How To Expand on Your Toddler’s Language Development

We may earn money or products from the companies mentioned in this post.

A huge and notably wonderful milestone for parents is when their toddler begins to talk! Your toddler can communicate their needs with you even more now and life is going to get easier (or so they say). While many of us long for the day where our toddler uses their “big boy/girl” words to communicate with us, they cannot reach this language development on their own. As Margaret from Speak.Play.Love says, “It’s all about creating opportunities.

Recently, I took my son to his 18 month check-up with his pediatrician. Prior to his appointment, the doctor’s office sent me a questionnaire about my son’s development. This questionnaire had me stressed out trying to figure out the right answers to put on the form. Does he know five body parts? Can he walk, run, and jump? Does he recognize familiar faces? Can he respond to his own name? Is he ready for college? (Joking, obviously!)

However, many of the questions I needed to answer were related to my son’s language development. I want to share with you how you can easily expand on your child’s language development without any fancy, expensive, or unnecessary purchases.

How to Expand on Your Toddler's Language Development | 5 Tips | Her Journal Blog

Why is it Important to Expand on my Toddler’s Language Development?

While developing a way to help others understand the importance and significance of expansion, I consulted an expert in the field of Speech-Language Pathology, Alexandra Lodwig, MS, CCC-SLP. Ms. Lodwig is a Speech-Language Pathologist who specializes in Early Intervention (Birth to 3 Years Old).

“Language, play, and cognition do not exist alone- they are interdependent on each other. By expanding and targeting language, we are helping toddlers grow their play, imitation, attention, and engagement skills as well as their understanding of how the world around them works.”

-Alexandra Lodwig, MS, CCC-SLP

Expansion starts with the parents! You are your child’s first teacher. Therefore, who better to model language and further develop their skills? It may sound complicated to do. However, I assure you the tips in this post will help you make expansion become part of your daily life and therefore help your toddler’s language development!

1. Taking a Neighborhood Stroll

This is an activity that you do with a toddler anyways, right? There is no greater classroom than that of the outdoors! There are a variety of sounds to hear and connect with an object. Various shades of colors are available to notice. In addition, you can feel the wind or smell what’s in the air and discuss those observations.

“Extension or the ‘Plus One Rule’: When your little one says something, repeat it back and add one more piece of information. If they point to a bird and say ‘bird,’ you could repeat back ‘blue bird’ or ‘little bird.'”

-Alexandra Lodwig, MS, CCC-SLP

Taking that walk in your neighborhood or even going to the park will add such rich experiences while being able to expand on your toddler’s vocabulary. Imagine all the things you can see and hear with them simply by stepping outside!

Photo by Janko Ferlič on Unsplash

2. Talk About the Activity

Toddlers are constantly engaged in some kind of activity from art to reading to running to laughing. There is always something happening in a toddler’s world!

While noticing what your toddler is engaged in, try using these opportunities to expand on their language development. A simple activity can be filled with vocabulary building opportunities that you may not have noticed.

Simple queues like your child playing with building blocks could lead to you expanding on their observations. These observations include talking about the colors of the blocks, the size of the blocks, or even what the blocks are making.

Examples: “I see you have the blue and yellow blocks.” “This block is big and this block is small.” “Wow! That is a tall tower of blocks.” Simple, yet effective expansion!

3. Discuss Daily Routines

You are already going through the motions of your daily routine so why not make that a learning opportunity?

When you think about the steps you take in just making a simple bowl of cereal for breakfast: taking out a bowl, pouring the cereal into the bowl, pouring milk into the bowl, and using a spoon to eat the cereal. These steps could be used in expansion methods and gets your toddler thinking about what they are seeing and tasting. “I am grabbing the blue bowl for your cereal. Let’s pour some yummy cheerios into the bowl. Don’t forget to pour the milk in the bowl! How does the cereal taste?”

This kind of expansion can go on for all meals of the day and even snacks. To further your discussions, talk about what you have planned for the day. “We are going to get into the car and go to the library. After the library, we are going to the grocery store.”

Sometimes, it may seem like you are bombarding your toddler with unnecessary information. However, they are soaking it all in and if you implement these areas of expansion enough, their language skills will develop much quicker!

4. Try New Experiences

When you take a toddler to a new place or show them a new activity, watch their little face as they take time to absorb and process this new information!

“New/novel experiences help us strengthen and create new synaptic connections in our brains and helps new words ‘stick’ better. Try going to the zoo and practice the names of the animals!”

-Alexandra Lodwig, MS, CCC-SLP

When I took my son to the zoo for the first time, he was amazed at all these wandering beings that he was seeing. He would point to each one that caught his eye and then I would name the animal. To further this experience, I would incorporate the color or the size of the animal. Examples: “That is a brown bear!” Or “That is a big tiger!”

The zoo is a wonderful place to build on your toddler’s learning. However, you can find other places or experiences that fit your child’s interest better if needed and include these expansion techniques.

