Our Daughter’s Language Explosion at 3 Years Old: A Journey of Milestones

Our Daughter’s Language Explosion at 3 Years Old: A Journey of Milestones

Introduction

Our little girl, Maya, has just turned three, and the past few months have been nothing short of incredible. Since moving to China three months ago, her language skills and overall development have skyrocketed. It’s fascinating to witness how quickly she absorbs new words, phrases, and skills—especially in a multilingual environment.

From her first full Russian sentence to picking up Chinese phrases effortlessly, her progress has been astounding. Beyond language, she’s also hitting key physical and emotional milestones, from potty training to confidently riding her balance bike.

In this post, I’ll share the exciting developments we’ve observed in Maya over the past few months—her growing vocabulary, her adaptation to a new culture, and the little moments that make parenting such a rewarding journey.

Language Development: A Multilingual Toddler in the Making

One of the most remarkable changes has been Maya’s language explosion. Before our move, she was starting to copy words more intentionally, but now, she’s forming full phrases and mixing languages seamlessly.

English & Russian: Her First Full Sentence

Maya has been exposed to both English and Russian since birth, but her ability to construct sentences has only recently taken off. Just the other week, she said her first complete Russian phrase:

"Я Мая горячая" ("I Maya hot")—telling us she was warm!

It was such a proud moment, hearing her express herself clearly in Russian. She also uses simple commands like:

"Mama, Papa, sit!" (when she wants us to play with her)

"Book!" (when she wants us to read to her—something we try to do every night)

"Lay down (in Russian, when we’re getting ready for bedtime stories)

She’s also mastered some adorable toddler pronunciations:

"Nutty butter" = Peanut butter (one of her few "naughty" snacks)

"Bublickey" = Bubliki (Russian for small bread rings, one of her favorite snacks)

Picking Up Chinese Naturally

Since arriving in China, Maya has been absorbing Mandarin without any prompting from us. She’s already learned:

- "你好" (Nǐ hǎo) – Hello

- "谢谢" (Xièxiè) – Thank you (She says Xiexie Muma, and Xiexie Papa when we do things for her)

We think she prefers "xièxie" because it’s easier to pronounce! It’s amazing how quickly children adapt to new languages when immersed in the environment.

Counting in Two Languages up to 10

Maya can now count to 10 in both English and Russian. Hearing her switch between them effortlessly is a testament to how flexible young minds are when it comes to language acquisition.

Physical & Motor Skill Developments

Beyond language, Maya’s physical coordination has improved dramatically.

Potty Training Success

In the last three months, she’s made huge strides in potty training. She now uses her toddler training toilet consistently for both peeing and pooping—a major milestone that makes daily life much smoother!

Balance Bike & Playground Confidence

She’s also become much more confident on her balance bike, zooming around with better control. At the playground, she’s climbing, sliding, and swinging with more coordination and bravery than before.

Artistic Expression: Painting & Drawing

Maya has always enjoyed creative activities, but now she’s more intentional with her art. She loves:

Painting (sometimes abstract, sometimes deliberate strokes with a little help, shes painted things like a cat, and caterpillar etc.)

Drawing (scribbles turning into recognizable shapes)

We try to encourage this daily, as it’s a great way for her to express herself.

Social & Emotional Growth

Starting Chinese Summer Nursery

To prepare for the university nursery in September, we enrolled Maya in a local summer program. It’s been an adjustment, but she’s adapting well. The exposure to Chinese-speaking peers is accelerating her language skills even further.

Communication & Emotional Expression

She’s becoming more vocal about her needs and emotions:

"Bye!" (used interchangeably in English and Russian)

Using "Thank you" only in Chinese so far we think because it is the easiest for her to use.

These small interactions show her growing understanding of social cues and manners.

The Power of Immersion & Natural Learning

What’s most fascinating is how effortlessly Maya is picking up languages. We’ve never pressured her to speak—instead, she’s learning by:

Listening (to us, to kids at nursery, to daily conversations)

Imitating (repeating words she hears without prompting)

Contextual understanding (using the right language based on who she’s talking to)

This natural approach seems to be working far better than structured lessons at this age.

What’s Next?

As we prepare for her official nursery start in September, we’re excited to see how her language and social skills develop further. Will she start forming longer sentences in Chinese? Will she begin mixing languages more? Only time will tell!

For now, we’re just enjoying every moment of this incredible phase—the funny mispronunciations, the proud milestones, and the daily surprises that come with raising a trilingual toddler.

Final Thoughts

Watching Maya grow and adapt over these past few months has been a beautiful reminder of how spongelike young children’s brains are. Moving to China could have been overwhelming for her, but instead, she’s thriving—learning new words, making friends, and embracing her little multicultural world.

If you’re raising a bilingual or trilingual child, my biggest takeaway is this: Don’t force it. Let them absorb language naturally through play, daily life, and interaction. The results will come when they’re ready!

Has your child experienced a language explosion? What milestones have surprised you the most? Share your stories in the comments!

Thanks for reading!

Follow our journey as we navigate parenting, multilingualism, and life abroad. 🚀