’s English, Spanish, or something else—then you should know about the following six first-language acquisition stages. We’ve included teaching tips for each stage to help your child build their language skills faster. 

1. Pre-talking (0 to 6 months old)

During this stage, a child doesn’t speak. Instead, they coo and make other sounds to communicate. At the same time, the child starts to understand basic words and phrases related to their wants or needs. 

Even though your child isn’t talking at this point, you should still help them build their talking readiness skills.

Tips for the pre-talking stage:

• Talk and play with your child every day
• Use simple language
• Reduce background noise (TV, music, etc), so your child can detect voices 
• Get face-to-face with your child so they can watch your mouth and see how to form words 
• Change your vocal intonation to get your child’s attention and aid comprehension 

2. Babbling (6 to 8 months old)

At this stage, children “babble,” or make noises and sounds—but not words. They begin to combine vowels and consonants into nonwords like dadada or bababa. 

According to a University of Iowa and Indiana University study, responding to your child’s babbling can speed up language development. 

Tips for the babbling stage:  

• Pay attention when your child babbles so you can respond appropriately (e.g., are they looking or pointing at something when they babble?)
• Interpret your kid’s babbles verbally (if they’re babbling about a toy, point it out and say, “Toy. You like the toy?”)
• Mimic your child’s babbling 
• Go back and forth with your child as they babble (alternate between imitating their babbles, verbalizing objects they point out, and waiting for them to make more sounds)   

3. Holophrastic (9 to 18 months old)

The holophrastic, or one-word stage, is one of the longest first-language acquisition stages. Here, a child starts using single words relating to their needs, interests, and observations. 

For example, they might say “milk,” “ball,” and “dog.” 

However, they’ll frequently use these words too narrowly or broadly. Like, only using the word “ball” for red balls or using the word “milk” for all drinks.

Tips for the holophrastic stage:

• Repeat words back to them 
• Gently correct mistakes (if your child calls every animal they see a cat, say the correct name of the animal)  
• Play games that incorporate basic words 
• Expand single words into simple sentences (“Car” → “That car is red.”)

4. Two-word (18 to 24 months old)

In the two-word stage, children move from using single words to combining two words into mini-sentences. 

For example, they might say “want juice” if they want more Kool-Aid or “my bear” if they want their teddy bear. 

Children also discover syntax, or word order, at this stage. 

Tips for the two-word stage:

• Acknowledge your child’s two-word phrases (“Yes, big truck.”)
• Use two-word phrases during everyday routines (Ask “more broccoli?” during dinner) 
• Model correct language usage (“Doggie bark” → “Yes, the dog is barking.”) 
• Repeat your child’s two-word phrases as full sentences (“Want toy” → “You want your toy?”)

5. Telegraphic (2 to 3 years old)

The telegraphic stage is one of the most pivotal first-language acquisition stages. At this stage, children move from two-word phrases (“more juice”) to very short, usually grammatically incorrect sentences (“me want more juice”).  

As you’ll see, your child will use lexical morphemes that convey the main idea (words like “kid” and “play”), but they’ll skip functional morphemes that serve a grammatical purpose (words like “the” and “and”). 

Tips for the telegraphic stage:

• Organize conversations around their interests (toys, food, etc)
• Model correct language usage
• Use gestures 
• Ask them questions throughout the day and give them time to respond

6. Multiword (3+ years old)

The multiword stage is the last of the first-language acquisition stages. 

In this phase, children start to use functional morphemes (“a,” “the,” “and,” “but”). They eventually get to the point of using longer, complex sentences with varied grammar and the correct syntax. 

Tips for the multiword stage:

• Help your child expand their vocabulary (if they don’t know the word for something, tell them!) 
• Have regular dialogue with your child throughout the day
• Ask follow-up questions (While reading, you might ask your child: “What is the girl doing here?” Then, when they answer, respond with, “Yes, she’s going to the store. What kind of store is it?”)
• Gently correct your child’s grammar (“Him is running” → “Yes, he is running.”) 