5. Discuss Their Feelings

We all know that toddlers have BIG feelings! Whether they are excited, upset, or somewhere in between, they are typically not shy about expressing how they feel.

If there is something that makes your toddler happy or excited, talk about it! My toddler gets excited about having yogurt for a snack. I take this opportunity to talk about his excited feeling. “I see you smiling at your yogurt! Are you excited to eat your yogurt for snack time?”

Even if my toddler gets upset or angry (which happens often #toddlerlife), I still make that a learning opportunity for him. “I see that you are crying. I know you are upset. But you can’t eat the dog’s food. It is okay to be sad about it.” Here, you are not only expanding on their feelings and connecting their feelings to a name. You are also acknowledging that you understand them and accept that they have feelings, too.

Photo by Jordan Whitt on Unsplash

Why Should I Care About Expansion?

While there are so many pressures on parents these days to make sure your toddler is within a certain percentile for weight/size, is getting enough exercise, is social, is sleeping through the night, and is getting some kind of pre-academics, it is understandable that adding yet another thing to your list is exhausting.

However, the basis of your toddler’s learning and development stems from their ability to communicate and imitate. Therefore, their language development is crucial to their success. Utilizing these simple tips everyday to incorporate expansion of your toddler’s language development will assist in getting your toddler on the right path to success!

Tell Me More!

Check out these 3 Simple Language Games that you can use to improve your toddler’s language! AND here are 11 Simple Ways to Teach Your Toddler Communication Skills.

What activities do you use to expand on your toddler’s language development? Did any of these tips help you? How else could I help you incorporate expansion into your daily life? I’d love to hear your experience with expansion in the comments below!

Always,
Samantha <3

Resources

The Behavior Buzz- Strategies and supports for families raising children with behavioral needs

Pin It!

How to Expand on Your Toddler's Language Development | 5 Tips | Her Journal Blog

You May Also Like…

avatar

About The Author

First time parent to an incredible little boy residing in Northern California. I hold my M.A. in Education with a Specialization in Culturally Responsive Education. My mission is to consistently provide helpful content for other parents to draw from. Parenthood is ever-changing! I look forward to sharing my experiences with you and hope that my posts are insightful.

45 Comments

    1. avatar
      Samantha Flores says:

      So interesting! Our sons aren’t too far apart in age. This is definitely a learning stage for our babies and for us mamas. I hope these ideas are helpful to you and the free printable that is included in the post!

      45 Comments
      Reply
  1. avatar
    onehoppymomma says:

    It also helps to set up their environment to create opportunities for them to request items. Such as putting up favorite toys that they can see and then you help them verbally label the item, or only giving them a bit of food to eat so they need to request more.

    45 Comments
    Reply
    1. avatar
      Samantha Flores says:

      Such great examples! I know I try to create opportunities of language expansion more. I appreciate you sharing some helpful and easy tips for others to use!

      45 Comments
      Reply
  2. avatar
    tcleland88 says:

    The more you talk to your child and read to your little one, the more words he or she will learn. Two-way communication is much better than time spent in front of a television or tablet.

    45 Comments
    Reply
    1. avatar
      Samantha Flores says:

      Exactly! Screen time can definitely take away from the time children could be learning and expanding with their caregivers.

      45 Comments
      Reply
  3. avatar
    You, Me and Benny says:

    Really great tips! I’m not a mother but I think they are wonderful tips!

    45 Comments
    Reply
  4. avatar
    Marjie Mare says:

    I am sharing this post with my daughter so she can take some tips. She is interested in anything that have to do with language although she is not a mom, she is a speech major.

    45 Comments
    Reply
    1. avatar
      Samantha Flores says:

      Very cool, Marjie! I was also a speech major so I can definitely relate. I appreciate you sharing this with her!

      45 Comments
      Reply
    1. avatar
      Samantha Flores says:

      Yes, definitely! It helps them connect their learning and develops their vocabulary.

      45 Comments
      Reply
  5. avatar
    Luna S says:

    This is a wonderful list if tips, I think my favorite is exploring the neighborhood.

    45 Comments
    Reply
    1. avatar
      Samantha Flores says:

      Thanks, Luna! The outdoors are such a great way to incorporate language learning opportunities.

      45 Comments
      Reply
    1. avatar
      Samantha Flores says:

      Thanks, Vanessa! I think parents might get caught up in their routine that they don’t realize how much they can already incorporate into language learning opportunities. Thanks for reading!

      45 Comments
      Reply
  6. avatar
    Pool Operator Talk says:

    I think about how many questions my young grandchildren ask about each and everything we see as we take walks around the block or through the park while reading this post. This couldn’t be more true!

    45 Comments
    Reply
    1. avatar
      Samantha Flores says:

      They are just soaking it all in and learning so much! Thanks for reading!

      45 Comments
      Reply

Let me know your thoughts!

%d bloggers like this: