The Montessori-Minded Mom

11 Toddler Activities to Encourage Speech

Are you looking for easy and fun ways to help encourage your toddler's speech development?

If so, you come to the right place. I'm going to go over some speech development facts and give you some fun and interactive ways you can help your child's language development.

How to encourage speech development

A toddler's speech development is one of the most exciting and worrying things about parenting.

In the time of social media, it's easy to fall into the trap of comparing your toddler's speech development with others.

You may be wondering if there are any toddler activities to encourage speech.

Research shows that young children need to hear about 21,000 words per day for optimal language development.

While that number may have taken your breath away momentarily, I assure you it's not difficult to achieve.

Luckily, there are many things you can do with your toddler to encourage speech, and they can all be pretty fun!

Speech development in toddlers

You can worry yourself sick reading through websites about how many words your child should be saying at certain ages.

I've read that an 18-month-old should be saying at least 20 words, but then I read the next article down and I'm told a child should be saying at least 6 words at 18 months.

And then , to top the confusion off, women in parenting Facebook groups are telling me they've been told an 18-month-old should be saying more than 50 words!

Here's the most reasonable official word on what a toddler's speech should entail, by age:

By 18 Months- Says several single words. (They don't need to be clearly spoken.)

By 2 Years: Says sentences containing 2-4 words.

By 3 Years: Can carry on short conversations using 2-3 sentences and can be understood by most adults.

Along with these speech development guidelines, it's important to note that receptive language (a child's ability to understand) is of equal, if not primary, importance in younger toddlers!

So, don't gauge your child's language development only on what they are able to say.

Now, let's get to the fun part! The activities! I'll be providing examples of what you can say during the activity to encourage your child's speech!

Toddler activities to encourage speech

1. Herb Grinding- I am a big hot tea drinker and my kids enjoy the scents and flavors of the herbs brewing, along with trying new teas. (Decaffeinated, of course.)

This is one of my personal favorite activities to encourage toddler speech. If there is something you just love , involve your child.

child grinding herbs for practical life activities.

So, grinding herbs with a mortar and pe stle is a super fun activity for us. And there is so much vocabulary that goes along with the activity!

“Feel the chamomile buds. They are dry and break easily. They should be easy to crush!”

“This is a mortar and pestle. People use it for all sorts of things! Painters use it to prepare paints, people crush medicine with it, and people use it for cooking. Let me show you how to use it. After we are finished crushing the chamomile, we can make some hot tea and put some honey and milk in it!”

2. Reading-  This is crucial – and fun! Short, rhyming, and easy-to-follow stories are the best for a toddler's developing speech.

There is no need to purchase any of the “First 100” series books and drill your child on those words.

Simply read and let the story flow. If it's a rhyme, don't stop to talk about the story or the pictures for the first several reads through the book.

Let your child experience the rhythm of the syllables and the song of the rhyme.

This will enhance the experience for them, as well as encourage their love of reading in the future!

Even audiobooks have the benefit of enriching a child's vocabulary!

Sensory bins to help speech development

3. Sensory bins – While sensory bins are not Montessori, they are useful for a child's development.

activities to encourage toddler speech

On top of tactile stimulation and as an adjunct tool for learning, they provide a fun opportunity for speech development.

Take this colored rice sensory bin, for example. We've made the brown rice the land and the blue rice the water.

My 2-year-old enjoyed coloring the rice, helping to plan the activity, and placing the animals in their respective habitats.

“Is water brown or blue? Hmm…I think it's blue. Let's put the brown land over to the left side of the bin and the blue water to the right of the land. Let's get your animals and try to figure out which ones live in the water and which ones live on land!”

So much language goes along with working with sensory bins. And you are only limited by your own imagination, as far as what materials to use!

4. Nature Walks- Take a walk around the yard, neighborhood, or local park. Stop often to observe the things around you.

Encourage your child to pick things up and offer a description of the item.

toddler activities that encourage speech development

“Oh, look at that rock you found. Feel it. It's rough and has a jagged edge on one side. It looks different than the rock that I found. Mine is smooth. Do you want to feel it?”.

There is a lot of language to be shared when out and about in nature.

Encourage toddler speech through play

5. Blocks-  This activity is so simple, yet so vital for just about every aspect of a child's development. Blocks. That's right, just plain old wooden blocks .

wooden blocks on floor, Montessori: Expectation vs. Reality.

All you need to do is sit on the floor, facing your child, and build. Talk about what you're building and observe and admire what your toddler is building.

“I'm building a house. You see, the garage is right here and over here is the front door. I've turned a triangle-shaped block upside down to make a pointy roof. Show me what you are building!”

“Let's see how high we can stack these blocks! We can make a tower! Oh, wow, every time we add a block, our tower gets taller. If we keep building, we will have the tallest tower we have ever built!”

6- Miniature objects- Miniature objects are used for different things in Montessori. To start with, they can be used to help encourage speech development in Toddlers.

Language is best learned in conjunction with concrete, tangible examples. So, miniature objects provide this level of learning for toddlers.

Simply name the object and talk a bit about its use. Ask open-ended questions, even if your child can't answer.

Miniature objects are also great for sound games.

7- Silly Sounds- Show your child that it is fun to experiment and be silly with language by making silly sounds with them. Change the words to some common nursery songs and sing about what you are doing.

Instead of singing the correct words to “ Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star “, sing something like, “ Beep beep, bop bop, bip bip, boat! ” Just be silly!

Your child needs to see you feel free to experiment and be silly. This will help them feel free to do the same.

They will have fun, while getting practice and becoming more comfortable with trying new sounds. Activities to encourage speech can be silly and fun!

It should never feel like a lesson,

toddler talking about a plum

Speech development and music

8- Finger Plays- Finger Plays are songs involving the movement of the hands and fingers. This is a really fun way to encourage toddler speech!

One Finger Play all my children have enjoyed is this:

Open shut them ( Open and close your hands in rhythm ) Open shut them Give a little clap, clap, clap (Clap in rhythm) Open shut them (Open and close your hands in rhythm) Open shut them Lay them on your lap, lap, lap (Pat your hands on your lap in rhythm) Creep them creep them (Move your hands in a spider motion up your abdomen, Creep them creep them toward your chin) Right up to your chin, chin, chin Open wide your little mouth (Tap your index fingers on the sides of your mouth, But do not let them in close your mouth, and shake your head and wag your finger “no”) Shake them shake them (Shake your hands vigorously) Shake them shake them Shake them Just like this, this, this Roll them roll them (Ball your fists and roll your arms) Roll them roll them Roll And blow a little kiss (Blow a kiss to your child) Muah!

Speech development and food

9- Grocery Shopping- Turn an adult chore into a fun activity by spending some extra time in the fresh section of the store.

The descriptive language that fresh food provides is amazing! There is so much to talk about at the grocery store!

Every fruit and vegetable has a different size, color, texture, scent, and flavor. Grocery shopping is probably one of the best activities to encourage healthy eating and toddler speech!

“We need some apples to snack on. Let's pick out 3 juicy red apples. 1, 2, an 3. Can you help put them in our bag? You did it! Now we've got 3 delicious red apples to snack on when we get home! Now, let's go see what else we can find!”

10- Cooking-  There's no way around it. We have to cook.

So, instead of diverting your toddler's attention elsewhere so you can prepare dinner, invite them to help!

This is one of the most helpful ways to encourage toddler speech.

toddler activities that encourage speech

It may take longer ( and more cleaning is sure to result ), but the opportunity to help a toddler along with their speech development is missed when we exclude our children from daily activities, such as cooking.

“Smell this basil. I like the way it smells, don't you? Now, try a bite of this tomato. Mmm! It's so juicy, isn't it? Would you like to help me stir? Tomatoes and basil are going to be part of our dinner tonight! Thank you so much for helping!”

Speech development and picture books

11- Picture Books- Picture books are great activities to encourage toddler speech. They allow for more conversation, imagination, and they help develop critical thinking skills.

But for the purpose of this article, let's focus on the speech development these books promote.

Picture books for speech development

One of the great benefits of wordless books is the absence of words prompts conversation about the possible actions, emotions , and intentions of the characters on the page.

There is no story to read, so you and your child make up the story yourselves!

“That boy is walking a dog on a leash. I wonder where he is going. Let's see…there's a post office a few buildings away. Maybe he is going to pick up a package. I wonder who sent the package. Do you have any ideas? Maybe his grandmother sent it.”

These fun activities are sure to help get your toddler talking!

Turn off the TV to encourage toddler speech

Doing simple things like speaking clearly and limiting screen time are also important. A link between excessive screen-time and verbal delays has been shown.

Time spent in front of the TV or iPad is time lost gaining meaningful speech; speech that relates to your child's life.

Join Limited Screen-time Families on Facebook for more tips on screen-free activities. It's one of the best resources out there.

My personal experience with my children's speech development

As a mother of three completely different kids, I can promise you that personality plays a huge role in a child's speech development.

The tears I shed worrying about my first child's language development…It turns out, she is a quiet child and a bit of a perfectionist.

I couldn't help but worry when I would watch videos of all my friends' toddlers talking and singing when my daughter had a handful of barely discernable words and a whole lot of da-da-da. She was a “late” babbler, too.

Then, like a light switch went off, she started speaking full sentences.

Now, at 5, she has a vocabulary as large as any other kid her age. My 3-year-old had 100+ words at 18 months.

He is more outgoing and willing to try to say words, even when he's unsure he's got the pronunciation just right.

He appreciates being corrected and will attempt a word as many times as necessary until he's got it just right.

Every child's speech development is different.

Basically, every child is different. So, try not to stress yourself ( or your child) out about their speech development. Child development is not a competitive sport .

I can safely assume that you're reading this article because you have concerns about your child's speech development.

Take a deep breath, dry your tears, and have fun with these activities!

The MOST important thing, however, is that you listen. Your child may be saying more than you think!

And there is NO NEED to talk incessantly to your child, as many social media moms will claim!

Letting them develop confidence and concentration through independent play is absolutely vital.

So, let them play,  then join them.

Let them explore, then join them.

There are so many activities to encourage toddler speech and their all fun!

Cheers and don't forget to subscribe!

Sharing is caring!

Wednesday 25th of August 2021

I NEEDED to read this. Thank you so much. Trust me... you are so right. I worry about my toddler's speech every single day. i am tired of reading articles. I am going to take your advice. Thank you Thank you Thank you.

Bit of crackling

Wednesday 30th of December 2020

If transitions are a problem for your child, it is important to figure out what about the transition is difficult. Often kids don’t like stopping an activity that they are enjoying (like playing on the computer) in order to do something less fun, like getting ready to leave the house. While no one enjoys stopping fun things, some kids struggle with it more than others. That can be a sign that they are still developing emotional self-regulation skills, but it is just one possible cause. Other children struggle to cope with unanticipated changes in schedule, or moving on from something that they feel like they haven’t finished.

Thursday 21st of May 2020

thanks for this article! our little guy has pretty much no words at 15mo but understands what we are asking him to do and follows directions well. he has no screen time and we read a ton of books. the ped is already talking about early intervention speech therapy--ugh! this was such a reassuring article. thanks :)

My Toddler Life

My Toddler Life

Help with all of your toddler issues in one place, including potty training, toddler sleep, toddler development, toddler activities and more!

25 Best Speech Therapy Games & Activities for Toddlers

activities for toddler speech development

Speech therapy is crucial for toddlers who may experience delays or difficulties in their language development. Incorporating games and activities into speech therapy sessions can make the learning process more engaging and enjoyable for young children – and can really help them learn new words.

In this blog post, we will explore 25 of the best speech therapy games and activities specifically designed for toddlers. These activities aim to enhance speech and language skills such as vocabulary building, articulation, phonological awareness, and sentence formation. Let’s dive into the world of fun and interactive games that can help toddlers improve their communication abilities.

Speech Therapy Games & Activities for Toddlers

activities for toddler speech development

These games below are a mix of recommendations from speech therapists and activities we have seen work previously with our older children: 

1. Simon Says : Simon Says is a classic game that encourages listening skills and following instructions. The child must imitate the actions you perform only when preceded by the phrase “Simon says.” For example, “Simon says touch your nose” or “Simon says clap your hands.”

This game not only promotes speech production but is a great way to develop comprehension and attention skills. Such a fun brain game for those little ones!! 

2. Animal Sound Guessing Game : The Animal Sound Guessing Game is a fun way to work on sound recognition and speech skills Play different animal sounds or imitate them yourself and have the child guess the corresponding animal. This activity not only enhances the child’s ability to identify sounds but is one of those fun games that encourages them to imitate and produce different animal sounds.

3. Picture Cards : Using picture cards is an effective method for improving vocabulary and language skills in toddlers and this one was introduced to little Elsie from the case study below in her first speech therapy session. Start with simple cards depicting common objects, animals, or actions (you may have these laying around the house from when you were teaching first words.

Show a card and ask the child to name the item or perform an action associated with it. Gradually increase the complexity of the cards to challenge the child’s language abilities. This activity enhances word retrieval, labeling, and expressive language skills.

