Which toys help develop children’s speech and language skills?

Toys are a wonderful way to help children progress with their speech and language. But that doesn’t mean you need to head out on a shopping trip to stock up on the latest games, dolls, or action figures.

The truth is that it’s not the toy itself that’s important, it’s the interaction that happens around the toy that makes a difference.

For young children, play is their whole world and the basis for any learning. The trick is to find something they really enjoy and use that as the basis of your play and communication with them. So much of speech and language development is about listening. When you’re communicating with them about a topic or object they’re interested in, they’ll engage with the words and interact with you.

Here are some top toys to use at home:

Books are best!

Use the pictures in a book as a talking point. Describe what you and they are looking at, rather than asking them what they can see, “What a lovely, red collar the dog is wearing! I bet he’s having fun chasing the birds in the park.”

The goal is not to ‘test’ your child or try to make them say what’s in the images. This is an opportunity to model speech by simply talking. Hearing words and associating them with what they see forms powerful connections in their minds.

Of course, reading a story to a child is an ideal listening opportunity. Books with rhyming and repetitive refrain, such as those by Julia Donaldson, are great for helping a child tune into sound patterns.

Blow some bubbles

What child doesn’t love bubbles?!

There are lots of fun sounds you can make around bubbles – ‘ooh!’, ‘ahh!’, ‘up’, ‘wow!’, ‘pop!’ – which can help with early sound development. The action of blowing bubbles is also a great exercise for the muscles in the mouth that are used for forming words.

Speech and language isn’t just about saying words, it’s about using vocabulary and phrases appropriate to different situations. Bubbles provide an opportunity for your child to hear you use language around turn-taking – ‘It’s my turn to blow now’, ‘Now you can blow the bubbles and I’ll pop them.’

Make some music

If you have some instruments at home, great; if not, a saucepan, spoons, or a tub filled with rice will do nicely!

As you tap, hit or shake your instrument, mimic the sound it makes - ‘bang!’, ‘ping’, ‘swish’ – sounds like these are fun to hear which will encourage your child to try to copy them.

You can always sing along to the sounds you’re making; try a favourite nursery rhyme, for instance. If it’s one they know well, you could experiment with leaving out a word; you might notice they try to fill it in themselves, or simply react to it being omitted which is a good sign they’re recognising correct sounds and language.

Planes, trains and automobiles

Talk about the differences between all the vehicles you and your child are playing with – ‘This car is really fast!’, ‘I wonder where the people on this plane are going on holiday?’, ‘Let’s count the seats on the bus – you can fit lots of passengers in there!’

Again, there are lots of fun noises associated with vehicles which you can demonstrate, too, ‘Beep, beep!’, ‘Vroom!’, ‘Nee-nah, nee-nah!’, ‘Choo-choo!’. Being able to make different sounds and noises is an important part of helping them strengthen their speech skills.

Look after the baby

Roleplay provides great opportunities to explore situation-appropriate vocabulary. When playing with a doll, a child can get into character and try to recreate scenes they have seen in real life.
If the child is simply interacting with the doll, you can talk to them about what they are doing, ‘I see you are feeding the baby; she seems hungry, doesn’t she?’, ‘You’re doing a great job of changing his nappy!’, ‘Maybe we should sing a lullaby to help her get to sleep?’

If they’re hesitant, or seem unsure, you can take the lead and talk about what you are doing with the doll.

Whatever toy or object you use to play with your child, always be led by their interests, rather than what you feel might be more educational or beneficial. If they’re interested, they’ll stay and play with you; even just a few minutes of play provides a wealth of communication opportunities.

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