Help Your Toddler Talk: Language Games at Home

The big idea

• It isn't the number of words a toddler hears from a screen or across the room that matters most. It's back-and-forth turns: your child points or babbles, you respond, they respond again.
• You don't need flashcards or special toys. Everyday routines, done with talk, are the best language lessons. This builds on the toddler talking guide, which covers milestones.

Techniques speech therapists use

• Get face to face. Kneel, sit on the floor, or lift them onto the counter so they can see your mouth.
• Expand by one. Add one or two words to what they say. They say "dog," you say "big dog" or "dog running."
• Self-talk and parallel talk. Describe what you're doing ("I'm washing, washing the cup") and what they're doing ("You're pushing the car up").
• Pause and wait a slow count of 5 after a question or a sentence-starter. Silence gives them space to try.
• Fill-in-the-blank. In familiar songs and books, stop before the last word: "Twinkle, twinkle, little..."
• Offer choices, holding up both: "Milk or water?" This gives a reason to talk without pressure.
• Sabotage a little. Put a favorite toy in a clear container they can't open, give one shoe, or "forget" the spoon. Then wait for them to ask, point or sign.
• Model, don't correct. If they say "goed," you reply "Yes, you went to the park!"

Games and routines

• Narrated chores: sorting laundry by color, unpacking groceries ("apple, in the bowl").
• Hide and find: hide a toy under cups; say "where is it?" and "found it!"
• Action songs with gestures; gestures often come before words.
• Pretend play: feeding a doll, a toy phone call, a pretend picnic.
• Photo books of family members, pets and daily routines; toddlers love naming people they know.
• Read the same books again and again, pointing and talking about the pictures rather than reading every word.
• Sign or gesture together with words. It supports talking; it doesn't delay it.

Every language counts

• Speak the language or languages you know best and love. Rich talk in a home language builds the foundation for learning English and others. Mixing languages is normal. See the bilingual and multicultural families guide.
• Sign language is a full language; Deaf and hard-of-hearing families can use these same techniques in sign.

Screens and background noise

• Turn off background TV and music when you're playing or eating together; it cuts down the talk toddlers hear and use.
• Video chats with grandparents or a parent who's away count as real conversation for many toddlers, especially with an adult helping.

When to check in

• Mention it at the next checkup if by 18 months your child isn't pointing or trying a few words, by 2 isn't putting two words together, or at any age loses words or skills.
• You can also contact your state's early intervention program directly for a free evaluation for children under 3, no referral needed.