Is your child 2 years old and not saying much? Do you consider your child to be a late talker? If so, don’t worry! Many parents worry about this. I have some easy ideas for you to try at home today.
We, parents, are always worrying about our children and want to provide them with the best tools to succeed in life. Unfortunately, these tools often cost money and stress and are so NOT necessary! If one more person tries to talk me into signing up my child for the next, greatest toddler class, I will scream!
Therefore, I have gathered my 5 favorite “tricks” to help your toddler learn language at home. Some children learn language easily. They just pick it up. Some children need a little help with this process. Below are some general tips that will benefit all children!
The great news… It doesn’t cost a penny, you don’t have to sign your toddler up for a class, and you don’t have to buy the latest toy or app. All you have to do is play with your child 🙂
Note: These strategies are general and are not here to diagnose or replace any therapy. If you have concerns that your child is significantly delayed in speech or language, please schedule an evaluation with a speech language pathologist. An evaluation will let you know if you have anything to be concerned about, AND, if so, will give you individualized strategies and goals designed specifically for your child.
General Language Tips: Insider Scoop!
1. Talk To Your Child
This may sound like an obvious one, but actually it is not! Starting at birth, you should talk to your child. Even though your child can’t respond, he or she is listening and learning! I promise! As you child grows, continue to talk with him or her. Describe the day and talk about what you or him/her are doing.
The more you talk to you child (not at your child) the more exposure to language he or she receives. The more exposure to language, the more and faster he or she learns. Many studies have been done looking at the amount of language a child is exposed to and their language level. There is a direct correlation! TV, movies and background talking does not count. You must be actually speaking with your child with their full attention to have it count.
Remember, don’t just give your child commands… ”Do this!” “Dont touch that!” If you just give commands, your child is not exposed to a variety of grammatical structures or vocabulary. Additionally, as we all know, children selectively tune out directions :).
2. DON’T quiz
Another mistake that many parents, including myself, make is quizzing your child or asking too many questions. When adults speak with adults, they naturally ask many questions. That is normal. However, when speaking with a toddler who is just learning how to speak, avoid questions!! I challenge you to tally how many questions you ask your child in a 10 minute span. You will be shocked!
Why are questions bad? First, your child may not understand and/or know how to answer the question. Therefore, they won’t learn anything from the communication opportunity. Also, by asking questions, you, the parent, are not modeling new vocabulary or grammatical structures. For how to talk with a toddler, refer to tip number 3.
3. Model Language Using Simple Grammatical Structures
When talking with you child, model language using simple grammatical structures. My rule of thumb is to match the language complexity of your child and then increase it by one or two words. For example, if your child is talking using 1 word phrases, use 2-3 word phrases.
Describe what you are doing. Talk about the day or reminisce about what you have already done.
The other key part to this tip is to provide adequate “wait time” for child to respond, add to, or repeat what you are saying. Some children take much longer to process and respond in a “conversation.” Therefore, don’t talk too much or too fast. Talk using simple phrases and give a long pause to see if your child will say something. If he or she doesn’t, move on. If he or she does, say “good talking” and keep going!
It is that easy!
4. Play
Play with your child! You don’t have to play with your child all day but do try to find time to get on the floor and play. Children learn best when information, especially language, is presented in a natural and meaningful environment. Nothing could be more natural or meaningful than play time for a toddler!
My advice is to get on the floor with your child. Play with their favorite toys and talk to him or her while playing. Expose him or her to lots of new words and give enough wait time for a response. Also, most importantly, don’t stress and have fun!
5. Limit Screen Time
This is an important one! The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends no screen time for children under 2 years of age and only 30 minutes for children older than 2 years of age. This includes TV, tablets, smartphones, and iPads!
