First 100 Words
Here is a list of the first 100 words that most children produce. This does depend on their environment, of course, but you can confidently work on these with your child.
Remember that they might not pronounce all the sounds in the words perfectly—that’s OK! Words that might be a little more challenging include words with /r/ and voiceless /th/ (e.g., bath). Don’t insist on perfect pronunciation, but do try to have your child produce the words the same way each time. This will improve communication greatly and reduce frustration—and tantrums!
Most common nouns:
Names for people– Mama, Daddy, brother and sister names, pet names, grandparents & other family members, and favorite characters such as Elmo, Dora, Diego,etc…
Common things in books and the environment–ball, book, choo–choo, train, bike, rain, bubbles, car, truck, boat, plane, baby, bowl, spoon, diaper, sock, shoe, shirt, pants, hat, star, flower, house, tree, brush, towel, bath, chair, table, bed, blanket, light, cookie, cracker, chip, cheese, apple, banana, ice cream, cereal (Cheerios/ “O’s”), candy, milk, juice, water, dog, cat, fish, bird, duck, cow, horse, bunny, bear, pig, lion, elephant, giraffe, zebra, monkey, chicken, butterfly, bee, frog, alligator, snake
Early Pronouns
me, mine, my, I, you, it (Then toward age 3 the gender pronouns such as he, she, him, her )
Social Function Words
more, please, thank you, hi/hello, bye-bye, again, sorry, uh-oh, yes/uh-huh/okay, no/uh-uh
help please! (when needing assistance)
Common Action Words (Verbs)
eat, drink, go, stop, run, jump, walk, sleep/night-night, wash, kiss, open, close, push, pull, fix, broke, play, want, hug, love, hurt, tickle, give (“gimme”), all gone, all done, dance, help, fall, shake, see, watch, look, sit, stand (up), throw, catch, blow, cry, throw, swing, slide, climb, ride, rock, come (“C’mon”), color/draw
Location Words (Prepositions)
up, down, in, out, off, on, here, there (plus later ones such as around, under, behind, over at/after age 3)
Descriptive Words (Adjectives/Adverbs)
big, little, hot, cold, loud, quiet, yucky, icky, scary, funny, silly, dirty, clean, gentle, wet, soft, fast, slow, color words (red, blue, yellow, green, pink, orange, purple, black, white, brown) and quantity words (all, none, more, some, rest, plus early number words – especially 1, 2, 3)
Saying No
**It is very important to have children be able to reject things—say no or refuse—without throwing a tantrum. Tantrums are the most distressing thing for caregivers! Here are some ways to teach a child to constructively reject or say no to things they don’t want:
Stop!, No., No ___, please.
If your child’s verbal skills are limited, teach them to hold up their hand to say “no” or “stop.”
For more information on your child’s speech and language development, check out my caregiver guide at