Speech begins to be an area of concern right around this age. Some children may have said their first words while some may still be babbling - both of which are completely normal at this age. However, we’ve spoken to some speech therapists about how you can get a head start by incorporating these simple techniques at home.
Materials required: some open-ended toys that your child likes. We’ll be using toys from our 12-14 months kit as examples.
- 1. Use positional words
Using our Seed Box, you can work on your child’s spatial understanding by using positional words like ‘in/inside’ and ‘out/outside’. For example, you can say ‘the seeds are inside the box. How can we get them out?’ and ‘Great job! You got the seeds out. Do you want to put more in?’
- 2. Talk about colors
Describing objects is a great way to build your child’s receptive language, which is the ability to understand information. You can say ‘this seed is green’ and ‘can you give me a green seed?’ You can use either the Seed Box or the Matching Fruit Tree to do this.
- 3. Parallel play
Sometimes, it might seem like your child doesn’t want to play with you. Children at this age have a hard time with social play, but you can play alongside them and talk to them as they play. This is a great way to introduce new vocabulary.
- 4. Some other general principles
Remember to pronounce your words clearly and be patient with late talkers. Try to set aside 30 minutes a day to play with your child. During play time, follow their lead - see what they’re interested in, wait for them to initiate, and listen closely.
