Promoting Cognitive & Language Growth in Toddlers

Talk it Out

• Talking to your child about everything she sees and hears is vital to her cognitive and language development. Expand on her sentences if she starts to say single words. For example, if she says, ̶0;Bird!̶1; respond to her exclamation as a complete sentence, saying, ̶0;I see the red bird in the tree, too!̶1; Put pictures of objects she recognizes on the wall at eye level, and ask her to identify them. Talk with her as if you understand everything she says. Hold a ̶0;conversation̶1; with her so she can learn the patterns of speech. Show interest in what she is doing while she plays, and comment on her actions. Talk about what you did yesterday and what you will do tomorrow as well to help her learn the concept of time. Give your child plenty of opportunities to talk with other children, and avoid correcting her mispronunciations and incorrect grammar. She will learn at her own pace.

Rhymes and Repetition

• Read to your toddler to help her learn the sounds of your language and to increase her vocabulary. Choose books with rhyming sounds, bright colors, and simple, repetitive sentences. This can help her learn to read along with you and to enjoy reading in general. Make reading a daily habit. Also, if you speak more than one language at home, read to your child in both languages to promote her vocabulary and understanding of the sounds of both languages. Singing to your child can also help her to learn new vocabulary words and common knowledge. Set the days of the week to the tune of ̶0;The Addams Family̶1; theme song, for example.

Shapes and Symbols

• Write out large letters and numbers on paper or poster board. Let your child decorate it with sand, pasta, stickers or other small items, then encourage him to trace the letter or number until he knows it. Although holding a pencil can be hard for a toddler, he can learn the shapes of these symbols. When he learns the letters, put his name on poster board or paper to help him become aware that print has meaning. Also, label objects around your house to encourage your child to identify common words. When you are out and about, point out letters on signs and packages as well.

Encourage Problem Solving

• One game to play with your toddler to promote cognitive growth is to hide a small toy behind your back and then pretend that you don̵7;t know where it went. You can also put a small object in your fist and put it behind your back, then bring out both fists for your toddler to guess in which hand you put the object. This helps make your toddler aware that an object that was in her sight just a second ago did not really go anywhere. This concept is called object permanence.

  You can also help your toddler stack blocks and then knock them over to learn about cause and effect. If you have blocks that are of different sizes and colors, help her to stack them from largest to smallest or to stack or arrange them by color. Also try ̶0;measuring̶1; different objects in your home with blocks or other small objects to teach your child to compare size. If your toddler cannot reach a toy while she plays, ask her, ̶0;What are we going to do?̶1; instead of getting it for her to teach her to think of solutions to problems.