What developmental milestone is expected at 16 months that involves communication?

At 16 months, a significant developmental milestone in communication involves a toddler beginning to use a few words consistently. This indicates their growing ability to express needs, desires, and respond to their environment. Typically, by this age, children may begin using approximately 4 to 6 recognizable words in their everyday interactions, which reflects their increasing vocabulary and cognitive development.

This milestone is crucial because it lays the foundation for future language skills and enhances social interactions. Being able to communicate with a small but meaningful set of words allows toddlers to engage better with caregivers and peers, fostering further social and emotional development.

Other options describe developmentally significant activities, such as engaging in parallel play or pointing to objects of interest, but these skills are more commonly observed slightly earlier or later in the developmental timeline. Reciting nursery rhymes is also a skill that usually develops later as children become more fluent and confident in their language use. Therefore, using 4-6 words consistently is the most appropriate communication milestone expected at 16 months.