4. Singing Songs : Singing nursery rhymes and songs with repetitive phrases can be an enjoyable way to improve speech clarity, rhythm, and memory. Encourage the child to sing along, emphasizing specific sounds or words. This activity not only enhances speech production but also helps with breath control, vocalization, and overall communication skills.

activities for toddler speech development

5. I Spy: The “I Spy” game is a fantastic activity to develop vocabulary and descriptive language skills, as well as social skills. Describe an object in the environment using specific attributes, such as color, shape, or size, and ask the child to guess the object and say its name. For example, “I spy with my little eye something red and round.” This game encourages observation, listening, and expressive language skills.

6. Storytelling : Storytelling is a powerful activity that promotes creativity, vocabulary expansion, and narrative skills. The best way to do this is to provide the child with a set of picture cards or objects and encourage them to create a story. Prompt the child to describe the characters, setting, and actions. This activity helps develop sentence formation, grammar, and storytelling abilities.

7. Sensory Bin Activities: Sensory bins are hands-on activities that engage multiple senses, making learning interactive and enjoyable. Another speech pathologist one, create a sensory bin filled with objects related to a specific theme, such as farm animals or fruits. Encourage the child to find and name the objects, describe their attributes, or create simple sentences using the words.

This activity enhances vocabulary, descriptive language, and fine motor skills.

8. Tongue Twisters: Tongue twisters are a fun and challenging way to improve articulation and pronunciation. Start with simple tongue twisters and gradually increase the difficulty. Repeat them together, focusing on clear and accurate production of sounds and words.

Tongue twisters enhance speech clarity, phonological awareness, and coordination of the oral motor muscles and are brilliant when used as a part of an early intervention program.

activities for toddler speech development

9. Category Sort : Category sorting is an activity that helps children with language delay to organize and classify objects

10. Puppet Play: Use puppets or stuffed animals to engage in pretend play scenarios. Encourage the child to have conversations with the puppets, ask questions, and use expressive language. No need to see a specialist in a private practice for this one!

11. Barrier Games: Set up a barrier between two players and describe scenes to promote communication and listening skills.

12. Hide and Seek: Practice language skills by giving and following directions while searching for hidden objects – favorite toys work a treat for this one.

13. Sensory Bins: Create sensory bins with objects that have target speech sounds or vocabulary to engage multiple senses.

14. Telephone: Pretend to have a phone conversation to enhance listening skills and expressive language.

15. Story Sequencing: Arrange picture cards in the correct order to develop storytelling and language skills.

16. Musical Chairs: Play music while practicing articulation or naming objects, and stop the music to perform a specific task.

activities for toddler speech development

17. Category Sort: Sort objects into categories to develop vocabulary and language organization.

18. Charades: Act out words or actions without speaking to promote nonverbal communication and understanding.

19. Puzzle Play: Describe and discuss pictures on puzzle pieces while putting them together.

20. Hot Potato: Pass a toy or object while practicing specific sounds or naming vocabulary items.

21. Board Games : Play board games that require turn-taking, communication, and following instructions.

22. Word Bingo: Play a modified version of Bingo using words or sounds targeted in therapy.

23. Story Starter: Provide a sentence or phrase to start a story and encourage the child to continue.

24. Articulation Toss: Toss a ball or beanbag into a target while practicing specific sounds or words.

25. PBS Kids: if you are fresh out of ideas, jump on to the  PBS kids website , where they have a heap of interactive speech games for kids – using characters from their favorite tv shows. 

Speech Therapy Games For Toddlers: Our Case Study

activities for toddler speech development

Elsie was 3 when we realised her speech was a bit behind the other kids – she just wanted to repeat her favorite book and was getting really frustrated all the time. You try not to compare but with something as important as speech, I was panicked. Being in Australia, we luckily have access to some funding to send her to see a speech therapist.

It was life saving – she introduced us to some of the games the girls have shared above, so if you don’t have the access to a specialist ,why not start with one of these games. The key is consistency BUT not taking it so far that your little one sees it as a chore. Good luck – and remember, see a speech language pathologist if your gut tells you to! 

Speech Therapy for Toddlers: FAQ

activities for toddler speech development

Q: What are speech therapy games for toddlers?

A: Speech therapy games for toddlers are interactive activities using particular sounds, designed to enhance speech and language development in young children. These games are specifically designed to engage toddlers in a fun and playful manner while targeting specific speech and language goals.

Q: Why are speech therapy games beneficial for toddlers?

A: Speech therapy games provide numerous benefits for your child’s speech development. They make the therapy process enjoyable and engaging, promoting active participation and motivation. Games help improve language skills, including vocabulary, articulation, phonological awareness, and social interaction. They also enhance cognitive development, motor skills, and attention span.

Q: How do speech therapy games help toddlers with speech delays or difficulties?

A: Speech therapy games provide a structured and interactive environment for toddlers to practice and reinforce speech and language skills using simple words and sounds. Through play, children can learn and practice new sounds, words, and communication strategies. Games promote listening skills, turn-taking, following directions, and expressive language, all of which are essential for overcoming speech delays or difficulties.

Q: Can speech therapy games be used at home?

A: Yes, speech therapy games can be used at home to complement formal therapy sessions or as part of everyday interactions and can be really helpful to introduce a variety of speech. Parents and caregivers can incorporate games into daily routines and playtime to continue supporting their child’s speech and language development. It is important to consult with a speech-language pathologist to understand the specific goals and techniques that are appropriate for the child.

activities for toddler speech development

Q: How can I choose the right speech therapy games for my younger children?

A: When selecting speech therapy games for your toddler, consider their individual needs and goals. Consult with a speech-language pathologist for guidance and recommendations based on your child’s specific speech and language challenges. Choose games that target their areas of difficulty while ensuring they are enjoyable, age-appropriate, and engaging for your child.

Q: Are there any safety considerations when playing speech therapy games with toddlers?

A: Safety is paramount when playing games with toddlers. Ensure that the game materials and toys are age-appropriate, or school year appropriate and free from small parts that could pose a choking hazard. Always supervise your child during playtime and provide a safe environment free from potential hazards. Additionally, be mindful of any allergies or sensitivities your child may have when selecting game materials or props.

Q: How often should speech therapy games be played with toddlers?

A: The frequency of speech therapy games depends on the child’s therapy plan and recommendations from the speech-language pathologist. It is generally beneficial to incorporate speech therapy games into daily routines and play sessions to provide consistent practice and reinforcement. The speech-language pathologist will provide guidance on the appropriate frequency and duration of game sessions based on the child’s needs.

Q: Can speech therapy games be adapted for children with special needs?

A: Yes, speech therapy games can be adapted to meet the needs of children with special needs. Different games can be modified to accommodate individual abilities, sensory preferences, or communication styles. It is important to work closely with a speech-language pathologist or special education professional to ensure that the games are tailored to the child’s specific needs and goals.

Remember, speech therapy games should always be tailored to the individual needs and abilities of the child. Consult with a qualified speech-language pathologist for a comprehensive evaluation and personalized guidance on selecting and adapting games for your toddler’s specific speech and language challenges. And of course, simple human interaction can help to no end! 

Why Trust My Toddler Life:

My Toddler Life is run by mama’s, for mama’s. All information provided on our site is thoroughly researched and takes in to consideration our lived experiences and the opinions of industry professionals. How are we different from other sites doing the same thing? We have fun while doing it (often with a glass of wine in hand) and don’t take ourselves too seriously!

Raising Children Network

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The Best Speech Delay Exercises and Activities for Toddlers

activities for toddler speech development

By Lori Ennis, M.S. Ed

You want to know how to help your toddler with speech delay. It’s what parents do best—helping their children in areas where they need help. And, you’ve of course consulted a speech-language pathologist to ask how to deal with speech delay in toddlers so your little one can continue to grow and develop in speech and language. Your next step? Finding the best speech delay exercises for your toddler .

Are there speech delay exercises for toddlers that you can do at home? Absolutely, and we’ve asked clinicians for how to help your toddler with speech delay. Check out these speech delay exercises for toddlers and feel empowered in helping your little one’s speech and language blossom.

How to Help Your Toddler with Speech Delay

Take it from the experts, best tips to help speech delay in toddlers, real life brings about real speech.

You recognize that there is a speech delay with your toddler . Whether it’s an articulation issue, an enunciation or pronunciation issue or something in their motor planning that may be preventing typical speech development (or something completely different), you find yourself googling “Tips for speech delayed toddler” or “How to help your toddler with speech delay.” We know because we’ve been there. If you’re the parent of a toddler with speech delays, how to help them communicate effectively is one of your main concerns. Effective communication helps eliminate frustration on your end and theirs while preparing them for preschool, school and life. 

So really, are there speech delay exercises for toddlers that you can do at home? Do they really make a difference in how to help your toddler with a speech delay ?

The answer is a resounding, “YES!” and we’ll share them.

toddler speech activities

The American Speech-Language-Hearing Association is a wealth of resource when it comes to ways you can encourage development when you have a toddler with speech delays. When it comes to how to help your toddler with speech delay, they recommend some of the following activities to encourage word development, proper articulation and enunciation and auditory processing/comprehension:

  • Model good speech. Be clear and precise in your speech to and around them. 
  • Make sure you use the appropriate word for a baby-talk word as well. You don’t have to stop saying the baby-talk word; just be sure to give them the correct word. (“You’d like your yogi? Sure, here is your yogurt.”)
  • Help your child create catalogs of categories for words. “Look, there’s a dog. It’s an animal. What else is an animal? Yes, a cat is an animal. So is a lion. So is a cow.” 
  • Have them develop speech with the ‘Yes/No’ game. “Do cows eat at the dinner table?” “Am I your mother?” “Do you have four ears?” “Are you wearing a red shirt?” This can be a fun game for your toddler to try and trick you.
  • When asking questions of your toddler with a speech delay, give choices. “Do you want to eat spaghetti or grilled cheese?” The more words they hear in context, the better their vocabulary base is.
  • Sing songs and tell nursery rhymes and read, read, read to your toddler. The more words they’re exposed to, the better. A recent study suggested that children who were read to each night were exposed to more than a million words more than their peers who were not read to. 

Will Oral-Motor Exercises Make a Difference? Dr. Gregory Lof is an Assistant Professor and the Associate Director of the Graduate Program in Communication Studies and Disorders at the MGH Institute of Health Professions. He has suggested that oral-motor exercises may not be as beneficial to speech and language development in toddlers as some might believe.

Dr. Lof believes and offers additional research that suggests oral-motor exercises like blowing bubbles or whistling or chewing on a talking tool may be exercises in futility as they don’t strengthen necessary muscles, and goes one step further in suggesting that strength is not necessarily crucial for speaking anyway. 

How Many Words Should A 20-Month-Old Say - speechandsoundclinic

So what do Dr. Lof and so many other clinicians he cites suggest as tips for speech delayed toddler help? He advises working on speech tasks that will actually relate to speech production. In this, you can over pronounce early sounds and be sure to pronounce them very clearly. 

Typically sounds that toddlers with speech delays struggle with are /p/, /b/, /m/, /n/, /h/ and /w/. You can help your toddler by being sure (particularly when beginning and ending consonants) to really enunciate the letters. ‘B’ in ‘bubble’ has a lot of opportunity for over pronunciation and enunciation, but any time you use words with those consonants, be sure to give them definition clearly. 

Additionally, making eye contact with your child when you are speaking to him or her is important. Not only does eye contact culturally build bonds and relationship, but it also allows your toddler to look at the way you’re forming your letters as you make sounds and words. This is something she can copy as she’s working on developing her own speech.

Most importantly, use everyday situations to help your toddler with speech delays. By this we mean spend a lot of time talking to your child, and through your day. When he gets up in the morning and you’re helping him get dressed, name his clothes—“This is your shirt! Those are your pants! Now it’s time for socks.” When you’re at breakfast, discuss how you’re preparing it, what it will do for your brain and your body—“This is orange juice, and it will help build your bones and keep you healthy!” “I had to crack this egg open before I could cook it. This what cracking your egg open looks like.”

Especially if your child’s responses are challenging to understand, allow them to respond to you and converse with you so they have the practice with not just speech, but speech that is contextually appropriate and meaningful to them. There’s often little fun in ‘speaking’ words only to speak or to learn, but when speech and language acquisition occurs naturally, it makes a more permanent impact. 

happy boy toddler

If you’re looking for more tips on how to help your toddler with speech delay, thankfully there are lots of additional resources to which you can turn as well. If you’re unsure as to whether your toddler’s speech is typical for her peers, or you’re interested in any more tips and information, you can check out the Toddler Speech Boost site and download their free milestone assessment guide. 

NAPA

5 Easy Tips to Encourage Your Toddler’s Speech Development

activities for toddler speech development

Toddler Speech Therapy: Tips for Encouraging Speech at Home

Our toddlers’ first few years of life are the most critical in his or her learning process. Katie, a pediatric speech therapist, mother, and fellow blog writer, helps us out with some tips to encourage and help language and speech development for toddlers.

1. Slow Down

Try to remember to slow the pace when you get a chance to have a conversation with your toddler. Children learn language in everyday situations. Routine activities are some of the best times to talk to your toddler because these are the moments they learn the most! Don’t forget to slow down how fast you talk too, especially if your child is struggling with speech and language development.