This number can be quite shocking for many parents, including me! However, it is important. Research says that children do not learn nearly as much from screen time (despite all the educational claims from apps and DVD companies!). Also, children’s brains go into “pilot mode” while watching TV. They are not actively learning or thinking. If you think about it, adults watch TV to relax and “turn off” their brain for awhile. Same thing for children; however, their brains are developing rapidly! Cognitively, they need creative free play to make all those good neurological connections important for brain development.
So turn off the iPad and get playing!
Remember, these general tips are just “good practice” for parents. If your child needs a boost learning how to talk, try a few and see how it goes!

Bridget
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Bridget

Bridget is an ASHA certified, practicing speech language pathologist. She currently works in public schools and also see children and adults privately. She also is the creator of Speech Therapy Talk, a website where she provides parents with information on child speech and language development as well as gives functional, easy activities to do at home! Parents have the power to make a real difference.
She is the author of Toddler Talk: Easily Encourage Your Toddler's Language Development With Our Tips & Techniques and other eBook tutorials to help parents target speech and language goals at home.
When Bridget is not being a speech language pathologist, she a wife to a wonderful and supportive husband and a mother to an adorable and energetic toddler and has another boy on the way!
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[…] day. Think of yourself as a narrator and explain the things that you see or do in simple sentences. Talk to your child while you do the grocery shopping. Or sing to them in the car. It’s all about communicating and […]
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Conflict Of Clans Hack.
We had issues with my one son talking but that was because his brother always talked for him.
Lots of great and helpful tips, especially putting a time limit on TV. It seems ahead but when they’re occupied with more engaged activities it will become an habit.
Thanks for reading! I’m glad you enjoyed it. I can’t believe I forgot to include reading!!! That one really should be number 1. It is important to read with your child daily from birth. My son who is a late talker just started naming words and finishing sentences in his favorite books after 2 years of reading. It does work! Thanks Heathe Lawrence.
my husband was 3 years old before he spoke and the drs simply said he will talk when he has something to say he graduated #1 from HS and went to the Naval Academy. Think it worked out just fine.
some fab tips here. my son said few words until he turned 3. then he started talking- and hasn’t since. he also has a big sister who never.stops.talking and doesn’t want to do things unless he does them well- so he probably didn’t want to talk until he could say the words correctly!
Yes, playing and talking together is the best! I pretty much talked about everything I was doing and we were doing.
Great advice! My boys were both later talkers – sometimes it just takes time plus those good suggestions!
These are great tips! Play time definitely is my favorite way to encourage talking.
These are all fabulous tips. I have three boys and I know with my youngest he wasn’t talking that much at 2 years old. I was worried that he had an issue with development. My older two could never shut up at his age, they get that from their mother!! LOL Anyway I was told that the reason he doesn’t talk, is that we all talked for him. Due to him being the baby. The doctor actually told us to talk to him and not at him or for him. We did a lot of self directed play and well now…… he is a magpie! 🙂
These are great tips. Though we never really had to worry, all three of ours talked and communicated at a very young age.
Fantastic advice. Talking to your kids are so important.
Great tips, Bridget! I wish I could have shared this with parents when I worked as a toddler caregiver.
Great tips! And important to remember that all kids develop at their own pace!
Great tips. I am unsure about the last one only because my son who is now 3 started saying the alphabet very quickly after watching some educational shows that focused on letters. And now he knows vowels and how to sound out letters that he told me he learned from the leapfrog show on Netflix. So I think that it could be a recommendation but like with all things, everyone learns in different ways/.
These all worked with our kids. Although with my son, the youngest, he wasn’t able to really talk until sister started kindergarten. With her at school, he finally could get in a word or three!
And read! Lots and lots of books!
New words and familiar stories will get those little lips going.
We sing quite a bit too.
The shyest of little ones will sing if the song is catchy enough.
Great post!
Great post! Our kids have been great talkers and I attribute that to a no “baby talk” rule in our house. We talk to our kids from baby to toddler in my normal voice and in full sentences. Thinking that helps. BUT I’m no expert! Thanks for sharing such helpful info.
We did a lot of modeling with our kids when they were babies.