At-Home Expressive Vocabulary Activities for Toddlers

Picture Books

• Build your toddler's expressive vocabulary by reading picture books together. Choose books specifically designed for toddlers, such as board books with a single picture and word on each page. Point to the picture and read the accompanying word. If it is a picture of a ball, say, "ball." Add context by describing the object. "Do you like the ball? The ball is round. It's a blue ball." When reading a picture book with your toddler, pause after you ask her a question or name an object to allow her to form an answer or repeat the word. Encourage miniature discussions with your toddler during story time. When you're doing other activities, make references to objects you've seen in your picture books like the ball.

Play the Name Game

• Play a game naming familiar objects with your toddler. You might point to yourself, your child or a favorite toy. Be patient if at first your toddler does not mimic or respond during the game. Your name games can continue throughout the day and be incorporated into any daily activity. During mealtimes, you can name the food your toddler is eating. When bathing or dressing your child, name the different body parts. Use verbs and adjectives to describe the objects in your name game and be animated. Make everything sound exciting and fun and use gestures to keep your child interested and attentive.

Self-Talk and Parallel Talk

• Exposure to a language is one of the best ways to learn it, and toddlers are no exception. Speech-Language Pathologist Julianna Gilbert stresses self-talk and parallel talk as ways to build your toddler's expressive vocabulary. Use self-talk throughout the day to refer to things you and your toddler are doing. You might say, "I'm putting the toys away. I put the doll on the shelf. I put the train in this box. Oh! I found a ball." When not using self-talk, try parallel talk. Pretend you're the narrator of your toddler's life and describe his actions as they happen. You might say, "You are putting your cars in a row. You put the green car at the front." Speak slowly and pause occasionally to allow your child to respond and repeat your words.

Sing Songs

• Toddlers love songs and singing them is an effective way to build her expressive vocabulary and encourage her to begin trying out the words she hears. Sing "Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star" or the "ABCs." Toddlers are hands-on learners and love to get their whole body involved in their activities, so sing songs that involve movement. These fun songs will keep her attentive and have her begging to sing them over and over again. Songs such as "The Wheels on the Bus," "I'm a Little Teapot" and "The Itsy Bitsy Spider" are toddler favorites with hand and body movements that accompany each verse. Remember to sing at an easy pace and enunciate clearly.