2. Look at Your Toddler/Child and Get Down at His/Her Level

You may be surprised by how often you say things to your child while you are turned away from each other. To help your toddler learn language and to be a better communicator, not only should you slow down, but you should also look at your child when you speak and try to kneel down to get at his or her level. This helps your child focus on you and what you have to say and lessens the surrounding distractions.

In today’s busy life, time is of the essence. We expect quick results everywhere we turn. Fast food, fast-forwarding commercials, express oil changes, you name it, there’s a faster way of doing it! But this isn’t how children learn language. They need our help and they need us to be patient. Make sure you allow enough time for your child to respond to you. You may not even realize but sometimes we are doing too much for them rather than waiting to see if they can do it on their own.

4. Stop Counting and Start Communicating

While teaching your child numbers, shapes, and colors is important, you don’t want to focus too much on this during their first few years. Of course, don’t exclude them, but you should expose them in more natural situations. These first few years are their brains’ most absorbent times! So let letters and numbers slowly intertwine themselves into his or her vocabulary. We don’t want our child’s vocabulary to only be made up of these so try to communicate about everything you and your child see in his or her environment. When your child points at something, talk about it. Ask questions and wait for them to answer. Narrate what you both are doing. Talk to them, don’t just sing the ABCs.

5. Rethink Your Toys

We’re not the only ones who have to go to work each day. Our kids go to work when they play. Playtime , which is of course fun, is also a very important time for children to learn. Children learn and use language within their play, so it’s important to have good toys!

Limit bright-colored toys that light up, talk, and play music. These toys are doing all the work themselves rather than our kids doing the work. She suggests toys that allow for many open-ended play opportunities like blocks and balls. One of her favorites is play phones, which is a toy that definitely encourages language!

Lastly, she expresses the benefits of rotating your child’s toys. This way, it saves money and keeps your child from getting bored because it seems like a new toy every time! It also helps your child learn even more because it gives him or her an opportunity to refresh skills that have been “put away” for a while.

If you are interested in speech therapy for toddlers, click here to learn more about speech therapy for toddlers at NAPA Center .

Find Inspiration in the NAPA Blog:

  • 5 Must-Have Toddler Books Recommended by an SLP
  • Speech Therapy Toys We Love
  • 5 Great Language Development Activities
  • 19 Games for Child Language & Skill Development
  • 18-Month-Old Not Talking? Speech Milestones and Strategies
  • 5 Easy Swallowing Exercises for Dysphagia

About NAPA Center

NAPA offers speech therapy for toddlers to address delays and disorders in expressive/receptive language , articulation, oral motor dysfunction, apraxia of speech, social language, fluency , feeding and swallowing, and cognitive skills. We provide weekly speech therapy sessions to local families near our clinics and intensive therapy sessions which families travel from around the world to attend. If you think your child or loved one may benefit from speech therapy, please contact our team to begin your child’s journey!

Related Posts

How to tame your sensory seeker, making teletherapy a success, blogs napa family, your child’s home exercise program after intensive therapy, privacy overview.

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5 Activities for Toddler Speech Development

activities for toddler speech development

We’ve got five activities to help with your toddler's speech development, as well as some motor development activities.

activities for toddler speech development

Make the most of your time together with a range of activities that are fun and helpful. Here are five quick, creative activities to help support your toddler’s speech development, gross motor skills, and creative expression.

Put two containers in front of your toddler and introduce them to the concept of counting. Place one object in the first container and count, “One.” Set two objects in the second container and count, "One, two." Repeat this activity adding more objects as you go.

Blowing bubbles

Kids learn through their sense of touch. Blowing bubbles is a great way to teach this. Especially on a nice day. Take your child outside and blow bubbles they can touch, pop and run through. Try blowing bubbles above your child's head and see if they can reach up to burst them.

Making a cardboard car

Since kids love to pretend, making a make-believe car is a great way to help them flex their imagination muscles while developing motor skills. Remove the top and bottom of a cardboard box. Leave the sides. Work together to decorate the box like a car. Cut holes in the sides large enough for little hands. Let them step in the box, put their hands in the holes, and pretend to drive.

Creating sidewalk art

Drawing on the sidewalk, driveway, or basement floor is a fun way to develop fine motor skills. Show your child how to hold the chalk. After they draw, show them how to scrub the sidewalk with a scrub brush so that they also learn to tidy up after themselves—always a helpful skill for them to learn early on.

Finding shapes

Kids can learn language through touch. Help your toddler identify different shapes according to how they feel by hiding the shapes in a container filled with dry beans. Encourage your child to put two hands in and pull out a shape. Name the shape when they pull it out. The second time around, ask your child to reach in and find the object you just named figuring out what it is by touch alone.

With these five creative language and motor development activities, every day can be an exploration. For additional information on your toddler’s speech development and more, chat with your child’s pediatrician.

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Author: shadase

15 Most Effective Speech Therapy Activities For Toddlers

Speech therapy activities for toddlers can help them learn the basic skills needed to develop strong communication. While these activities should be fun and engaging, they can also be quite challenging.

Speech therapy can be an important part of your toddler’s development, particularly if they are having difficulty communicating effectively and expressing themselves clearly.

In this blog post, we’ll provide you with some great ideas on speech therapy activities you can do at home that are both fun and effective when it comes to helping your toddler build their communication abilities.

Here are some of the most effective speech therapy activities that you can use with your toddler and also recommend it to others in your family or close friends!

#1. Narrative Activities

Narrative activities like storytelling allow your child to practice speaking as well as comprehending language. You can read a story together or create a narrative using pictures and objects. Asking questions throughout the activity encourages conversation while providing an opportunity to correct errors in grammar and pronunciation.

#2. Flashcard Games

Using flashcards is another great way to teach new words and concepts to your toddler. You could play simple memory games, have them match pictures to words, or even create your own flashcards for more specific topics.

#3. Articulation Exercises 

Articulation exercises help young children learn the correct way to pronounce sounds and syllables. To make it more fun, you could play a game where you blindfold your child and ask them to correctly identify objects by their sound.

#4. Oral Motor Activities

Oral motor activities work on strengthening the muscles in the mouth that are used for speaking. You can do this with games such as tongue twisters or by blowing bubbles together.

#5. Play-Based Activities

Last but not least, play-based activities are important too! Playing with toys or interactive games encourages natural speech, giving your toddler the chance to practice their skills in a more relaxed environment. Additionally, playing with toys helps develop fine and gross motor skills which will also be beneficial for their speech development.

#6. Art activities

Use art projects like drawing, cutting and pasting to work on fine motor skills as well as language development. For example, ask your toddler to draw a picture of something they learned or simply tell them what color they should use to draw an object. This activity is also a great way to introduce new words to your toddler while helping them learn how to express themselves artistically.

#7. Music and Movement

Get up and dance! Music can be used in many ways during speech therapy sessions with toddlers, such as singing songs that help reinforce specific speech goals or having the child move along with the beat of a song. Music has been proven to activate both sides of the brain at once while providing a fun, interactive way for children to learn and practice language skills.

#8. Picture books

Picture books are great for toddlers because they provide visual cues that help the child understand what is being said. Read a book together, discussing each page and pointing out the pictures as you go along. This activity can also help your toddler learn new words while allowing them to have fun with stories they already know.

#9. Playdough activities

Playing with playdough helps develop fine motor skills, which are important for speech development. Have your toddler roll, squeeze or shape the playdough into different things while you name objects or colors in order to reinforce these words. You can also use it to introduce new vocabulary by guiding your child to make the objects you name.

#10. Pretend Play

Pretend play is a great way for toddlers to use their imaginations and practice using language in different contexts. Whether it’s playing with dolls, kitchen sets or cars, pretend play can help your toddler learn how to express themselves more clearly and articulate their needs and wants. Use this time as an opportunity to ask questions, give directions or introduce new words and ideas.

#11. Puzzles

Puzzles are excellent tools for speech therapy sessions because they require problem-solving skills which can be used when learning new language concepts. Have your toddler work on simple puzzles while you discuss each piece of the puzzle together or even have them put the pieces together while narrating what they are doing. This activity is great for working on language comprehension and vocabulary development.

#12. Speech Sound Games

There are plenty of fun speech sound games you can do with your toddler to help them practice their talking skills, such as “I Spy” or animal sound guessing games. These activities provide an opportunity for your child to practice saying certain sounds and words in a pressure-free environment while having fun at the same time.

#13. Storytelling

Stories are a great way to engage your toddler during speech therapy, whether it’s a story you make up together or one they already know. As you tell the story, have them chime in by providing snippets of dialogue or making suggestions about what might happen next. This activity is great for introducing new words, practicing language concepts and engaging your toddler’s imagination.

#14. Toy Cars

Playing with toy cars can be a great way to work on following directions as well as working on expressive language skills. Have the child drive their car around while giving them commands such as “go left, turn right or speed up” and encourage them to narrate what they are doing with the car.

#15. Word Games

There are plenty of word games you can play with toddlers that will help develop their communication skills in a fun way. Try playing rhyming games, categorization games or even just have your toddler describe what an object is without saying its name. Word games are a great way to introduce new vocabulary and help your toddler understand the connection between words and their meanings.

These 15 activities for speech therapy with toddlers provide an excellent foundation for helping children develop their language skills. Remember that it’s important to make these activities fun, engaging and interactive in order to keep your toddler motivated and interested in learning.

With consistent practice and dedication, you can help your child reach their goals and guys if you liked it then please share it with others on social media!!

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Talking Tots: Toddler Language Development Activities

Talking Tots: Toddler Language Development Activities

Did you just sleep through the night.

photo credit: Nieve44/Luz via photopin cc

Then it’s official, your baby is no longer a baby! By 12 months what was once your little bundle of joy has grown into a walking, talking toddler. The toddler age range is 12 to 36 months and this is the time parents step-up the toddler language development activities. While each toddler progresses differently, language development milestones are used as a general guideline for both parents and professionals. Some toddlers reach these milestones early and some reach them later. With milestones it’s important for your toddler to progress from one stage to the next at a steady pace.

Over the next couple of years your toddler’s vocabulary should expand rapidly. As a parent, you can’t help, but worry or compare what your child is doing to other children the same age. This is especially true of language development. It’s also common for toddlers to hit certain milestones quickly and lag behind in others. To get a better idea of which language development milestones your toddler should be reaching during certain months, look at a breakdown of speech milestones from infancy to preschool.

Wondering about your toddler’s language?

Do you have this nagging feeling that your toddler isn’t progressing in speech and language? Many parents worry about the headway their child is making with vocabulary. Even more so if they’re not following the language development milestones perfectly. Other parents, family members and friends may try to reassure you that every child develops at their own pace, but for your own reassurance take a look at common language development warning signs .

If your child is showing warning signs of language delay it’s time to discuss your concerns with your toddler’s pediatrician. It never hurts to “err on the side of caution” when it comes to your toddler’s development. Even if your pediatrician isn’t fully convinced of a possible delay, ask to be referred to a pediatric speech language pathologist for an evaluation. Your pediatrician will have this information on hand or be able to point you in the right direction. You can also do a little digging yourself and look at the Speech Buddies Connect  directory of certified therapists in your area.

Try these Toddler Language Development Activities:

Children of parents who are proactive in their learning from the beginning are more likely to meet toddler language milestones. To help your toddler  reach language development milestones  you can incorporate several things throughout the course of your day or week:

  • Start by giving your toddler words for feelings . If your child is frustrated when they’re not able to do something they want you can introduce words, like “angry” or “mad.”
  • Pretend playing with your toddler is a great way to incorporate help with normal developmental milestones in language. Not only is this fun for your toddler and you, but you can use it as an opportunity to introduce new words and phrases. If your toddler is playing with dolls and says “Dolly tired” you can reply and say “Dolly is tired and needs to sleep in her bed.”
  • Reading a variety of books to your child will also help with speech development milestones. Try reading several nonfiction books about ABCs, rhyming and even books about animals. While your child may pick favorite books for you to read over and over, adding a little variety here and there will introduce different words and sentences.

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At this age your toddler wants to play and have fun. As a parent you can find teachable moments throughout your day and while you’re playing. It’s important to avoid overwhelming your toddler with new words and high expectations, even if you feel they are behind in their milestones. A toddler will show more improvement when they are fully engaged with an activity. Keeping playtime simple, making eye contact when introducing new words and having fun during reading time is an excellent way to improve those language development milestones.

What techniques do you use to help your toddler reach their speech development milestones?

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13 Most Effective Speech Therapy Activities For Toddlers

Published by Alan T on June 16, 2016

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13 MOST EFFECTIVE SPEECH THERAPY ACTIVITIES FOR TODDLERS

My friend Annie loves speaking to her baby. She talked to him whenever he was awake from the time he was born. Little Ryan started using sentences by the time he was 14 months old.

Every baby may not speak at the same pace; every child is different. But there are speech therapy activities for toddlers that you can do to help your child learn to talk.

The Best 13 Speech Therapy Activities For Toddlers

Use simple sounds.

Use simple sounds like “da” and “ma” or “ba” and “aa” or “ooh” to babies even when they are newborn. These vowels and consonants have a great response from children. These simple speech therapy activities help your child to talk. As they grow, they listen and try to imitate you.

