Things kids say, age by age
The things kids say change almost month to month. A line that’s hilarious at two would be ordinary at five, and a five-year-old’s theory about the moon would be impossible at two. That’s why the age matters as much as the words. Here is roughly how talk changes from 1 to 5, and what tends to be worth writing down at each stage.
The age notes below loosely follow the CDC’s “Learn the Signs. Act Early.” milestones, which describe what most children do by each age. Every child moves at their own pace. This is about what to keep, not a checklist; if you have questions about your child’s development, talk to your pediatrician.
Around 1 year: the first names
Most babies wave bye-bye and have a special name for a parent, like “mama” or “dada.” There is not much to quote yet, and that’s exactly why these pages matter later.
- The first word, and what you decided counted as one.
- Their own version of a word: what they call the dog, milk, or their sibling.
- Who they said it to and where you were.
18 months to 2 years: words start to pile up
By 18 months many toddlers try several words beyond mama and dada, and by two most put two words together, like “More milk.” This is the age of invented words and wonderful mistakes.
- Two-word sentences that say a lot: “Moon gone.” “Daddy shoe.”
- Words that only your family understands. Write down what they meant; you will forget.
- Things they call by the wrong name, and keep calling that way.
“Watermelon, please. One, two, three!” (At two, “one, two, three” meant “lots.”)
2½ to 3 years: “I,” “me,” and “why?”
By 30 months many children have around 50 words and start saying “I,” “me,” and “we.” Around three most can keep up a short back-and-forth conversation and start asking who, what, where, and why.
- Their answers to your questions. This is the age when asking pays off.
- “Why” chains, and where they finally ended.
- Grammar they built themselves: “I runned,” “two mouses,” “it’s more biggerer.”
4 years: stories about their day
Most four-year-olds use sentences of four or more words, repeat bits of songs and stories, and can tell you something that happened during their day.
- Their version of events. It is rarely what happened, which is the charm.
- Explanations of how the world works: rain, sleep, where grown-ups go.
- Things they say about you. Write them down even when they sting a little.
“The sky looks like a zebra!”
5 years: theories, rhymes, and longer stories
By five, most children can tell a story with a couple of events, keep a conversation going for several turns, and play with rhymes. The quotes get longer and stranger in the best way.
- Whole made-up stories. Even three sentences are worth keeping.
- Big questions about babies, death, or infinity, and the answers they came up with.
- Jokes and riddles they invented. “What’s orange and says moo? A orange cow.”
“It’s going to sleep. It has to follow me again tomorrow.”
Ask the same question every year
One of the easiest ways to watch how your child changes is to ask the same few questions on every birthday: “How old is Mom?” “What’s your favorite thing?” “What do you want to be?” Put the answers side by side and you can see them grow up.
How to keep up
- Write the exact words, on the day, even if it’s one line.
- Add the date and your child’s age. It changes how the line reads later.
- Keep it all in one place your partner can add to.
More in how to keep a kid quote journal.
Daysake keeps what your kid says word for word, with the date and their age. It sends one question a week for your child’s age, and the same birthday questions every year.
Source for the age notes: CDC, Learn the Signs. Act Early. milestones at 1 year, 18 months, 2 years, 30 months, 3 years, 4 years, 5 years. Example pages are sample lines from the Daysake app.