Check Table of Contents
The first few years of your child’s life will be full of milestones like sitting up, crawling, walking, and learning how to talk.
While every child develops at a different rate, there are tons of toys and activities that can help encourage your child to learn how to talk.
Skip The Battery-Operated Toys
Battery operated toys are full of fun lights and sounds.
However, these lights and sounds can actually create an obstacle in your child’s speech development.
This is because, while your child is distracted by the fun lights and sounds that their toy is making, they are not learning the associations between words and their meanings.
Toys do not have the capacity to know what a child is looking at or what they are paying attention to.
Because of this, humans are a much better option for children to earn words and language from than toys.
So, skip the battery operated toys or if you already own them, just take the batteries out!
Go For Open Ended Toys
Did you know that there are two different types of toys?
Open-ended and close-ended.
Close-ended toys are toys that have an obvious beginning and end, such as puzzles.
Open-ended toys, on the other hand, are toys that do not have an obvious ending, like blocks.
Now, close-ended toys do have their own advantages like improving attention in children.
When looking to improve speech and language development, however, open-ended toys are the best path to take.
This is because open-ended toys can be used in many different ways, allowing you to teach your child a wider variety of words.
Open-ended toys also create a better opportunity for your child to participate in social play.
Open-ended toys typically involve your child using pretend play.
Using realistic toys, such as baby dolls, cars, or kitchen sets can help your child learn the language they will be more likely to use in their everyday lives.
Some great open-ended toy options include:
- Blocks
- Legos
- Play kitchen sets
- Tea sets
- Dolls and dollhouses
- Play toolboxes
- Activity cubes
Search Around Your House
Sometimes, the things you already have in your home are just what your child needs to learn.
So, take your child “shopping” around the house.
Head to the kitchen and watch your child’s eyes light up as they play with the pots, pans, spoons, and plates.
As you talk to your child about what they are playing with and how it is used, they are learning.
You can then bring them to the living room and enjoy a fun day full of building forts and rocket-ships out of your pillows, blankets, and cardboard boxes.
Get creative and the sky is the limit with finding “toys” around your house that you can use to encourage your child’s development.
You Are Their Ultimate Teacher
Your child is like a sponge the first few years of their life.
The more you talk and interact with them, the more language they will be able to pick up from you.
Simply explaining what you are doing throughout your day to them is a great way to improve their speech.
Some other great ways to encourage speech with your child is through reading to them, singing to them, and playing games with them!