My Favorite Toys to Promote Language Learning
Toddlers learn by watching, trying things out, and playing.
Being a speech therapist for over a decade and a mom to two delightful children, I’ve had the luxury of playing with many, many toys. I really like toys.
Here’s a list of some of my favorite toys to promote play and language skills.
In My Toddler Talks: Strategies and Activities to Promote Your Child’s Language Development, I share step-by-step play routines using these toys to specifically teach you how to elicit and model language. These are classic toys that are in most daycares and households. I purposefully tried to choose such toys so a busy parent doesn’t feel compelled to go out shopping and spend a fortune buying new, fancy toys.
See-Me Sensory Ball
Keep it simple by rolling, bouncing, and gently tossing or throwing a ball to your toddler. He'll love the playful interaction, as well as with time, develop the skill. Can also incorporate siblings with ball play!
BINGO Markers
I love using bingo markers with toddlers because they are easy to hold and young children can color larger sections of a paper or coloring book with less effort than crayons.
Bowling Pin Set
Knock 'em down and stack 'em back up! In my book I share step-by-step play routines using bowling pins (and all of these toys on part 1 of this list) to specifically teach you how to elicit and model language.
Bubbles
I haven't met a toddler who doesn't LOVE bubbles. Great way to elicit so many words. Just be careful not to have them in your child's mouth.
Sidewalk Chalk
I'm a big fan of getting kids to go outside! Entice your child to play outside by drawing on the driveway or sidewalks. To spice things up you can even spray the chalk off with a hose or a can of water.
Dolls
Many older toddlers like playing the role of caregiver. You'll be amazed at how many gestures and words they will imitate from mommy and daddy during their play.
Farm Animals and Barn Set
I like this set because it's simple - there's no distracting music or bells and whistles. The doors open and close so you can encourage your child to knock on the door and have the various farm animals go in and out of the barn.
Mr. Potato Head
This is a classic toy that assists in teaching about basic body parts by putting the pieces in and taking them out of the iconic potato head.
Play-Doh
Playing with Play-doh is such a blast! Please see my post, How to Use Play Dough to Get your Toddler to Talk. Play-doh may not be appropriate for younger toddlers who are still exploring the world with their mouths.
Puzzles
Puzzles can range in complexity. For toddlers I prefer:
-ones with pegs so a young child can easily grab a piece
-matching pictures on puzzle pieces and on the puzzle board
Train Set
There are some very intricate train sets that contain multiple parts, destinations, and natural landscapes. Preschoolers and school age kids will appreciate the more complex ones. For toddlers, go for a simple train set with fewer parts, like this one.
Doctor Kit
Playing doctor is a timeless way to role play and playfully teach children how to use language in real life situations. Language modeling and elicitation techniques can easily be incorporated when a child feels comfortable playing.
Pet Vet Toy Set
This fabulous toy set is a favorite among my toddlers and preschoolers. There is a magical aspect of unlocking the door to see what’s behind it. A soft dog and cat are included in this set. Favorite animals or items that are specific to the interest of the child can also be included! This is a wonderful toy to elicit “help”, “open”, “turn”, and even “It’s stuck!”
School Bus
Follow along with the play routine in My Toddler Talks to learn many ways to develop your toddler's play and encourage early language. Sing the song, Wheels on the Bus too!
Balloon
Blow one up and let it go or blow it up, tie the end and bounce it around the room! Such a fun way to target common first words like, “up”, “down”, “in”, “on”, “here”, and “there”. Talk about the location of the balloon while playing too!
Fruit and Veggie Cutting Sets
In the book, My Toddler’s First Words, I carefully describe the developmental sequence of first words. Nouns tend to emerge first, followed by verbs. I LOVE these food sets because they provide ample opportunities to target both nouns - the names of the fruits and veggies - and verbs - eat, cut, peel.
Cardboard Play Houses or Pop Up Play Tents
These large play sets are perfect for children who are beginning to flex their pretend play skills. Knock on the door or pretend to ring the door bell so your little ones have the opportunity to practice asking questions like, “Who is it?”or “Who’s there?”
Spinning Top
Trying to spin a top can be tricky, and this creates the PERFECT opportunity to encourage your toddler to request help. Requesting is an early developing communication function. In my book, My Toddler's First Words, I write about the various communication functions and how to encourage them.
Car Ramp
“Beep-beep”, “Vroom, vroom”, “Ready, set, go”, “Up”, “Down” “Fast” and “Slow” - this toy provides endless opportunities to model and elicit many words!
Kitchen Set
If you refer to Appendix D, How Play Relates to Language, in the book, My Toddler Talks, by approximately 24 months old, a toddler typically begins to participate in play routines that represent daily activities. Research and fellow speech language pathologist, Dr. Carol Westby and developer of the Westby play scale found that toddlers prefer to play with objects that are realistic in size and appearance. That is why these toy kitchen sets and large cardboard box play kits are so much fun for 2-year olds!
Note: These toys are primarily for children older than 18 months. This is because, in my experience, younger toddlers enjoy playing with ANYTHING! They will happily play with your pots and pans, serving utensils, cardboard boxes, and pretty much anything that belongs to an older sibling or something that you don’t want him or her to touch. Of course, this is also true for older toddlers, but as your toddler ages his or her play skills should grow and develop.
“It’s a happy talent to know how to play.” - Ralph Waldo Emerson