Speak slowly so baby can understand

Try to use simple words and friendly tones. Your toddler can understand what you are saying if you talk to her face to face. Make eye contact and speak slowly and patiently. If the child repeats the words incorrectly just gently repeat the words in the correct manner, so she understands the difference.

TV does NOT help to get children to talk

Don’t turn on the TV as soon as you get home or have it on constantly when your toddler is in the room. Contrary to what you may think the TV is not considered part of speech therapy activities. Contact with people is crucial in the language development process.

Play with your child

Playing is a good way to communicate with your child and also build motor skills and many other benefits. Allow your toddler to tell you what to do. Stay in the background and do only what you are asked to do. Playing with your child builds confidence without pressurizing your child to talk. Playing is a fun part of your speech therapy activities!

Tell your baby what you are doing

When you are feeding, bathing or changing your child, keep talking about what you are doing. If you are going out, talk about where you are going with him/her in simple language. You will be amazed at the amount of things that tiny brain can store and bring out at the most appropriate times!

Reading a book with lots of colorful pictures and words is one of the best speech therapy activities there is. Your child will love to look at a book curled up on your lap. Reading gets associated with security and love. This activity can lead your child to a life-long love of books.

Introduce colors and shapes

Show your child colors on colorful building blocks and other items and gently point out the colors and shapes and say out the name of the shape and color as you play with her. Your child learns to distinguish both colors and shapes naturally and at the same time.

Hand gestures

Use lots of hand movements like clapping, peek-a-boo, itsy bitsy spider (fingers crawling up his arm), waving when you leave and other gestures along with the appropriate words. All these hands gestures help the child to associate a word with a meaning and build their vocabulary.

Singing and rhyming

Sing children’s songs and nursery rhyme with your child. It is a vital part of your speech therapy activities. They encourage speech because of the presence of rhythm and rhyming words. It brings your child closer to you; you are both having fun and learning too!

Introduce new words

Add to words your child already says like “doll,” if he/she says doll you say “big doll,” or “pink doll.” Your baby learns other new words and is learning to associate words with each other. Point to you and say “mommy/daddy” and point to him and say his/her name.

Teach them to ask for things

When giving your child something to eat, name it, say “how about an apple? We have red apples. Does baby want an apple or a banana?” Whether it is a shirt or dress in the morning or the choice between eggs or pancakes; children learn to ask for things and make decisions. This activity also can also help in your baby neuro development.

Encourage communication

When your child says something, encourage him by making eye contact. Correct him only by repeating what he/she is saying with the correct words, so the child learns the correct way to say words.

Teach "thank you" and "please" early

Children learn from parents to be polite. Use the words please and thank you when you speak to him/her and while speaking to other family members. Your child will automatically pick up these words too. Get family members to help by cooperating. This activity will also help to groom your child to be a well-mannered adult in future.

Best Toys To Help Your Child’s Speech Development

Nothing work better than using a toy to help with your child speech development. If you ask any Speech-Language Pathologist, they would recommend that the best method is to play with your child and when come to play, toys going to be a helpful tool to help and train up your baby speech and language skills.

While there is ample of toys but not all toys are suitable. You might think that those shiny and colorful Fisher-Price piano that play out ABC music when your toddler pressed the keyboard is perfect but they are not. Electrical toys tend to limit children imagination as the child does not need to do anything while the toys were entertaining them.

The best type of toys to stimulate children speech and language development are those that let your child move around and play with it manually. So, the next trip to Toys-R-Us, look for these main points when you buy toys for speech therapy activities for toddlers:

  • High-quality and toys that can take a beating.
  • Toys that your child likes - cars, animals, dolls, painting and etc.
  • Toys that build imagination (i.e, stacking wooden block toy)
  • Try not to get battery-operated toys.
  • Toys that encourage movement activity (i.e, a ball)

Ideal Toys For Toddlers

These are the best type of toys recommended by a Speech-Language Pathologist while you are doing speech therapy activities for toddlers:

Wooden Blocks

Toddlers love to stack blocks. If you get colorful ones with letters on them you can gradually talk about the red block or the one with the letter A. You can teach words like “tall” and “up” and “on.” My friend’s daughter is just one, and she can already find the “red” block!. The Melissa & Doug Deluxe Wooden ABC/123 Blocks Set is the perfect toy for this.

Colorful Nesting Cups

Your child will love to stack them one over the other endlessly! They can play in the sand or in water with the cups. My brother’s son loves the Playgo My First Stacking Cups and likes to build up a stack of cups taller than he is and knock them down! These nesting cups are a great toy to teach colors, sizes, counting and shapes.

Activity Toys

Balls, rings, cars they can push, drums are all activity toys. They encourage your child to do things and say them out loud. For example, as you bounce on a ball, say "bounce". Your baby will try to pick up that word and eventually say, “bounce” when she throws the ball.

My friend, Robert's son, is ten months, and he recognizes a fire truck when they are on the road because he plays with one at home! You can also teach colors, directions, fast and slow with any wheeled toy.

All these activity toys are designed to get your child moving, and when they move, they will get excited and start to make a lot of sounds. This will be very helpful with their speech and language development. Here are a few activity toys that are suitable:

Thomas The Train

Green Toys Vehicles

Other types of vehicle like the school bus, tractor, truck and much more available at Amazon for you to choose.

Interlocking Blocks

These blocks are very colorful and have many uses. You and your child can spend endless time building things and tearing them down and start all over again. The child’s imagination is very stimulated here with your help. Creativity is at its peak when kids get the hang of building things with these interlocking blocks.

Children love playing with food. They love to pretend to cook. I can teach my son about breakfast and dinner foods and vegetables and eggs! She likes to crack “eggs,” mix it, and serve me yummy scrambled eggs! Now he loves to help me in the kitchen! I am learning patience too! One of my friend, Lynn, bought a beautiful kitchen set for her daughter, and it’s absolutely gorgeous!

Role-play like storekeeper is also a good alternative. I bought a grocery store toy set for my daughter, and now she knows what I mean when I say tomato, milk, carrot and other grocery stuff.

Kitchen Set

Grocery set.

Playing in the sand is an excellent activity for children. You just need shovels and buckets, and you are good to go! Motor skills and language can improve with this activity. You can add words like “pour,” “dig,” and “sand” to your child’s vocabulary and much more.

Kids develop immunity as an added bonus by playing outside and in the sand! No beaches near you? No problem. Indoor sand is getting famous nowadays. You can let you child try kinetic sand, and it’s equally fun too!

Kinetic Sand

Sand Play Set

Magnifying Glass

Get one of these and open up a whole new world to your child. Look at small insects, plants, and other objects through the magnifying glass. It will make your child more aware of the world around him/her. Your child also learns to be gentle and respect nature and who knows; perhaps he is the next Albert Einstein in the future.

Barns, Houses, and Farms

Buy or even make houses, barns, and a few animals for a farm and kids will play for hours. You can add words like “cow,” “horse,” and “rooster” to your child’s vocabulary and much more. Also, you and your child can decide which ones belong at home and which ones on the farm or in a barn. This is one of the greatest speech therapy activities you can do with your child and not forget to mention you can sing Old MacDonald song with your kid too!

The Barn Set

The Farm Set

Stickers are a great way to motivate and teach young children. My friend Marie used stickers to get her son to potty train. She rewarded him with stickers whenever he used the potty! You can also use them to make up stories and teach new words to a toddler.

Bubble Maker

Your toddler will love this activity! It’s sheer magic when a bubble appears! You can practice sound differences in “P” and “B” in words like “bubble” and “pops!” Children just have to make words to express their joy when a bubble appears!

Get a Magazine

Magazines like National Geographic kids and other children’s magazines have so many activities, pictures, and information and are ideal for speech therapy activities. Your child will look forward to sitting down with you and looking through the magazine. Both you and your child can name the pictures and learn new words. Here is a few famous National Geographic Little Kids First Big Book that you can consider to buy.

Don’t Worry About Gender

speech-therapy-activities-for-toddlers-at-home

When buying new toys, should you purchase a doll for a boy, a car for a girl? The National Association For The Education Of Young Children (NAEYC) says that boys and girls need to play with all kinds of toys to develop all their sensory and motor skills.

While you may think that toys can have gender specific but do you know that even girls will benefit from social interactions and problem-solving activities from playing with cars? Boys also need the opportunity to play with kitchen sets and dolls as much as girls to help develop self-confidently.

So, the next trip at Toy-R-Us, do not limit the type of toys your child is picking up so long you make sure it’s suitable for their age. Just let them play with it and let their imagination run wild as toys from both gender-specific toys can help with speech therapy activities regardless.

What’s Next?

Sometimes teaching your baby to speak can be a tricky business. As all children start to pick up speech skills at a different time, so no specific milestone can be applied to any children. Thing can even be more complicated if a child is experiencing a Global Development Delay (GDD).

If the thought ever crosses your mind whether you are asking if your child needshelp with a speech therapy, always seek a Speech-Language Pathologist (SLP) to get some tests done and to determine is further help is needed. It's better to be safe than to be sorry.

As children reach a certain milestone on slightly different time but if your child off from the suppose milestone by a great deal (6months and above) then a visit to SLP is the most recommended course. To learn more about a baby milestone, read this post for more details.

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15 Fun Activities for Speech-Delayed Kids: Unlocking Their Communication Potential

Introduction.

Speech delay can pose challenges for children in expressing themselves and connecting with others. However, with the right support and engaging activities, parents and caregivers can help speech-delayed kids develop their communication skills while having fun. In this article, we’ll explore 15 exciting activities that can stimulate language development, foster engagement, and encourage speech progression in children facing speech delays.

1.   Storytime Adventures

Engage your child in imaginative storytelling sessions. Use picture books, puppets, or even act out stories with props. Encourage your child to participate by using gestures, pointing at objects, and attempting to speak.

2.   Sensory Play

Sensory play is an excellent way to engage speech-delayed children. Offer a variety of textured materials, such as sand, rice, or playdough, and encourage them to describe what they see, feel, or hear while exploring the materials.

3.   Picture Cards

Create a set of picture cards with objects and scenes that your child is familiar with. Show them the cards and ask questions like “What is this?” or “Where do you find this?” Encourage your child to name the objects or describe the scenes.

4.   Sound Imitation

Play sound imitation games where you produce different animal sounds, environmental sounds, or musical instruments, and encourage your child to mimic the sounds. This activity not only enhances speech development but also helps with auditory discrimination.

5.   Puzzles and Board Games

Engage in interactive puzzles and board games that involve turn-taking and verbal communication. Encourage your child to express their thoughts, ask questions, or request assistance during the game.

6.   Singing and Rhyming

Music has a powerful impact on speech development. Sing nursery rhymes, repetitive songs, or create simple rhymes together. This activity helps children recognize patterns, develop rhythm, and improve speech fluency.

7.   Pretend Play

Encourage imaginative play by setting up a pretend kitchen, doctor’s office, or grocery store. Engage your child in conversation during play, asking them about the items they are using or what they are doing. This promotes language and social interaction.

8.   Speech Apps and Games

Explore speech therapy apps and interactive games designed specifically for speech-delayed children. These apps often provide a structured and engaging way to improve speech sounds, vocabulary, and sentence formation.

9.   Flashcards

Create flashcards with common objects, animals, or people. Show your child the cards one by one, encouraging them to name or describe each item. Gradually increase the complexity by introducing more challenging vocabulary.

10.  Cooking Adventures

Involve your child in simple cooking activities. Read out the recipe together, discuss the ingredients, and ask your child to express their opinions or describe the taste and texture of the food. Cooking experiences provide valuable opportunities for speech practice.

11.  Scavenger Hunts

Organize indoor or outdoor scavenger hunts where your child has to find specific items or follow verbal instructions. This activity encourages listening skills, understanding of directions, and verbal communication.

12.  Arts and Crafts

Engage in arts and crafts projects that involve cutting, pasting, and painting. During the process, ask open-ended questions, encourage your child to describe their artwork, or explain the steps they took to create it.

13.  Nature Walks

Take nature walks together and explore the environment. Encourage your child to describe what they see, hear, or feel during the walk. This activity provides ample opportunities to introduce new vocabulary and engage in conversation.

14.  Puppet Shows

Use puppets to put on a show or engage in dialogue. Encourage your child to interact with the puppets, make them talk, and express their thoughts. This activity allows children to practice speech in a playful and non-threatening way.

15.  Family Conversations

Engage in regular family conversations where everyone has a chance to share their day or talk about their interests. Encourage your child to actively participate by asking questions, sharing stories, or expressing their thoughts.

Speech delays can present unique challenges for children, but with engaging activities and a supportive environment, progress can be made. Remember to be patient and consistent while practicing these activities with your child. Each child progresses at their own pace, and by providing a fun and nurturing environment, you can help unlock their communication potential and empower them to express themselves confidently.

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17 Fun Activities to Encourage Speech-Language Development in Children

Infants communicate by cooing, crying, and giggling. Once they begin to grow up, their cooing turns into babbling. And soon, when they reach their first birthday, they are ready to say simple words like "mama," "dada," or "bye."

Some children take longer than others to babble or say their first words. In such situations, it is crucial to refer to a child's speech-language milestones checklist . If they are experiencing speech & language delays , it's wise to consult a speech-language pathologist (SLP). They can tell you about various exercises & activities for speech development. You can accelerate the rate of speech and language development in your child by practicing these activities at home.