If your kid has a different primary language and you want to help them learn a second one, focus on guiding them through the following second-language acquisition stages. 

1. Pre-production (after 0 to 6 months of language exposure)

The first of the second-language acquisition stages is the pre-production stage, also called the “silent period.” 

Here, children may not speak or comprehend the language at all. Instead, they focus on absorbing the language.

When spoken to, they’ll often use gestures (nodding, pointing, shaking their head, drawing) instead of giving verbal responses. 

Tips for the pre-production stage:

• Build your child’s listening comprehension with read-alouds and music
• Use visual aids and gestures
• Speak slowly and use basic words 
• Model correct language usage

2. Early Production (after 6 to 12 months of language exposure)

During this stage, children start speaking the language.

They use keywords and phrases (“hi,” “bye,” “more”) and offer one or two-word responses. However, they may make mistakes along the way, like using incorrect grammar. 

Despite trying out the new language, children will still listen more than they speak at this stage.  

Tips for the early production stage:

• Ask your child “yes/no” questions
• Encourage your child to point to pictures and say the word aloud
• Say longer phrases and have your child repeat them
• Model correct language usage

3. Speech Emergent (after 1 to 3 years of language exposure)

Here, children can understand much of what they hear in the second language. 

They have a larger vocabulary. And they can read, write, and use simple sentences in the language—albeit with some mistakes. 

Children in this stage also use context clues so they can respond appropriately. 

Tips for the speech emergent stage:

• Ask longer “why” and “how” questions
• Model how to use academic language
• Incorporate writing and vocabulary activities
• Draw connections between the content and your child’s interests 

4. Beginning Fluency (after 2 to 4 years of language exposure)

The beginning fluency stage stands out from previous second-language acquisition stages because this is when children start to use the new language more flexibly. 

For example, they can talk about familiar topics with friends, family members, and teachers. Think routines, foods, and favorite things.

Still, in some instances, they may struggle to find the appropriate word or phrase to use. 

Tips for the beginning fluency stage: 

• Help your child out with sentence stems or prompts
• Use visual aids
• Practice pronunciation by asking your child to repeat key words 
• Praise your child and gently correct mistakes  

5. Intermediate Fluency (after 3 to 5 years of language exposure)

The intermediate fluency stage is when children start to use more complex sentences and grammar. For example, they can discuss what they like and dislike and give reasons. 

On top of that, children at this stage have high language comprehension skills, they can use academic language, and they make fewer grammatical mistakes. 

Tips for the intermediate fluency stage: 

• Introduce your child to idioms and slang, and model how to use them
• Provide feedback to improve your child’s syntax and pronunciation 
• Have your child practice brainstorming, summarizing, comparing, and contrasting
• Review key vocabulary and phrases from school   

6. Advanced Fluency (after 5 to 7 years of language exposure)

In the last of the second-language acquisition stages, children reach native-like proficiency. That means they can communicate fluently and in various academic and social contexts.

During the advanced fluency stage, children are also comfortable learning different academic subjects, with mistakes mostly occurring with uncommon words or grammar structures. 

Tips for the advanced fluency stage: 

• Build on your child’s vocabulary with synonyms and antonyms 
• Encourage more reading in the target language (books, online articles, magazines)
• Correct your child’s academic and oral language mistakes
• Encourage your child to use the language in various settings (home, school, restaurants) 

Whether your child is acquiring English as their first language or learning it as their second, Novakid’s resources are invaluable. 

By regularly playing songs, dialogues, and educational videos from our YouTube channel, you can immerse your child in the English language. This helps them build their first-language skills through repeated exposure. 

Or, if your child speaks a different primary language and is now learning English, you can help them become fluent in the second language through our online English classes. Our highly interactive classes are taught by experts and can help them reach fluency two times faster. 

Sign up for a 30-day free trial today to see how Novakid teachers can speed up your kid’s English language development.