Many words are used to describe size and it's helpful for your toddler to hear the same words, most of the time
Big, large, small, little, it doesn’t matter which words you use, but try to stick to the same ones while your toddler is learning.
Hearing them in context also helps your toddler develop a clearer understanding of the meaning of the words, which will improve their knowledge and skills in communication.
Once they have that basic understanding, hearing a diverse set of words to describe size also helps them learn and understand
We generally use the terms big and small to describe the size of something. So, we might say that there is a big dog next door, or we saw a small dog in the park.
Yet when we describe foods and clothes the language starts to alter. So, if you visit a café, your toddler might hear the word large coffee when ordering drinks, or you might buy a medium jumper while shopping.
Or we might see a huge hill or a tiny speck of dirt.
Your toddler’s play helps them to understand size
Language of size is easily introduced into relaxed, fun, playful experiences. There’s no need to set time aside to think about introducing the language of size into your day, it will happen without thinking about it.
When your toddler builds a tower, they may tell you they have built a big tower, or when they play with cars, they know the difference between the big car and the small car. Knowing this language helps them to make sense of the world.
In time, understanding lots of mathematical language will support your toddler in many different ways
For now, they will use language to describe size for practical reasons, like asking for a big bowl or telling you they've found a small leaf.
Over the next few months, your toddler may use it for problem-solving, such as thinking about whether a cow would fit inside the farm or wondering which size block would be best in their construction.
Over a longer period of time, your toddler will use mathematical language with competence. This will help them explain, justify and think logically about mathematical problems and challenges.[1]
Reference:
[1] Riccomini, P., Smith, G., Hughes, E., Fries, K. (2015). The Language of Mathematics: The Importance of Teaching and Learning Mathematical Vocabulary. Reading & Writing Quarterly. 31. 235-252. 10.1080/10573569.2015.1030995.