The type and intensity of these activities will depend upon the age of your child and the nature of their speech or language delay.

Activities to Encourage Speech-Language Development in a Child Younger Than 2-Years

  • Say simple sounds like “ma,” “pa,” “ba,” and “da” to your baby. Try to get them to say these sounds back to you.
  • Always maintain eye contact with your baby when you speak to them. Look at them when they coo or babble.
  • If your child is already saying words and two-word sentences, respond by repeating what they are saying. Hold a conversation with them.
  • Teach them to clap their hands, touch their toes, find their nose, and play peek-a-boo.
  • Point out different objects, shapes, and colors to your baby.
  • Recite nursery rhymes to them or sing them a song.
  • Make animal sounds. For example, you can say, “a dog goes woof” and “a cow goes moo.”
  • Keep talking to your baby as you change them, bathe them, feed them, or carry them around with you.
  • Use every opportunity to count objects, people, etc.
  • Read to your child regularly. It doesn't matter if they are "old enough" to understand. Spoken language works as a natural stimulus. Make a habit of reading to them for at least 20 minutes before they fall asleep.

These activities to encourage speech-language development in toddlers are fun and easy. Also, remember that consistency is the key to driving tangible results.

Speech-Language Activities For Children Aged 2-4 Years

  • Always speak clearly. Do not use telegraphic speech. Model good speaking habits for your child.
  • Repeat what your child says and add to it. For example, let’s assume that your child points towards an apple and says, “Want apple.” You can quickly add to it and say, “Apple. Yes, that’s an apple. Do you want an apple?”
  • Get picture cards, interactive games, and toys. Teach your child to categorize things into food, drinks, animals, and so on.
  • Point towards an object and talk about its color. For example, spot a yellow car and say, “look. Big yellow car.” You can be at home, park, bus, train, or in your car - this activity to encourage speech-language in young children can be practiced nearly anywhere.
  • To augment their comprehension skills, ask your child simple yes-no questions. “Is your name Max?” “Is that a cat?” and “do you want ice cream?” Keep the questions short and simple.
  • Ask questions that involve making a choice to boost language development in a 2, 3 or 4 years old child. For example, ask them, “do you want an apple or a banana?” or “do you want juice or milk?”
  • Have a karaoke night with your child frequently. Sing for them and sing with them. Include popular pop songs, nursery rhymes, and whatever songs your child finds fascinating.
  • Show photos of familiar people, objects, and places. Encourage your child to name them and talk about them.

Children aged 2-4 years can acquire speech and language skills more easily if you practice some or all of the above-listed fun activities on a regular basis. Try to turn each exercise or activity into a fun experience for your child.

Speech-language Activities For Children Between The Ages Of 4 and 6 Years

  • Always pay attention to your child when they are talking to you. Try to hold eye contact if that’s possible.
  • Before you talk, get your child’s attention.
  • When your child tells you something they have learned, observed, or heard, show interest. Ask questions and show that you have understood what they are saying.
  • You can teach adjectives and prepositions to a 4, 5 or 6-years old child to encourage language development. For example, while talking, use an object's or person's position to describe them. Use words and phrases like "first," "second," "in line," "on the table," "under the chair," "up the hill" or "down by the road."
  • Continue the exercise on categorizing objects by shape, type, and color.
  • Give your child simple two-step instructions, such as, "go find daddy and tell him it's dinnertime."
  • Use picture cards to name and describe objects or people in the picture.
  • Play games on their phone or tablet. Or, watch children’s shows. Help them recognize emotions. Ask simple questions like, “does that man look happy or sad?”
  • Narrate things you do around the house when they are within earshot. For example, “now we will do the dishes,” or “now we will go to the store.”

These simple and easy-to-practice activities can help young children reach their speech-language milestones more easily.

Moving on, let us discuss the top 17 activities that work for children of almost all ages:

1. Practice the Animal Jam

The fun part about this exercise to boost speech-language development in a child  is that you can freestyle! Use animal picture cards or photos on an iPad or phone. Create your own version of “Old McDonald had a farm.”

Write your own rhymes and limericks that include different animals and common sounds. For example, “a cow goes moo, a dog goes woof, but a cat goes mew.”

2. Enhance Bedtime Stories

Don't just read out from books. Include funny expressions, animal and vehicle noises, and emphasize descriptive words during bedtime stories.

If your child is old enough to respond, you can ask them simple questions like, “what’s the color of the car?” or “was the tiger big?” Turn bedtime stories into a fun and interactive session for you and your child.

Bedtime storytelling with some tweaks described above can improve the learning outcomes.

3. Name the Colors

Get colored blocks or wooden blocks and paint them in different colors. While playing, point towards their toys and name the colors.

When they are old enough to understand and respond to questions, ask them, "what color is that car?" "What color are the leaves?" or "what color PJs are you wearing tonight?"

4. Name the Shapes

Get picture cards or toys of different shapes. You can find toys that teach basic shapes to children online as well. Point towards each one and say, "that's a square" or "that's a circle"

If they are older than 2-years, you can work on their comprehension skills by asking, "what shape is this?" or "is this a circle?"

5. Teach Them the Common Greetings

Your child is never too young to hear “hi,” “bye,” “good morning” and “good night.” Begin from their infancy. Whenever you see them in the morning, say “good morning” followed by your child’s name. During bedtime, always wish them “good night.”

Urge them to say “hi” and “bye” to family members and friends. These will be the foundation of social skills that your child will need throughout their life.

6. Get a Mini Karaoke Setup

You can find pocket-friendly karaoke setups for children online. Or, you can let your creative juices flow! Make a child-friendly karaoke setup. If your child isn't old enough to sing on their own, sing for them. Clap and encourage them to clap or dance.

When they are older than 2-years, pick their favorite song or rhyme, sing a line and let them sing the next line.

7. Play Monkey See, Monkey Do

Have a fun time with your child! Tell your child to imitate your expressions, words, and movements.

It's a great way to boost a child's understanding of language, cognitive skills, and coordination. Play some music in the background if that helps to get you in the groove.

8. Figuring Out the Face

Touch your nose and then touch your child's nose and say, "Nose. This is my nose. This is your nose." Similarly, touch your ears, then touch your child's ears and repeat, "Ear. This is my ear. This is your ear."

Continue this game until your child learns to touch their nose when you say "nose," or lips when you say "lips."

9. Repeat and Add

When your baby says, “nose,” add to it. Say, “nose. Yes, that’s your nose.”

If your child says, “juice.” You say, “Juice? Do you want some juice? We have apple juice and orange juice.”

10. Say Their Name

Whenever you see them after a while, always say, “Hi Max.”

Greet your child every morning, noon, evening, and night. Always say their name whether they are old enough to say it or not. It is one of the fastest methods to get a child to learn their name before they are preschool-aged.

11. Be Their Echo

When your child is younger than 6-months, they may babble or coo when they see you. Try to imitate their emotions. If they laugh, laugh with them.

If your child is a little older, they might say, "wun" and "buh" instead of "run" and "bye." Always repeat after them while pronouncing the words correctly.

12. Count Everything

"1 banana, 1 juice, and 10 nuggets" – you can count what's on your child's plate. You can count the toys they are playing with. Always count in front of your child and use your fingers to count.

Encourage your child to count after you as well. Play silly games like, “You have 5 chicken nuggets. How many more do you want?” or “how many scoops of ice cream are you having today?”

13. Play Peek-A-Boo

This speech-language development activity is for children younger than one year. Use sheets, towels, or even your hands to play peek-a-boo with your child. Make sure they are having fun. When they laugh, laugh with them.

Simple games like peek-a-boo will strengthen your child’s cognition.

14. Use Sock Puppets

Whenever you have time, use sock puppets to tell interactive stories. You can make your own or buy one online.

Make animal sounds and common onomatopoeic noises to engage your child’s language processing abilities.

15. Introduce Them to Common Fruits and Veggies

When your child is older than 2 years, include this fun activity to boost their speech-language development.

Spread out the common vegetables and fruits you have in the house. Point at them and name them. State their shape, color, and taste as well.

16. Build a Fort

Make-believe play is very important to boost a child's imagination and cognition. You can build a fort with your child where your child can pretend to be the king and give you directions.

Play kitchen and let your child host make-believe tea parties.

These are all games that will help your child become a creative and intelligent individual.

17. Setup Playdates

If you have other children in the neighborhood, think about organizing weekly playdates. It can be at your house, the other child's house, or a park.

Supervise the children when they are playing. Introduce interactive toys that make sounds with the press of buttons. Give them child-friendly puzzles.

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100+ fun activities for kids that will keep them entertained for hours! Target speech development through play and games. They won’t even know they are learning!

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Every child is different! Here are speech and language tips and tools for kids with learning differences, alongside information for parents provided by speech therapists.

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We help kids speak no matter their speech challenges! Speech therapists advise parents about late talkers, speech delay, stuttering, apraxia, articulation, and other speech impediments.

From your first worry to your first appointment, and your last speech therapy session – find the information you need to help your child thrive and gain necessary speech skills.

Parent's Academy › Developmental Milestones › Language Development › 7 Ways to Improve Your Child’s Speech Development

7 Ways to Improve Your Child’s Speech Development

Anne-elisabeth germain.

B.A in Speech Language Pathology , Queens , New York

Jan 25, 2022 What is typical speech and language development? Research says that a child will begin speaking between the ages of 10 to 14 months. Also, by the time they reach the age of 2, they should be able to complete 2 to 3 sentences while possessing a vocabulary of 150-300 words.

In This Article

Reading for speech development, nursery rhymes.

  • Play for Speech and Language

Daily Routines

  • Use Technology to Boost Speech Development

Sign Language

  • What speech therapists want every parent to know about speech development?

What if your child does not reach the average language milestone? After parents get over the initial concern, one of the first steps is to have your toddler evaluated by a speech and language pathologist. If they are diagnosed as having a speech delay, they will most likely receive speech therapy to better their communication skills.

But, in addition to speech therapy, there are other ways you can help help your child’s speech development.  Some examples include:

Reading to kids bedtime stories

Reading to your toddler helps them to be more familiar with the sounds and rhythms of language. Reading also improves their social skills and expands their vocabulary. So, as you read to them, encourage them to point at certain objects or colors, and motivate them to repeat certain words.

Moreover, reading books loaded with onomatopoeias (words that actually looks like the sound it makes, like Splash!) can further help. Indeed, besides reinforcing speech and early language development, onomatopoeias can be another fun way to get your toddlers to imitate you.

Flashcards are very popular and are often used by speech therapists during therapy sessions. Flashcards can also aid a child when it comes to visual memory and vocabulary skills.  In addition to expanding their word bank, you can use flashcards to work on specific sounds or to articulate words. 

“Skidamarink a dink a dink, Skidamarink a doo, I love you!”

As silly or funny as they may sound, nursery rhymes are known to help toddlers when it comes to memorizing. They are also a great tool to improve their communication skills. Indeed, not only do they help children pronounce and articulate, but they also expose children to new words, further building their vocabulary skills. From the “Itsy Bitsy Spider” to “Skidamarink a doo,” singing along with your kids can further improve their speech and language development. 

Popular nursery rhymes you can sing at home with your toddler:

  • “Itsy Bitsy Spider”
  • “Skidamarink I Love You”
  • “Old McDonald Had a Farm”
  • “The Wheels on the Bus” 
  • “Bingo Song”
  • “Humpty Dumpty”
  •  “London Bridge is Falling Down”
  • “One Little Finger Tap, Tap, Tap”

Play for Speech and Language

Playing with your toddler is known to help boost their motor and social skills.  Moreover, studies show a connection between play and language development. Whether you work on target sounds revolving around the toys they are using, or you ask them to point at certain colors or objects, you can improve both their communication and social skills.

While daily routines tend to be redundant, they can be great opportunities to further help your toddler’s language and speech development. For instance, during a diaper change, you can sing your child’s favorite lullaby to get them to interact with you. You can also make silly noises (onomatopoeias) for them to imitate. During mealtime, you can encourage them to repeat objects they see on the table (such as cups or spoons).

As well, describing the routine ahead of time can expose your toddler to new words and further build their language.

Use Technology to Boost Speech Development

Using speech apps like Speech Blubs is another method that can improve your toddler’s speech. This fun, interactive app not only motivates children to work on producing words and sounds (expanding their vocab), but it also works on their articulation skills through video modeling. 

Boost Your Child’s Speech Development!

Improve language & communication skills with fun learning!

activities for toddler speech development

Studies show signing to your child can improve their cognition.

Although some may think sign language can hinder a toddler’s speech development, it is not the case. In fact, sign language can further develop a child’s language system, while also improving their learning. When interacting with your child, you can select words (eat, more, please, bed, potty, book, read, etc.) for them to sign while also prompting them to vocalize. 

What speech therapists want every parent to know about speech development

In addition to receiving speech therapy, parents and caregivers play an important role in their child’s communication skills. If you want your toddler’s speech to be better than average, therapy sessions alone won’t be enough . Interacting with your toddler every chance is extremely crucial to their language skills. Whether you choose to read, play, or sing to them, talking to them over and over and having them repeat the words or sounds they struggle with is key.

