If Your Toddler Isn’t Talking Yet, Try These Tips!
Why Isn’t My Child Talking Yet? 👶💬
Many parents begin to worry when their toddler says only a few words, a word one time and not again, or no words at all. Communication is key to helping our little ones get their wants and needs met. By 2 years of age, most children can say approximately 200 different words, and begin putting short phrases together such as “all done,” “eat more”, “help me”, etc. If your child uses fewer than 5–10 words, or is difficult to understand, it could be a sign of a speech and language delay.
The good news? You can support your child’s language development through simple, everyday interactions. These strategies will be discussed in more detail below.
Grow Their Words From What They Say 🌿
A fun way to help your little one learn new words is to “level up” the words they already say. Just add one or two extra words to what they say—it’s like giving them a tiny peek at the next step in their language journey. This helps them see how to use words in the right context and grow their vocabulary naturally.
💡Tip: Keep it fresh! Switching up the words you add is way more helpful than just tacking “please” onto the end of every sentence. Variety is the secret sauce!
Examples:
Child: “Snack”
Parent: “Want snack”
Child: “Up”
Parent: “Pick me up”
Child: “Shoes”
Parent: “Shoes on feet”
Self Talk and Parallel Talk 💬
One of the best ways to improve your child’s language is Self Talk. It is a simple way to boost your child’s vocabulary—just talk through your actions in an animated, engaging way. Use short simple language, but avoid baby talk. The more words they hear and are exposed to, the more words they will use!
Example:
You and your child are grocery shopping.
Parent- “What do we need? We need bananas. I found some bananas. I need 3 bananas, 1, 2, 3! I will put them in the cart.”
Another way to improve your child’s language is Parallel Talk, talk about what your child is doing! Parallel talk helps them pick up new words by connecting language to their play.
Example:
For example, if your child is stacking blocks, you might say: “You’re putting the red block on top of the blue one! Now it’s really tall!” If your child is playing with bubbles, you might say: “You are blowing a big bubble! Oh wow, you popped the bubble!”
💡Tip
Try to have your child look directly at your face and mouth while using big gestures towards your mouth such as making an “O” shape with your pointer finger around your lips while saying “open”.
Repetitive Verbal Routines, Songs, Books
Verbal routines are short, repeated phrases you use during everyday activities. By saying them consistently, your child starts to recognize the words and may even begin to join in. Keep it simple, and once they’re familiar with the routine, encourage them to finish the phrase with you! 🎤
Example:
“Wash, wash, wash your hands, this is how we wash our hands.”
“Ready, set, go!” before a game or activity
“Let’s clean up” or singing the clean up song “clean up, clean up, everybody, everywhere” when picking up toys
Pick out books to read with your child that have repetitive words. Much like songs, these words have a rhythm to them and can become easily memorized. 📚
Example:
“Goodnight Moon”
“Brown Bear, Brown Bear, What do you see”
“Are You My Mother?”
“Pete the Cat”
💡Tip: It’s good to read book over and over again! Try to make your voice interesting by using inflection and hand gestures when reading and even when singing! Toddlers love songs such as “wheels on the bus”, “itsy bitsy spider”, “five little monkeys”, and more! 🎵
Provide Choices and Wait ✋
It is easier for toddlers to pick up the words and/or signs for “more”, “all done”, etc. By providing choices, it helps grow your child’s vocabulary, supports communication, and gives them a sense of control over their day. After providing a choice, WAIT! ✋ Look at them expectantly.
🪄 When you pause for a short period of time, this gives your child time to process what you said, and respond. You can offer your child two simple options during daily activities—like grocery shopping, playtime, or getting dressed—and let them tell you which one they prefer. If your child does not respond, ask the question again, decreasing the complexity. When providing choices and waiting, refer to some of the examples below.
Examples:
“Do you want an apple or grapes?” - WAIT! expectantly - no response - “Do you want apple or grapes? - grabs or points to grapes - “oh you want grapes?” - “want grapes” - you try it - child says “want” - immediate reinforcement by giving them grapes
“Do you want the red shirt or blue shirt?” - WAIT! expectantly - no response - “Do you want red or blue?” - grabs blue shirt - “oh you want blue?” - “blue please” you try it - child says “please” - immediate reinforcement by giving them blue shirt
“Do you want the bubbles or balloon?” - WAIT! expectantly - no response - “Do you want bubbles or balloon? - grabs or points to bubbles - “oh you want bubbles?” - “more bubbles” - you try it - child says or signs “more” - immediate reinforcement by giving them bubbles
A Bit of Motivation to Brighten Your Day ✨
Talking, singing, and playing with your toddler doesn’t just make fun memories—it boosts speech and language skills too! Providing frequent models will help your child develop and increase their language skills! 🎵🧩
If you are concerned about your child’s speech development, consider calling Ultimate Speech & Language Therapy. We offer free 15-minute phone consultations to see if a speech evaluation and speech sessions could help.
Call us today! 📞 385-269-0794 or Email - faith@ultimatespeechtx.com