Tips for encouraging talk with your toddler

Hearing your toddler talk and make sounds when they play is one of the cutest things. However, their talk can only be focused on the things they already know. We’ve got some ways to help you introduce new sounds and words, while also giving them new ideas for play.  

• Play with phones 

This can be a toy phone, or an imaginary phone made using blocks, or any toy your toddler chooses. Try having a conversation on the phone when playing with your toddler. Talking on the phone while engaging in play creates a different world for them to feel part of. 

• Step out for a sound walk 

Step outside or go on a walk and listen to the sounds you hear. Try to make some of the sounds yourself and pause for your toddler to copy. 

Sounds can differ depending on the season – crunchy leaves, crispy snow, whirling sounds on windy days. The words ‘drip’, or ‘pitter-patter’, are gorgeous for a rainy day and describing the rumbles or bangs during a thunderstorm will fire up their imagination.

• Read stories 

Books about animals, vehicles, the weather or neighbourhoods are perfect for introducing language and sounds. 

• Sing songs  

There are loads of songs that introduce words with sounds. ‘Old MacDonald had a farm’, ‘I hear raindrops’, ‘Down at the station’, or ’Horsie, Horsie, don’t you stop’, are a few of our favourites. 

• Play with imaginative toys, like a farm  

Make the noises of the animals as you play. Think about what other sounds might be heard at a farm, perhaps a plane will fly over, or a tractor or lorry will arrive. Visitors could ring the doorbell at the farmhouse or chat in the farmyard. There are loads of ways to introduce sounds into everyday play. 

• Describe your daily activities 

Use your routine to introduce sounds and words. Perhaps go to the kitchen and pretend to make a cake. Describe the sounds of the spoon mixing, “Swish,” or when knocking ingredients off the spoon, say “Tap, tap.”  

Ask things like, “What sound does the oven make?” “Is it noisy when we put the cake tray in the oven?” Think about what sounds you could make while you pretend to eat your cakes.