Early Morphemes in Child language development
If you’ve ever heard a young child say “I goed there” or “two dog,” you’ve witnessed the fascinating process of language development in action. These “errors” are actually signs that your child is learning how to use morphemes—the smallest units of meaning in language. According to Brown’s Stages of Language Development, children typically acquire early morphemes between ages 2 and 4. These include grammatical markers like plural -s ("cats"), present progressive -ing ("running"), and possessive ’s ("mom’s hat"). These milestones are important for building complex sentences and clear communication, and when they’re delayed or missing, it may signal the need for speech therapy support.
What’s Typical and What Might Be a Red Flag
It’s normal for children to make grammatical mistakes as they learn to use morphemes, but there are general age ranges when we expect them to appear. By age 2, we often hear the present progressive -ing (“eating”), and by 2.5 to 3, plurals and prepositions like “in” and “on” should emerge. By age 4, children should consistently use regular past tense -ed, articles (“a” and “the”), and auxiliary verbs like “is” and “are.” A red flag would be a child over 3 who rarely or never uses these forms, or who primarily speaks in single words or memorized phrases. Morpheme use is one of the key indicators of early grammar development—and consistent delays may point to a broader expressive language delay.
Encouraging Morphemes in Toddlers (Ages 2–3)
At this age, focus on modeling the early morphemes in playful, natural ways. For example, when playing with toys, narrate actions using -ing: “The bear is jumping!” or “You are cooking!” Emphasize plural -s when cleaning up: “Let’s put the blocks away. So many blocks!” Rather than correcting your child, simply repeat their sentence with the correct morpheme. If they say, “dog run,” you can respond with, “Yes, the dog is running!” You’re giving them a grammatically correct model in context without pressure.
Supporting Preschoolers (Ages 3–4)
For this age group, you can expand on morphemes that show ownership, quantity, and time. Use toys and visuals to practice the possessive ’s: “This is Emma’s book. Whose book? Emma’s!” During storytime or daily routines, highlight regular past tense: “Yesterday, we walked to the store.” Use visuals like a photo schedule to show events that happened “yesterday” or “last night” to reinforce the concept. If your child says “He jump,” model, “Yes, he jumped off the step!” and give praise for trying longer sentences.
Encouraging Morpheme Use in Early School-Age Children (Ages 4+)
By age 4, children should be using a wider range of grammatical markers, including past tense -ed, third person singular -s (“she eats”), and articles (“a,” “the”). Games like “What’s happening?” using action cards can help reinforce verb tenses. Show a picture of a child eating and say, “She eats lunch every day.” Then switch to past tense: “Yesterday, she ate pizza.” Emphasize contrast between present and past. If your child struggles with these forms, visuals and sentence-building apps or cut-and-paste activities can be useful tools. Practicing with real-life tasks—like writing a shopping list or recounting the day—can also boost morpheme use in conversation.
When to Seek Support
If your child is consistently omitting morphemes past the expected age or seems stuck at a one- or two-word level while peers are forming full sentences, it’s worth consulting a Speech-Language Pathologist. Speech therapy can help children build the grammatical structures they need to express themselves fully and confidently. With individualized strategies, games, and caregiver coaching, many children catch up quickly when given the right support. Tracking morpheme use is one of the most helpful ways to monitor expressive language growth over time.