Last but not least, positive reinforcement is a must. Whether your toddler is able to say a word or attempts to say it, it is very important to praise their effort because not only does it motivate them to make more effort, but it also builds their confidence. 

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The author’s views are entirely his or her own and may not necessarily reflect the views of Blub Blub Inc. All content provided on this website is for informational purposes only and is not intended to be a substitute for independent professional medical judgement, advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Always seek the advice of your physician or other qualified health provider with any questions you may have regarding a medical condition. Never disregard professional medical advice or delay in seeking it because of something you have read on this website.

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Hello people! My name is Gulnaz and Iam from Kazakhstan. I have been working as a speech pathologist for fifteen years and I love my job, because we are helping people. Everyone agrees with me that it does matter, we should all help each other and make this world better place to live. My tip for parents to develop their toddler`s speech is to start to concern about it at the early age and try to use every opportunity to talk to your kids, and even if it seems like he or she does not understand or do not pay any attention, believe me that this is not like that. Instead, it has been proven, that speech development starts only by imitating and to start to imitate they need to listen to their parents speech, because we are our children`s first teachers. I love English so much and I have been learning English for two years. I am so grateful that we have such abilities to learn new things, our brain and all senses. Thank you so much!

Nice to meet you Gulnaz! Thank you for your valuable advice to parents! Great work on your English too! 🙂

Hi I have a 2year 10months baby with microcephaly. She hasn’t developed speech yet not even Mom or dad. How can I assist her develop her speech. She understands a few instructions like sit or stand, come.

Thank you for your question. I have to ask you if your child is in speech therapy? If not, I suggest that you seek out services because they can provide you with more in-depth suggestions than I can! There are a few things you can do at home such as: 1. Modeling all behaviors in simple language (brush your teeth) 2. Read books and make sure you having her point to words as you read 3. Do simple arts and crafts while explaining things such as colors and shapes

I’m not sure where you are located, but some speech therapy practices are not doing in-person services because of COVID. You can ask for teletherapy, if you think your daughter can handle it!

Stacie Bennett, M.S. CCC-SLP

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CORA Physical Therapy

5 Outdoor Activities to Improve Speech and Language Skills for Toddlers

May 14 2020 | CORA Development Team

activities for toddler speech development

Julie Anna Vest CCC-SLP, Speech-Language Pathologist from CORA Rocky Mount, VA contributed to this piece. 

Warmer weather welcomes opportunities to promote the growth and development of your toddlers speech, language, and learning.

As we push onward and upward in May with Better Hearing and Speech Month at CORA , so does our seemingly “constant” state of social isolation. It’s the harsh reality that all of us have had to endure, and adjust to, over these last eight weeks or so. The future does look brighter with each passing day as stay-at-home orders are lifted and adjustments are made to our new normal.

As the saying goes, “April showers bring May flowers” and Springtime is officially upon us! So, why not get out of the house and take our toddlers outside to enjoy the warmer weather, regardless of what the future may hold? While we don’t know when this isolation will end and it will be safe for us to return to our regular way of life, we do know that you can probably use a break, and your toddlers are probably ready to release some of that pent up energy.

Our speech-language pathologists (SLPs) recommend five outdoor activities to improve speech, language, and learning skills for toddlers. Let’s explore (pun intended)!

Bubble Time

What kid doesn’t love bubbles? But did you know that our children’s favorite pastime presents many speech-language opportunities for toddlers! You can label and comment throughout the activity. For example, say “open” when you first open the bottle of bubbles. Then, practice counting “1…2…3…blow” before releasing that last gasp of breath. Use adjectives with your child to describe how the bubbles feel with words like “sticky” or “wet”.

Does your child have a strategy for the way he/she pops bubbles? Most do. Have them describe how they “pop” the bubbles, then repeat these words over and over. Bubbles are particularly great for providing a communication temptation, they’re spontaneous, and they’re loads of fun!

Most bubble products come in packaging that is difficult for children to open and blow on their own. This offers another great teaching opportunity to 1) screw the lid on securely 2) hand the bubbles to your child then 3) wait and see. Your toddler may try to open the bubbles on their own; if they have trouble getting the lid open then they will likely hand it back to you – if your child hands it back to you (with those sad, curious eyes we know so well) then they have just made a request! Narrate their request by saying “ more bubbles ” and start blowing some more for an afternoon of fun.

Just Keep Swinging

Believe it or not, swings offer many teachable moments for learning, speech, and language development. You can comment “sit down” when you first sit down. Talk to your toddler as he/she swings with descriptions like “up” and “down”. Describe to them the need to “push” and how to do it. The activity of swinging is a tremendous outlet for developing communication skills because toddlers rely on their caregivers to push them. After you have been pushing them for some time, try pausing and waiting. If your toddler makes a gesture, let’s say reaches for your hand, or jiggles back and forth with their body, then they have just made a request. Narrate their request by making a statement like “more swing” and resume pushing your child on the swing!

Practice Your Ball Skills

Playing with a ball is another great activity for speech and language growth. Follow your child’s lead and watch carefully what they choose to do with the ball. Encourage them to “roll”, “kick” “bounce” and “throw” the ball. Then, take action by following through on your instructions of rolling, kicking, bouncing or throwing the ball back and forth with your child. After a short period of time, rather than returning the ball, pause expectantly looking at your child’s face as a way to let them know how proud you are of how they are doing. Your toddler may reach for the ball or gesture to you that they want it back. You guessed it – they’ve just made a request! Narrate their request “more ball” then roll, kick, bounce or throw it back to them for a game of catch.

Water play is not only clean fun – it is a wonderful activity for encouraging growth in your child’s speech-language skills. Start by filling up a pool or bathtub or water table. Once filled, you can then add toys, cups, items that you both can enjoy in a setting that can be playful, fun and educational. Again, follow your child’s lead by allowing them to dictate what you do during water time. Watch what they are doing then narrate the actions they are taking with the toys using words like: “pour”, “sink”, “float”, or “splash”. Give them choices: ask them if they want to “pour or splash?” and pause waiting expectantly for their response. Narrate what they choose (i.e. “Oh splash!”) and congratulate them with constructive dialogue along the way.

Slide and Glide

Small slides are another fun outdoor experience for any child! And sliding is another great way to practice language learning, especially since toddlers oftentimes need help going up and down the slide. Does your child look at you and raise their hands as if they want to go “up” or as if to say they are hesitant to climb to new heights? If they look to you for help, that is a request. Either lift them up onto the slide or help them go up the ladder and interpret their request as you demonstrate and speak the directions to them (i.e. “Oh, you want up?”). Narrate the request as they go “up, up, up!” and “down, down, down!” There is never enough repetition for a toddler, so continue to repeat those words over and over. At the top of the slide you can also pause and count down “1…2…3 (brief pause)…Go!” and watch them go down the slide. Each time you do this try pausing before “go” to wait for a return gesture, word, or movement from your child that indicates they are in fact ready to “go”.

Want more activities and information on Speech-Language Pathology?

Keep checking back all month long for expert opinions and advice on meeting key milestones and stages in your child’s development. Coming soon include topics that address feeding your child, learning disorders such as dyslexia and fun speech games for school-aged kids. Plus, we encourage everyone to visit the website for American Speech-Language-Hearing Association (ASHA) which is full of resources created in honor of BHSM month and to recognize speech-language pathology across the board. Please join us in supporting the cause and supporting our very special SLPs at CORA!

If you feel the time is right to seek an evaluation for your child from a licensed speech-language pathologist, please contact our CORA clinic nearest you or schedule an appointment today . With 24-48 hour scheduling and over 4,000 insurances accepted, our SLPs are ready to serve you in the clinic or in your home with telehealth now available.

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74 Fun Tongue Twisters to Improve Your Kid's Language Development

Incorporating tongue twisters into a child's routine can be a playful way to enhance language skills, foster speech development, and promote cognitive growth.

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There’s nothing cuter than a preschooler falling over their words as they attempt a tongue twister, such as “She sells seashells by the seashore.”

A tongue twister is a phrase or sentence that's difficult to articulate quickly and accurately, particularly when spoken aloud. They usually contain a series of similar sounds, repetitive consonant patterns, or difficult combinations of words.

Tongue twisters challenge the speaker's ability to enunciate clearly, often leading to humorous results. But they're more than just an entertaining party trick. These phrases are often used as speech exercises to improve pronunciation, articulation, and fluency. They can also enhance language skills , especially for children.

Keep reading to learn more about the benefits of tongue twisters for children. We also rounded up 75 fun tongue twisters to share with your entire family.

Benefits of Tongue Twisters for Kids 

Tongue twisters provide a host of advantages for child development, making them more than just a playful linguistic exercise. We broke down several benefits of tongue twisters below.

Speech development and pronunciation

You've probably seen singers or actors practicing tongue twisters to warm up. That’s because the challenge of reciting tongue twisters quickly can develop coordination between the lips, tongue, and vocal cords, contributing to improved overall speech abilities. 

Along those lines, tongue twisters can help kids develop their pronunciation skills and their understanding of the spoken word. “When children attempt tongue twisters, they naturally slow down their speech to pronounce sounds accurately, which in turn helps them to slow down their thinking process," says Michelle Mintz, MS, CCC-SLP, a speech-language pathologist with over 25 years of experience, and the founder/CEO of Baby Blooming Moments .

Language skills

Tongue twisters promote vocabulary expansion and boost language skills, fostering better communication abilities. “Since tongue twisters involve strings of similarly pronounced words, they serve as a great way to strengthen articulation" and introduce new words, says Kimberly Berens , PhD, an education and child development expert who founded Fit Learning .

Brain development

The cognitive challenge of navigating the intricate twists and turns of tongue twisters is like a workout for the brain. It contributes to enhanced brain development and cognitive functions in children.

Concentration

Mastering tongue twisters requires focused concentration, helping children develop better attention spans . As Mintz explains, “Tongue twisters are like fun puzzles that make kids concentrate and think hard, helping them stay focused and learn better."

Practicing tongue twisters can also develop a child's confidence, “Articulation deficits can be embarrassing and impact a person’s willingness to speak publicly," says Dr. Berens. "By using tongue twisters, a person can repeatedly practice a short, challenging phrase until they can say the phrase quickly and without errors. Such practice will have generative effects on a person’s overall articulation skills.”

Easy Tongue Twisters for Young Kids

  • Peter Piper picked a peck of pickled peppers.
  • Fuzzy Wuzzy was a bear.
  • Friendly frogs frolic freely by the flowing brook.
  • Sunny Susan swiftly sews seven silky scarves.
  • Bobby's big blue balloon bobbed blissfully beyond.
  • Danny's dog dances down the dirt road.
  • Happy hedgehogs hop hurriedly over the hill.
  • Grace grabbed a group of green grapes.
  • Billy's big brown bear bumbled beyond the bustling bazaar.
  • Polly Penguin painted pretty pictures on a pink paper.
  • Silly Sally swiftly slides down the slippery slope.
  • Timmy Turtle tiptoed through the tall tulips twice.
  • Giddy goats graze on the green grassy ground.
  • Playful puppies prance and pounce in the pretty park.
  • Sammy Snake silently slithers through the sandy desert.
  • Little Larry likes licking lollipops lazily.
  • Wendy's white wagon whizzed wildly down the winding road.
  • Merry monkeys munch on melons in the morning mist.
  • How much wood would a woodchuck chuck if a woodchuck could chuck wood?
  • Sally sells seashells by the seashore.
  • Tommy Tiger tiptoed through the tall tulips.
  • Cheerful Charlie chased chirping chipmunks cheerfully.
  • Whimsical Willie whistled while walking with Winston.
  • Frisky foxes frolic in the frosty forest.
  • Red lorry, yellow lorry.

Intermediate Tongue Twisters for Progressing Skills

  • How can a clam cram in a clean cream can?
  • The great Greek grape growers grow great Greek grapes.
  • Curly caterpillars crawl carefully on the cabbage leaves.
  • Slimy snails silently slither through the slimy swamp.
  • Two tiny turtles tumbled tactfully toward the tall tulips.
  • Betty bought a batch of bright blue buttons.
  • Randy the rabbit ran around the rugged rocky ridge.
  • Four friendly frogs frolicked by the frozen pond.
  • Hopping hedgehogs huddled in heaps on the hilly meadow.
  • Peter's playful parrot picked a peck of painted peanuts.
  • Furry ferrets frolicked freely in the fields of fragrant flowers.
  • Daisy's dainty dachshund dug deep down in the dry dirt.
  • Benny's bright blue bus boldly bounced down the bumpy road.
  • Cherry Cheeko cheerfully chatted while chewing cherry-flavored cheese.
  • A black bug bleeds black blood, while a blue bug bleeds blue blood.
  • A proper copper coffee pot.
  • Unique New York, New York's unique.
  • I thought I thought of thinking of thanking you.
  • Cleverly carving curly cues, Carl created a captivating carousel.
  • Brody's bouncing basketball bumped against the bedroom wall.
  • Whiskered Walter whistled while weaving wacky woolen weavings.
  • Greta's great grandma gathered grapes for a glorious grape pie.
  • Precious puppies pranced proudly past the picket fence.
  • Eleven benevolent elephants.
  • Freshly fried flying fish.

