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 - This website has fun activities for you and your child. Please adapt the content to meet your child's ability level. All children learn differently so don't get discouraged if your child can't complete the activity or loses interest quickly. This is all about exposure. Repeat enjoyable activities (you will get bored long before your child will - remember "Baby Shark" lol). On a serious note, repeating activities builds confidence and reduces anxiety with some of our students who find comfort in repetition.

 - The below items were adapted from this website. There are some very useful and fun ideas, enjoy and adapt : )

 - This website has the activity I mentioned below "Going on a Bear Hunt" and many other free and educational/interactive videos for young children. You will need to sign up but it's free. If you don't want to sign up, YouTube also has many enjoyable videos of this activity.

Here are some fun activies you can play with your child to enhance their language development. Please remember, play time is learning time : ) If you're stressed, your child will be stressed so make this a fun bonding time knowing that you are providing support to encourage language development with your child.

The following communication and language activities for your toddler can help your child learn and model his language skills. Many of our children have articulation needs so always remember to model correct production however, this isn't the time to correct him/her, this is a time to build confidence and a love of language.

1. Play the Telephone Game

A toy telephone can be an active part of your littles one's playtime. Get a pair of toy telephones and pretend that you are calling him. Encourage him to pick up the phone and tell him "It's for YOU!" Teach him to say "Hi" when he answers the phone and have a simple conversation. Doing this activity regularly can help your child improve his speaking skills in a fun familiar way. "I talk on the phone like Mommy!"

2. Sing with your Child

Singing songs can help your toddler improve his/her language while having fun. This also encourages vocabulary development, prosody, sentence length and grammatical structure.

3. Play the "Name Game"

Point to various objects in your house and ask your child to name them. You can help him with the names until he begins to say them on his own. You can adapt this activity by hiding objects (under a blanket or bowl etc..) and ask him "Where's the ....?" Then make a big deal when he finds it, remember to say the targeted vocabulary/object again..."Oh! You found the...! Great Job!"

4. Read, Read, Read

Reading to your toddler every night is a great way to introduce him to different words. Start with a very simple book with pictures. Look at the cover and talk about what the book might be about, ask your child what he thinks it might be about (build interest). As you read the book, ask him questions related to the picture. Remember to pick a book with few words and lively pictures.

    - follow up with coloring a picture

    - making a sock puppet related to the story ("The Very Hungry Caterpiller" is a good one for this)

5. Give your Toddler Toys and Puppets

Give or create puppets and/or toys and encourage him to have conversations with them (this is a fun language builder, if your child has articulation needs, don't correct his production- let him express himself freely)

6. Set an Obstacle Course

Create a simple obstacle course around the house (use furniture, pillows, toys, etc...). Give your child one instruction at a time so that he doesn't get confused. Use spatial concepts: "go under the table" "over the pillows", "behind the desk" etc...Do this activity together with you going first to model the directive for your child. Try this by "Going on Bear Hunt". YouTube has several examples to give you an idea how to make this activity fun.