How can I support my toddler's language development?
We support children’s language learning in so many ways throughout everyday routines. If you are looking for tips on ways to talk or interact with your toddler to better support their language development, these strategies are for you!
Typically, I recommend that families focus on one strategy each week. This makes incorporating that strategy more manageable and less stressful. We could all use that, right? Additionally, implementing one strategy a week provides you with the opportunity to see how your child responds (e.g., more imitation, increased use of gestures, etc.) when you slightly modify the way you talk or interact with them.
While in no way exhaustive, here is a list of some of my go-to strategies for supporting toddler language development:
Read with your child often: Reading with your child is an amazing way to support their language development. For this reason, I incorporate at least one book during every therapy session with toddlers and preschoolers. When reading with your child, don’t feel as though you need to read every word on the page. Instead, focus on describing the pictures (e.g., “That’s a fast car,” “He’s eating an apple!”), making comments (e.g., “So yummy!” “That looks fun”), and using playful exclamations (e.g., “Woah,” “Oh no!”). Keep demands low! Remember that reading books should be a fun and enjoyable experience for your child rather than a test of their knowledge.
Incorporate pauses: When talking with your child, incorporate pauses at natural phrase and sentence breaks (e.g., “I wonder what we should do. Pause. We can play or eat. Pause.”). In addition to providing your child with processing time, pauses eliminate pressure associated with communication attempts. More on the importance of pauses for all kiddos in this blog post.
Ask fewer questions: While it may seem counterintuitive, too many questions directed at toddlers with language delays can be counterproductive. Questions place pressure on a communication opportunity, as you are expecting a response from your child. Additionally, questions reduce the frequency with which you are modeling simple words and phrases for your child. The next time you’re playing or reading with your child, pause before asking a question. See if you can replace each question with a comment (e.g., “What is he eating?” —> “Look at him eat an apple”).
Follow your child’s lead: Embed language within activities your child enjoys! Kiddos are more likely to attend to and imitate language you model when you participate in an activity they enjoy rather than something they show little interest in.
Model short, simple phrases within everyday routines: Don’t feel as though you need to create new routines to support your child’s language development. Rather, focus on modeling words and phrases within already established routines:
Eating breakfast: “Eat breakfast,” “More snack,” “All done eating”
Going to bed: “Put on pajamas,” “Get in bed,” “Time to sleep”
Reading a book: “Turn page,” “Look at that,” “Woah, a car!”
Use songs and music: Nursery rhymes provide children with opportunities to participate in familiar and predictable shared routines. Model use of gestures within songs and pause at the end of verses to see if your child fills in the pause with a vocalization, directed social smile, word approximation, and/or gesture.
Respond to all vocalizations: Treat all vocalizations as if they are communicative in nature. For example, if your child says, “Bah," while looking at a ball, give them the ball and say, “Here’s the ball. Let’s play.” Treat everything as an attempt to communicate. Remember we’re not expecting perfect articulation at this age!
Expand upon what your child says: You want to model language one step ahead of where your child is currently at. If your child produces a single word (e.g., “Block”), model a 2-word phrase (e.g., “Play block”). If your kiddo consistently uses 2-word phrases, model 3-word phrases.
Looking for more strategies to support your toddler’s language development? Let’s chat!