Challenging Tongue Twisters for Advanced Practice

  • Sheena leads, Sheila needs.
  • Irish wristwatch, Swiss wristwatch.
  • Fred fed Ted bread and Ted fed Fred bread.
  • Walter's whimsical walrus waltzed with wily woodland weasels.
  • Zeke zipped through the zigzagging zoo, zealously zapping zebras.
  • Priscilla's perplexing puzzle pieces perfectly puzzled her playmates.
  • Quentin quickly quizzed the quirky queen about quantum quasars.
  • Swan swam over the sea, swim, swan, swim!
  • Lesser leather never weathered wetter weather better.
  • Zigzagging zeppelins zealously zip across the zany zone.
  • Quincy quickly quelled the quivering quokkas' quizzical queries.
  • Vivian's voracious vocabulary varied vastly during the vacation.
  • Dexter the dragon diligently dug a deep den in the dark dale.
  • Geraldine gracefully glided through the grand gala, garnering great applause.
  • Victor vehemently validated his vast vocabulary with vivacious vigor.
  • Zelda zealously zigzagged through the zephyr, zooming zestfully.
  • A black bloke's back brake block broke.
  • Six slippery snails slid silently seaward.
  • There was a minimum of cinnamon in the aluminum pan.
  • Six short slow shepherds.
  • Pad kid poured curd pulled cod.
  • Cows graze in groves on grass which grows in grooves in groves.
  • If you notice this notice, you will notice that this notice is not worth noticing.
  • The seething sea ceases.

Tips for Practicing Tongue Twisters with Kids:

To make the most of tongue twisters with children, consider the following tips.

Create your own tongue twisters

Foster creativity by crafting personalized tongue twisters with similar-sounding words or alliteration. Kids particularly love to hear their name used in this way. For example, you can rely on alliteration to pick words that start with the same consonant as your child's name, such as, “Connor caught a creepy crawly,” or “Samira swam seven seas.”

Progress gradually

Start with easy tongue twisters and gradually progress to more difficult ones as children build confidence and skill. Challenge your kids to get quicker each time and say a tongue twister ten times in a row.

Incorporate tongue twisters into daily activities

Infuse tongue twisters into daily routines , such as car rides or shopping trips, to turn them into entertaining learning experiences.

Consider individual needs

If a child has a speech disability , consult with a speech-language pathologist or a developmental expert before introducing tongue twisters. This will avoid potential impacts on self-esteem and confidence.

Purdue speech-language pathologists utilize tongue twisters for young patients' therapies . Purdue University . 2022.

Teaching classic put to the test: Do tongue twisters work for L2 pronunciation?   Foreign Language Annals , 2023

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activities for toddler speech development

Speech Therapy for Autism Full Guide: How it Works, Benefits & FAQs

activities for toddler speech development

Autism is a neurodevelopmental condition , caused by differences in the way the brain develops and functions. Also known as autism spectrum disorder , or ASD , it often presents as issues with a child’s communication skills . 

Children with autism may feel misunderstood or isolated as a result of their issues with communication. They may struggle to meet developmental or educational milestones. 

Speech therapy is an important tool in treating the communication skills of children with autism as they develop. 

Children with autism often have difficulty understanding and following social guidelines. They struggle with using language for social purposes, such as engaging with others. 

Children with autism also often exhibit repetitive behaviors and restricted interests. 

Because their brains develop differently, children with autism communicate differently. This can impact their ability to engage with caregivers and peers. It can present limitations to their opportunities in school and in life. 

Speech and language pathologists support kids with autism in developing their communication skills. In particular, SLPs are involved in treating the social language skills of children with autism. 

Let’s explore how and why speech therapy is involved in treating children on the autism spectrum. 

What is Speech Therapy for Autism?

Speech therapists provide assessment and treatment for all types of communication skills. Speech therapists work on speech, language, literacy, and communication skills with children. 

If your child has autism, speech therapy is an important part of your support service team. 

Speech therapists work with autistic children to develop language and social communication skills. Kids with autism benefit from explicit instruction in how to use social language skills effectively. Speech therapists support children with autism in improving verbal and non-verbal language skills. 

Today, our ability to recognize the signs and symptoms of autism earlier on in a child’s development has improved. This has improved access for autistic individuals to early intervention therapies. 

The earlier autism is detected in a child, the sooner therapeutic interventions can begin. Research shows early intervention with autistic children leads to improved outcomes. This is even the case for children with moderate to severe autism. 

One study found early language therapy increased the ability of non-verbal children to become verbal. The same effect was not seen for children over the age of five. 

Experts agree on the importance of early intervention in the treatment outcomes of children with autism. 

No matter the age, speech therapy still benefits kids with autism in developing communication skills. 

Let’s explore the benefits of speech therapy for autism. 

Benefits of Speech Therapy for Autism

Speech therapy for people with autism can help improve social skills and receptive and expressive language. It can also support independence, self-confidence, and overall development.

Speech therapy benefits children with autism by providing explicit training to improve communication. Most children with autism need direct instruction to learn important communication skills. Speech therapists provide clear, focused treatments and strategies to support language skills development. 

Children with autism benefit from educational support services to promote their overall development. Speech therapists provide training to support autistic children’s development of language skills.

Working with a speech therapist can enhance the social, vocal, and language skills of children with autism. 

Let’s review some of the ways speech therapists target communication skills in kids with autism.

How Speech Therapist Works with Autistic Children

Speech therapists can provide explicit training to help kids with autism pick up on social cues and understand social norms. This can support those with autism in improving their ability to interact with others to get their needs met and be a part of society. This focus of therapy shows positive results and is often used with the autistic population. 

Some children with autism repeat words or phrases they’ve heard multiple times, either immediately afterward or following a delay. Speech therapists work with children to enhance their functional speech .

Speech therapy can help children expand their vocabulary. Speech therapists can teach new words, and can introduce them into activities a child enjoys. This approach is particularly beneficial for raising a highly sensitive child , as it fosters a nurturing and understanding environment tailored to their unique needs.

Speech therapists also support children with autism to improve their receptive language skills. They can teach and practice recognizing non-verbal cues like facial expressions and body language. They can even create books and flashcards that include pictures of these for the child to review and practice. 

Children with autism often use verbal language for the purposes of regulating their environment. Neurotypical children, in contrast, use language for social purposes and to initiate interactions. Speech therapists work with children with autism to improve their recognition and ability to respond to social cues. These cues can involve both verbal and non-verbal communication. 

Speech therapists help autistic children to expand their vocal range and use more inflection when speaking. They do this by modeling inflection variations, and providing practice and feedback. They also encourage children to self-monitor and correct. 

Speech therapists often use both explicit and implicit instruction with children with autism. This means some skills are directly targeted during therapy, and the child is aware of what they’re working on. Other times, target skills are embedded into activities a child finds motivating and enjoyable. This can include games that involve use of social cues and interpreting non-verbal cues. 

Speech Therapy Goals for Autism

When a speech therapist works with your child, they don’t just wing it. SLPs set forth clear long and short term goals for the children they work with. These goals are based on their thorough evaluation of your child’s skills and needs. 

SLPs also base their therapy approach and goals on your child’s educational plan. If your child has been diagnosed with autism and is in school, they’re eligible for an Individualized Education Program , or IEP . This program covers the developmental goals your child’s care team hopes to help them achieve, as well as a timeline and plan to follow. 

Your child’s speech therapy goals will be based around these factors as well as their individual needs. These goals are measurable and are tracked with data and percentages. 

Speech therapy for kids with autism might look like:

  • The student will identify emotions from facial expressions at 85% accuracy given moderate verbal cues
  • The child will demonstrate appropriate prosody at the sentence level in 80% of attempts, given min verbal feedback
  • The student will demonstrate use of trained vocabulary words in verbal interactions at 85% accuracy, given min to mod verbal cues
  • The student will use a picture schedule to enhance daily transitions with reduced behaviors at 15%, given min visual and verbal cues 
  • The child will recognize and respond to social cues in conversational exchanges at 80% accuracy, given min verbal and visual cues

These sample goals give you an idea of how SLPs create and write goals to treat children with autism. These are just examples, and your child’s SLP will create long and short term goals that are just for them. Your child’s speech therapist will always share your child’s goals and progress with you. Never hesitate to ask! 

How to Choose a Good Autism Speech Therapist

When your child is diagnosed with autism, you may be concerned about finding the right speech and language therapist for them. How will you know if a therapist is competent and a good fit for your child’s needs?

In the US, most SLPs are certified by the American Speech-Language and Hearing Association (ASHA) . ASHA ensures that SLPs are highly trained and skilled to provide therapy to a wide range of individuals, including those with autism. You can identify these SLPs because they have three C’s before their professional title. This shows they’ve received their Certificate of Clinical Competence from ASHA. 

In some states, not all speech therapists need to be ASHA certified in order to practice in the school setting. But, they do need to complete either a two or four year graduate course of study in communication sciences and disorders. 

You also want to look at a speech therapist’s experience and approach. Most SLPs are well-versed in providing evidence-based practice . This means they draw their treatment techniques from modern research and best practices. 

You may prefer to work with an SLP who has experience treating children with autism, and can discuss their past results. Many SLPs have experience working with the autistic population. This experience can be very valuable when it comes to crafting the best treatment plan for your child. 

No matter who you choose to work with, your SLP will create an individualized treatment plan that’s designed just for your child. When working with kids with autism, it’s vital to create customized treatments, because no two children with autism are exactly alike. 

Your child’s teacher or pediatrician are a great source of information and referrals to qualified speech therapists. They can help you select and connect with a speech therapist who can meet your child’s needs.

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Autism Speech Therapy Techniques

Speech therapy techniques for autism take many forms, depending on the individual being treated. Here are some examples of specific techniques used by SLPs with this population:

Children with autism often have difficulty with their receptive and expressive language skills. Receptive language skills involve understanding and interpreting verbal and non verbal cues. Expressive language involves using language to communicate our thoughts, wants, and needs. 

Many autistic children benefit from instruction in using nonverbal communication. This includes using and interpreting gestures. This is an important skill, because much of what we communicate doesn’t involve verbal language. Humans communicate a lot with our body language, facial expressions, and gestures.  

Kids with autism often require direct instruction in the use of nonverbal communication. This is because their ability to recognize and interpret social cues is impaired. 

SLPs can train autistic children in the use of gestures with practice, games, videos, and pictures. Children with autism often benefit from repeated practice to understand and use social cues. SLPs create many opportunities for kids to learn and practice gestures. They allow kids to use gestures, and also encourage them to identify them when shown.

Augmentative and alternative communication (AAC)

AAC is a powerful tool in the autism therapy toolkit. These are also sometimes referred to as communication boards. AAC supplements the communication of children with autism, to support them. 

An AAC device can range from high to low tech, depending on the needs of the child using it. Many kids with autism use picture boards, with customized photos or drawings to help them communicate with others and get their needs met. AAC devices can include programmed words and phrases. This can help support communication and language learning. In some cases, AAC is used to help a child with autism with their daily transitions and routines.  Some worry that AAC may hinder the language learning of kids with autism, by providing a crutch to lean on. But research shows the opposite is true. AAC actually enhances language skills. This is because it provides a model and enhances confidence. This leads to more positive interactions.

Supporting verbal communication

Speech therapists help kids with autism expand their vocabularies and improve verbal skills. In some cases, SLPs focus on building pre-verbal skills. These include making eye contact, paying attention, following directions, and taking turns. 

Speech therapists build verbal therapy into fun activities for kids with autism. For example, if a child with autism loves trains, an SLP can use these to promote joint attention. The same activity could also focus on vocabulary building, and back and forth communication. SLPs can also use modeling and cues in shared activities, to encourage awareness and self-monitoring.  

Making therapy sessions fun for kids with autism is a great way to keep them engaged and motivated to work on building new communication skills. 

Let’s look at some specific activities SLPs might use with children with autism at different ages and stages of development. 

Speech Therapy Activities for Autism

Autism speech therapy for birth to 2 years.

For children from birth to age two who have been identified as being on the autism spectrum, an SLP might use activities like:

  • Shared attention activities, like playing with toys, building together, or playing with clay, sand, or slime.
  • Encouraging repetition of simple sounds, like “ma”, “ba”, “pa”, and “wa”.
  • Encouraging imitation in games. This can include making animal sounds, modeling facial expressions, or saying simple words.
  • Shared book reading of age-appropriate books. This can promote emergent literacy skill development and shared attention.
  • Using communication temptations like blowing bubbles and then stopping, to encourage verbalizations.

Autism Speech Therapy for 2 to 4 Years

The communication needs and expectations for children aged two to four years are greater. For this age, an SLP might use activities like:

  • Promoting choice making between two items. For example: “Do you want juice or water?”
  • Modeling clear and correct word use and grammar.
  • Having discussions about familiar things. An SLP can embed word learning, attention, social cues, and verbal skills into this.
  • Teaching and modeling common facial expressions, like angry, sad, mad, and happy.
  • Teaching gestures like pointing and waving.

