More Activity Ideas
- Soothe and comfort your baby by talking softly.
- Look in a mirror or out the window together and talk about what you see
- Talk and describe what you’re doing as you fold clothes, put away groceries, cook, and do other daily tasks.
- Talk as you go—in the car, on the bus, or taking a walk.
- When your baby is alert, use your voice to engage her in play.
- Watch your baby to see what gets his attention. Talk to him about what he’s looking at.
- Make it a two-way conversation! Tell your baby about things and comment on what your baby is doing and seeing, then give her a chance to respond and contribute with her own gurgle, coo, or babble.
- Respond to his sounds, gestures, and facial expressions as if he were really talking. Did those keys make you laugh? They are funny keys, aren’t they?
- Be silly. Make up nonsense words and make funny noises.
- Play games like “Peek-a-Boo” and “Pat-a-Cake.”
- When your baby can sit up, introduce knee-bouncing games like “Trot, Trot, Trot to Boston” and “Hico, Hico, Caballito.” As you repeat the rhymes, see if he can anticipate the fun parts—when he gets a lift in the air, a slide, or a fast ride. Notice how he signals that he wants more, or that he has had enough.
- Show your baby how to make sounds with toys, kitchen items, or musical instruments. Let her try.
- Make mealtime an opportunity for your baby to hear and participate in family conversation.
- Toddlers love to tell stories! Even if they can only say a few of the words, they want to tell about something that happened or something they did—over and over again. Listen carefully, fill in the missing information, and prompt your child to add more.
- Tell family stories. Look at family photos and talk about the people in your family.
- Recite and repeat nursery rhymes to your toddler. Soon she’ll be joining in!
- Encourage older toddlers to tell you about their day. Talk and ask questions about people or things that are meaningful to your child: Whom did you play with today? What did you do during circle time? What did you eat for snack? Get details by asking very specific questions that require more than just a yes or no answer. If your toddler’s answers are brief, expand on his ideas when you reply.
- Offer your toddler choices when you can: Do you want the blue cup or the red cup? Encourage her to use words to say which one she wants.
- Plan opportunities for your toddler to interact with other toddlers. Provide similar toys so that they can imitate each other’s play. Offer a simple suggestion to help them get started, then step back and watch.
- Use fun language to make a routine special: Suggest you walk to the park in a zigzag pattern, tromp like elephants, or tiptoe so you don’t wake the baby birds.
- Help your toddler put his feelings into words, such as, You’re so happy to see Grandma! Talk about good feelings and bad ones, his feelings and the feelings of others, or the feelings of characters in his books. When he is upset or angry, help him calm down so he can use his words to describe how he feels.
- Let your toddler be your helper—have him practice following directions like Bring me the blue towel that is on the couch. Gradually add more challenge.
- Involve your toddler in family discussions about things like planning meals and outings.
- With older toddlers who can use words to retell a story or ask a question, you may want to introduce short media experiences. Watch a video together and talk about what’s happening on the screen. Later, talk with your toddler about what she saw. Help her sing or act out a song she heard or act out part of the story.