Adjectives – what are they and why do we need them?

Adjectives help us to describe things and differentiate between things that may be similar. Your toddler might already be using some. 

Sentences with adjectives are more meaningful  

Using adjectives can really embellish a sentence and give it incredible meaning!  

For your toddler, it might mean they use words to describe the size of a toy or words related to the weather. 

They may say that when the sun shines it is hot, even though this isn’t always the case in the UK, but it is great that they are making connections. 

Being able to use adjectives will support your toddler’s understanding of feelings and emotions 

As your toddler’s vocabulary develops, adjectives will help them communicate their ideas, thoughts and feelings. 

They might start telling you that losing their teddy made them feel sad. This is important as it strengthens your ability to help and support them when they most need it. 

Because of you, their use of adjectives will increase quickly! 

Thankfully for your toddler, you naturally use adjectives throughout the day. As you chat, they'll pay attention and begin to link meaning to the words they hear regularly. 

Your daily routine is an excellent place to use adjectives. If we think about mealtimes, adjectives might be used to describe the temperature of the food, the colour, smell or taste.  

Helping them understand now what adjectives mean supports their future understanding 

We aren’t expecting you to sit your toddler down for a daily adjectives lesson! You can help your toddler learn by simply carrying on as you are. 

But when you use adjectives, help them to understand the meaning. Doing this during your usual chats, when the opportunity arises naturally, will benefit your toddler enormously.