5 Language-Stimulating Activities for Late-Talking Toddlers

 

Explore engaging and creative ways to boost your toddler's speech and language skills through these fun activities. These activities can be used by an SLP during Speech Therapy, using specific techniques to guide you and your toddler, but you can get started with practicing them at home today!

Engaging Through Music and Songs: A Melodic Approach to Speech Development

a musical note cloud in a beautiful blue sky to represent the nursery rhymes and songs that can be used in speech therapy with toddlers who are late talkers, and to coach parents to learn how to use music to help their child learn to speak

Engaging your toddler through music and songs can be a melodic approach to speech development.

Music has a way of capturing a child's attention and providing a fun and interactive way to learn language. Singing songs with repetitive lyrics and simple melodies to your child can help your toddler practice their speech sounds and expand their vocabulary.

You can start with nursery rhymes or children's songs and encourage your toddler to sing along, by making lots of eye contact, and pausing at different intervals. This activity not only enhances their speech skills but also improves their listening and imitation abilities. Try keeping screens out of the mix for this activity.

It's important that your toddler sees your facial expressions and has the opportunity to take turns vocalizing with you during this activity. Common nursery rhymes or songs you might choose to sing to your child include: Wheels on the Bus, Twinkle Twinkle Little Star, Old MacDonald, One Little Finger, If You're Happy, and Head Shoulders Knees & Toes. 

Additionally, you can use musical instruments or clapping games to engage your toddler in rhythm and sound exploration. This can help them develop their fine motor skills, coordination, and speech production.

Encourage your toddler to tap on drums, shake maracas, or play simple tunes on a keyboard. These musical activities can create a positive and stimulating environment for your late-talking toddler to develop their speech and language skills.

 

The Magic of Animal Sounds: Learning to Mimic and Play

farm animals looking forward while grazing in a pasture, using sounds to communicate, representing the animal sounds that can be modeled by parents though story books and songs, to help their child start to use sounds and words, as in speech therapy

Animal sounds can be a magical way to enhance your late-talking toddler's speech and language development. Toddlers are often fascinated by animals and their sounds, making it a perfect opportunity to engage them in learning.

You can play animal sound games by imitating the sounds of different animals and encouraging your toddler to mimic them. For example, you can say 'moo' for a cow or 'meow' for a cat, while looking at your toddler to encourage them to imitate you.

You can also use toys or picture books that depict different animals and their sounds. Point to the animal and make the corresponding sound, then encourage your toddler to do the same.

This activity not only helps your toddler learn new words but also improves their ability to imitate sounds and develop their speech production skills. It's a fun and interactive way to boost their language development while exploring the fascinating world of animals.

 

Interactive Storytelling Sessions: Building Language Through Book-Reading

a toddler looking through the pages of a new picture book, learning how to turn the pages and how to hold the book upright, while their parent guides them, modeling the words that each picture represents as guided by their speech therapist

Interactive storytelling sessions can be a powerful tool for building language skills in late-talking toddlers. Reading books together provides a wonderful opportunity to expose your child to new words, sentence structures, and storytelling concepts.

Choose age-appropriate books with colorful illustrations and engaging stories that capture your toddler's interest.

During the reading session, make it interactive by asking questions, pointing to pictures, and encouraging your toddler to participate in the story. You can ask them to name objects, describe characters, or predict what might happen next.

Try keeping your language short and simple, but not using baby talking. For example, if there is a picture of an airplane, you might say "Wow, airplane!," "Big airplane!," or "The airplane flies!" If your child is using limited words, it is less likely that they will imitate you the longer your utterances are, so you want to avoid long complex sentences such as "Look at the big airplane flying so high in the sky!"

Using simple language for your child to associate with pictures and stories not only enhances their vocabulary but also improves their comprehension, critical thinking, and expressive language skills. 

To make the activity more engaging, you can use props or puppets to act out the story or create your own stories together. This encourages your toddler's creativity, imagination, and language development. Interactive storytelling sessions can be a fun and educational way to enhance your late-talking toddler's speech and language skills.

 

Craft Time: Enhancing Fine Motor Skills and Vocabulary with Art

a mother carefully traces her daughters hand, with a marker while they play with crayons and markers while working on her speech therapy sounds and homework practice, using crafts and drawing words and pictures together

Craft time is not only a great way to enhance fine motor skills but also an opportunity to enrich your late-talking toddler's vocabulary through art.

Engaging in art activities allows your toddler to explore different textures, colors, and materials, stimulating their senses and creativity. You can introduce various art supplies like crayons, markers, paints, and playdough.

Encourage your toddler to create their own artwork by drawing, coloring, or sculpting. As they engage in these activities, talk about what they are doing, naming colors, shapes, and objects. This is called "parallel talk." For example, if your toddler is drawing a picture, you might say "Wow! Big circle!" or "Look! You drew a dog!"

You can also talk about what you are doing, such as "Look, I made a cow!" or "I am making a snake. What are you making?" This not only helps expand their vocabulary but also encourages them to express themselves through words.

Craft time can be a fun and interactive way to promote your late-talking toddler's speech and language development while enhancing their fine motor skills and creativity.

 

Sensory Bins: Touch and Learn to Enhance Communication

a toddler sits inside a large bucket of water while exploring his sense of touch and sound while splashing, and his parent nearby models new vocabulary words as taught by a speech therapist, to enhance his language opportunities using play tasks

Sensory bins provide a hands-on and multisensory experience for late-talking toddlers, helping enhance their communication skills. These bins are filled with various materials that engage different senses, such as rice, sand, water, or textured objects.

You can create themed sensory bins, such as a beach-themed bin or a farm-themed bin, to make the activity more exciting and educational.

Encourage your toddler to explore the sensory bin by touching, feeling, and manipulating the materials.

As they engage in sensory play, describe the textures, colors, and actions they are experiencing. For example, if they are playing with water, you can say "This water feels cold" or "Splash! You splashed the duck. The duck is wet." This not only helps expand their vocabulary but also improves their ability to communicate their experiences and feelings.

Sensory bins provide a fun and interactive way for late-talking toddlers to develop their speech and language skills while exploring different sensory stimuli.

 
Speech therapy practice, Later Talkers, Late Language EmergenceHeather IsmayToddlers with late language emergence, toddlers who are late talkers, parent guidance for late talkers, practice activities for parents and clinicainsComment