At the age of 12, your child is behaving and speaking more and more like grown ups and older children. Their speech will be fluent, and they can share more complicated games, stories and feelings. Here are some milestones to be aware of:
Listening and understanding
By 12 years old, your child will understand that how things are said can affect meaning, like simple sarcasm and jokes. They’ll be able to ask different types of questions.
Speaking
Your child will know lots of words, even longer ones that grown ups use. They’ll know that a word can have more than one meaning. They can also talk about their feelings in more detail.
They speak clearly in longer sentences. They can tell you some grammar rules and know when a sentence is spoken incorrectly.
Telling stories
Telling stories is important for twelve-year-olds. It’s how they tell you about their day, their friends and their feelings.
They can tell long stories full of lots of details. They can talk about things in the past or plans for the future.
Friendships
At this age, your child will likely have important friendships that are separate to you. They notice what other people think or feel. They can play group games, explain the rules to other people and see when somebody doesn’t understand.
Any concerns?
All children learn different things at different times. No two are the same. If your child is doing some of these things, but not all of them, this is normal.
If you’re worried about how they’re getting on, speak to their teacher or headteacher. They should be able to give you some simple ways to help at home.
If you need more help, here are some places which may be able to give you advice:
- Talking Point - 0845 225 4071
- Afasic - 0845 355 5577
- SOS!SEN: Special Educational Needs - 020 8538 3731
- IPSEA: Independent Parental Special Education Advice - 0800 018 4016
- Contact a Family - 0808 808 3555
- I CAN - 020 7843 2544