Did you know that the average 18-month-old knows around 50 words? The toddler years are an absolutely crucial time for developing language skills and picking up new vocabulary. But that doesn’t mean you should stress about it! There are tons of easy (and fun) ways you can help your tiny human learn new words without going out of your way—just take it from this pediatric speech therapist on TikTok.
@_missmichael shared five tips for parents to help their toddlers pick up more words just while going about their everyday tasks, and you’re going to want to try ’em out ASAP.
@_missmichael Help build your toddlers vocabulary #toddlerlife #speechtherapy #receptivelanguage #childdevelopment #milestones
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Tip No. 1? You can probably guess it: Read to your little.
“Books, books, books, books,” @_missmichael says. “Read to your babies. You can start at birth.”
She continues, “No. 2: Narrate or sportscast. This doesn’t require you to take any time out of your day. While you’re doing a thing, you’re just talking about it.”
She gives an example: “Let’s go change your diaper. Lift up your legs. I see your toes! Here comes a cold wipe.”
Tip No. 3 is another simple one: “Following directions by helping you find things and giving you things.” For example, when you’re looking for something around your house, ask your toddler where it is and have them join in the search. Or, when you’re clearing off the table, involve them by asking, “Can I have your spoon?” and pointing to it.
Tip No. 4 is related to that one: “Use gestures and visuals.” As @_missmichael explains, “Point to what you’re talking about. Hold up what you’re talking about. Use sign language or do actions with songs.”
And finally, tip No. 5 is simply to have fun helping your baby learn. Smile and laugh, because, “If they’re laughing, they’re learning.”
All of these suggestions can be incorporated into a parent’s day-to-day routine—and best of all, they’ll make language development both easy and stress-free.