Autism Speech Therapy for 4 to 6 Years

An SLP working with autistic children aged four to six years might use activities like:

  • Playing age-appropriate games to target joint attention, turn-taking, and sharing. Sorting games can be highly engaging for kids with autism.
  • Using sensory processing activities like sensory boxes, rice, clay, slime, or dry beans. Many kids with autism have sensory issues , so this can support sensory processing. It can also support verbal skills, shared attention, and turn-taking. 
  • Work on WH- questions. A child’s ability to answer what, where, when, why, which, and who questions is a major part of communication.
  • Talk about and sort items based on their shape, weight, color, and size. This can help kids with their category awareness skills. It can also help them understand relational concepts, like big and little. 
  • Play guessing games.
  • Play cooperative games to encourage working on a team.
  • Introduce and train pictures to enhance communication. This can be used to build vocabulary and also as the basis for a communication board.

The Benefits of Using Forbrain in Speech Therapy

Forbrain is an auditory stimulation headset. It offers a wide range of applications for speech therapists working with children. 

Forbrain enhances auditory processing by supporting the auditory feedback loops of its users. This improved auditory feedback can improve speech production, self-monitoring, voicing, and information retention. 

SLPs can use Forbrain with children who struggle with auditory processing. It can be used in treatment to enhance auditory feedback during sound drills, vocal exercises, and memory tasks. 

Forbrain is also helpful for children with hearing issues, as it enhances hearing through bone conduction . SLPs can use this in therapy for children with hearing loss, as well as training them to use it in a classroom setting.

Forbrain can be used by SLPs to help children monitor and modify their speech sounds, or reduce nasality in speech. For children with autism, it may help address vocal inflection and self-monitoring of monotone speech. 

In addition, Forbrain may be useful in speech therapy for children with executive functioning issues. This includes issues like ADD and ADHD. Forbrain can be used to promote attention and comprehension in children who struggle with these skills. 

Research strongly suggests that decreased sound tolerance is a common sensory feature of autism. Issues with sound tolerance and processing are reported by the majority of autistic individuals. This issue can increase the functional impairments of people with autism. For some, the Forbrain headset may help improve autism auditory processing and reduce sound tolerance issues. SLPs can assess and trial this device with autistic children for whom it may be appropriate as a part of treatment. 

This video explores how Forbrain can be incorporated into speech therapy.

Autism Speech Therapy FAQs 

If your child has been diagnosed with autism or referred to a speech therapist, you probably have many questions. 

Here are some commonly asked questions parents have about what speech therapy can offer children with autism. 

When is the best time to start speech therapy for autism?

The best time to start speech therapy for autism is For children on the autism spectrum, it’s generally believed that the earlier interventions can begin, the better. Earlier identification of the signs of autism in children has made early interventions much more possible than in the past. Pediatric speech therapists work with children from birth up to school age. Many specialize in treating the communication skills of young kids with autism. 

No matter when your child is diagnosed with autism, speech therapy can help them learn key language and communication skills.

How frequently do children with autism need speech therapy?

How frequently children with autism need speech therapy will be based on your individual child and their needs. Some children are seen multiple times per week, some weekly, some even daily. Treatment frequency is tailored to your child’s goals and tolerance of therapy. Therapy may take place in your home, in a therapy clinic, or in your child’s school or daycare. 

Treatment frequency is geared to help your child make meaningful progress toward their speech therapy goals. 

How long does autism speech therapy for kids typically last?

The duration of your child’s speech therapy depends on individual factors. Some children may see a speech therapist for months, others for years. Some may be seen on-and-off, depending on motivation, needs, and your availability. 

Most children with autism benefit from seeing a speech therapist for a long-term plan. This is because autism impacts many areas of children’s development. Speech therapy can help your child learn skills they need at different levels of their development.

Can parents and caregivers be involved in autism speech therapy for kids?

Absolutely! In fact, parental involvement is strongly encouraged, especially in early intervention. Studies show parental involvement in speech therapy benefits children with all types of issues. You are the expert on your child with autism, so you can support your speech therapist in treatment, just as they can support you. 

How often should my child attend autism speech therapy sessions?

Your speech therapist will determine the ideal frequency for your child’s speech therapy sessions. It’s very important that your child attend as often as possible. This is the best way for them to make progress toward their long and short term goals. 

If you have trouble making scheduled sessions, discuss options with your speech therapist. Together, you can work to find a solution that benefits everyone. 

Can speech therapy completely eliminate all communication difficulties in children with autism?

Speech therapists are careful not to offer guarantees that their services are a cure for communication issues. Autism is a condition that affects how the brain is structured and works, and this can cause many different issues in communication.   What is known is the positive impact speech therapy has on improving the communication skills of children with autism. Your child with autism deserves to communicate as effectively as possible. A speech therapist can help them enhance their language skills. This can help them be a more effective communicator, who is able to participate more fully in the world.

How can I support my autistic child’s progress in speech therapy at home?

Your speech therapist will be happy to offer you guidance to support your autistic child at home. They can provide you with activities, resources, and training to create opportunities for autism therapy at home.

Some kids with autism benefit from home activities like: sensory bins, picture schedules , and social games. There are many resources available online to offer parents ideas that may be of interest to your child. 

Final Words

Speech therapy has many positive effects on kids with autism. It can help improve social skills, language knowledge and use, and vocal skills. It can also reduce behavioral issues by developing routines and managing expectations. Speech therapists can create systems and devices to support receptive and expressive language. This may include picture boards and AAC devices. 

Your speech therapist can also help and support you in understanding and advocating for your preferred language. In the autism community, some prefer identity-first language , while others opt for person-first. Identity-first language celebrates autism as an integral part of a person’s identity. Person-first language , in contrast, always seeks to put a person before their diagnosis. It’s important for individuals with autism to use the terms that most resonate with them. Then, they can guide others in how they prefer to be referred to. 

If you’re the parent of a child with known or suspected autism, it’s important to reach out for the help and support that’s available to you. 

Your child’s school, teachers, and pediatrician are all great sources of information and resources. You can ask their advice and enlist their support in connecting with speech therapists in your area who can work with your child. The right speech therapist for you is out there, and they’re ready to support your child in their communication skills development.

Bangert, K. J., Halverson, D. M., & Finestack, L. H. (2019). Evaluation of an Explicit Instructional Approach to Teach Grammatical Forms to Children With Low-Symptom Severity Autism Spectrum Disorder. American journal of speech-language pathology, 28(2), 650–663. https://doi.org/10.1044/2018_AJSLP-18-0016

Binger, C., Berens, J., Kent-Walsh, J., & Taylor, S. (2008). The effects of aided AAC interventions on AAC use, speech, and symbolic gestures. Seminars in speech and language, 29(2), 101–111. https://doi.org/10.1055/s-2008-1079124

Bruscia, K. (1982). Music in the Assessment and Treatment of Echolalia, Music Therapy, Volume 2, Issue 1, 1982, Pages 25–41, https://doi.org/10.1093/mt/2.1.25

Brock, Jon, Arciuli, Joanne (2014). Communication in Autism. Amsterdam. John Benjamins Publishing Company, 2014 – 281 p. – Trends in Language Acquisition Research – ISBN: 9789027270320 – Permalink: http://digital.casalini.it/9789027270320 – Casalini id: 5001859 

Goldstein, H. Communication Intervention for Children with Autism: A Review of Treatment Efficacy. J Autism Dev Disord 32, 373–396 (2002).https://doi.org/10.1023/A:1020589821992

Koegel, L. (2000). Interventions to facilitate communication in autism. Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders, 30, 383–391.

Krantz, P. J., MacDuff, M. T., & McClannahan, L. E. (1993). Programming participation in family activities for children with autism: parents’ use of photographic activity schedules. Journal of applied behavior analysis, 26(1), 137–138. https://doi.org/10.1901/jaba.1993.26-137

Lynn Kern Koegel, Robert L. Koegel, Kristen Ashbaugh & Jessica Bradshaw (2014) The importance of early identification and intervention for children with or at risk for autism spectrum disorders, International Journal of Speech-Language Pathology, 16:1, 50-56, DOI: 10.3109/17549507.2013.861511

Landa, Rebecca J. (2018) Efficacy of early interventions for infants and young children with, and at risk for, autism spectrum disorders, International Review of Psychiatry, 30:1, 25-39, DOI: 10.1080/09540261.2018.1432574

Lord, C., Brugha, T.S., Charman, T. et al. Autism spectrum disorder. Nat Rev Dis Primers 6, 5 (2020). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41572-019-0138-4

Marco, E. J., Hinkley, L. B., Hill, S. S., & Nagarajan, S. S. (2011). Sensory processing in autism: a review of neurophysiologic findings. Pediatric research, 69(5 Pt 2), 48R–54R. https://doi.org/10.1203/PDR.0b013e3182130c54

Mody, M., & Belliveau, J. W. (2013). Speech and Language Impairments in Autism: Insights from Behavior and Neuroimaging. North American journal of medicine & science, 5(3), 157–161. https://doi.org/10.7156/v5i3p157

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Peppé, S. Cleland, J, Gibbon, F,  O’Hare, A, Martínez Castilla, P. (2011). Expressive prosody in children with autism spectrum conditions. Journal of Neurolinguistics, Volume 24, Issue 1, Pages 41-53. ISSN 0911-6044,

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activities for toddler speech development

Published Feb 07, 2024

Stages of Speech Development for Children With Hearing Implants

When speech language pathologists or rehabilitation specialists talk about “speech skills” or “articulation,” they are referring to the ability to produce speech sounds correctly and clearly as an adult would. A common speech error is when young children say “wabbit” for “rabbit.” As they have not yet developed the ability to say the “r” sound correctly, they substitute “w” for it instead. Speech development does not refer to the ability to follow directions, use sentences, or answer questions, but purely how a child can say the sounds of speech.

Stages of Speech Development for Children With Hearing Implants

Speech skills are heavily reliant on access to sound. If a child has hearing loss for which sound cannot be adequately amplified with hearing aids or cochlear implants, their speech may be affected.

The development of speech occurs progressively as children grow and spend time listening to and practicing speech sounds. Speech development starts long before children say their first words. Cooing, babbling, and gibberish are all ways children practice their speech skills in the first year.

Children with hearing implants are likely to have had time where they did not have optimal access to sound while they were waiting for hearing implant activation. So their speech skills may not be at the same level as other children their age, especially in the first year following activation. This is because children with hearing implants missed some listening time with good auditory access and now need time listening to the sounds of speech around them with their hearing implants before they can begin to use sounds correctly.

First Steps

Just as babies practice speech by cooing and babbling, children with hearing implants need practice with simple vocalization as a foundation for developing speech skills. In the first months following activation, children with hearing implants can be encouraged to copy:

  • long and short vocalizations: “ahhhh” for a plane, “ee ee” for a monkey
  • loud and quiet vocalizations: whispering when someone is sleeping, vocalizing loudly to wake them up
  • varying pitch in vocalizations: “oo-oo-oo” for a firetruck or police car
  • vowel sounds: “uh oh,” “oh no,”’, “m eo w” for a cat, “m oo ” for a cow

First Set of Sounds

In English, the first sounds children say in single words are “b,” “n,” “m,” “p,” “h,” “w,” and “d.” Although a child with hearing implants may begin to talk later than their hearing peers, they typically follow the same pattern of development. At this stage, encourage your child to copy sounds for animals and vehicles in fun and meaningful play with these sounds:

  • “brmm brmm” for cars and trucks
  • “no no” for toys jumping on the bed
  • “p, p, p” for boats floating in the water “hi” while greeting
  • “weee” while going down the slide

Second Set of Sounds

The next sounds to develop in English are “g,” “k,” “f,” “t,” “ng,” and “y.” If your child is using all the “first sounds” listed above in play sounds and in single words, next they will begin to use the sounds at this level. Continue to encourage your child to copy these sounds in play activities in animal and vehicle sounds:

  • such as “grrrr” for the lion
  • “quack” for the duck
  • “woof woof” for the dog
  • “tweet tweet” for the bird

And in single words such as:

  • “knock knock” while playing with a doll house
  • “go” while playing with cars
  • “ding” for a bell

At this stage, it is expected that your child won’t be able to say all the sounds in words correctly—they might say the “f” at the start of “favorite” correctly but not the “v” as this is a sound that develops later. It is also common that children can say short, single words correctly but make more errors when trying to put words together in phrases.

Third Set of Sounds

The next sounds to develop in a child’s speech are “v,” “s,” “z,” “j,” “ch,” “sh,” and “l.”  At this stage, encourage and acknowledge your child’s vocalizations. To encourage your child’s development of these sounds, don’t repeat their speech errors, but use acoustic highlighting to emphasize the way the sound is said correctly.

For example, if your child says “I want a big sair ( ch air),” you can reply by acknowledging what they said but acoustically highlighting or emphasizing the correct production of “ch.” You can say “Oh, you want a big ch air! OK, you can sit on a big ch air.” In this example, your child gets to hear the correct way to use the “ch” sound in the same word twice while they are engaged and listening.

Fourth Set of Sounds

The most difficult sounds in English are “r,” “th,” and the hard “s” (as in vi s ion). These are the last sounds to develop in children’s speech. In children with typical hearing, these sounds don’t develop until five to seven years of age. For children with hearing implants, it may be later, considering they have missed some listening time while they were waiting for their hearing implants.

For ideas for activities you can do with your child to help their speech development, take a look at our articles for babies , toddlers, and older children .

Cochlear implant hearing test tips for children

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