Early Language Stimulations

Playing with sounds

• Take turns making sounds or saying words with your infant or toddler.
• Make the same sound your infant or toddler is making (ba-ba).
• Make a sound that is like your infant or toddler’s sound (ga-ga).
• Make sounds of familiar animals (dog,cat).
• Make sounds of familiar objects (car, water, wind).

To help your infant or toddler succeed, you can:

• Do this activity while doing something your child enjoys (bathing, being tickled, eating or playing with toys).
• Wait and see if your child makes a sound, then imitate that sound.
• Play with toy animals or look at picture books about animals and make animal sounds.
• Make sounds while playing bouncing and turn-taking games (Horsie, Peekaboo).

To make this activity more challenging, you can:

• Make a sound and see if your child repeats it.
• Encourage your toddler to repeat two or three sounds after you (ga-da; ga-da-ba)
• Say a sound (b), then change it to a new sound (p). Does your toddler pay attention to the difference?

Talking about food

Ask your child questions about food:

• What color is it?
• How does it taste?
• How does it smell?
• What do you like the best?

To help your child succeed, you can:

• Talk about how food tastes, smells and feels.
• Ask your child simple questions about his/her food (Does your cookie taste sweet?).
• Do this activity when you and your child are cooking in the kitchen

To make this activity more challenging, you can:

• Encourage your child to describe food with more than one word (orange, juicy, and sour).
• Have your child practice counting raisins and nuts and comparing sizes (big, little).
• Ask your child harder questions about food (Is an apple a fruit or a vegetable? What else tastes sweet?).

Talking about things outside

Talking to children about what they see or hear teaches them new words.

Ask your child questions about things he/she sees outside:

• What color is it?
• What do you see?
• How does it feel?
• What shape is this?

To help your child succeed, you can:

• Talk about something your child can touch and feel.
• Ask your child questions about things he/she is really interested in (rocks, mud, butterflies).
• Ask your child simple questions (is this rock smooth?)

To make this activity more challenging, you can:

• Help your child to describe things with more than one word (brown, smooth, hard).
• Describe something nearby and see if your child can find it. Have your child describe something for you and try to find it.
• Play with your child at putting things into categories (beetles are insects, an acorn is a nut, a rose is a flower).

Looking at pictures in a book

• Talk about what your child is looking at.
• Ask questions about what your child is looking at (What is Spot doing?).
• Add a little bit more to what your child says (spot is hiding under the bed.).

To help your child succeed, you can:

• Use a book with large pictures of things your child likes (baby animals).
• Ask your child simple questions (Is the froggy green?).
• Wait longer for your child to say something (Yeah, froggy green).
• Make a simple sentence out of what your child said (Yes, the froggy is green.).

To make this activity more challenging, you can:

• Ask your child to make connections to your child’s own experiences (Have you seen a doggie like this before?).
• Ask your child harder open-ended questions (Why is Goldilocks breaking Baby Bear’s things? What is a kennel?)
• Add more to what your child said (She is too big for his things, because she probably is older than him.)

Learning how to use books

Teach your toddler:

• What the front of books are.
• What the back of books are.
• How to turn from right to left.
• What pages are.
• What words and letter are.

To help your toddler succeed, you can:

• Let your toddler feel the book’s cover, pages and pictures and talk about them
• Use sturdy cardboard books with thick pages so your toddles can turn the pages
• Have your toddler point to pictures in the book.

To make this activity more challenging, you can:

• Have your toddler show you how to turn pages from right to left
• Point to the parts of the book (front, back, pages) and ask your toddler what they are
• Talk about the front page that tells about the title, author and illustrator.

Going to the Library

It’s never to early to go to the library with your infant or toddler. At the library, you and your child can:

• Find books, magazines, music and videos
• Check out books, and books on tape
• Listen to stories
• Watch puppet shows
• Find information on computers
• Find out what happens in your community

If you need help, ask the librarian in your area, ask your child’s educator about book mobile routes.

To help your child succeed, you can:

• Talk about what your child can do at the library before going there.
• Do one thing your child really enjoys at the library.
• Go to the library when your child is in a quiet mood

To make this activity more challenging, you can:

• Have your child choose a book or topic him/herself
• Have your child help you find things at the library
• Encourage your child to check out books to read at home