The Power of Developmentally Appropriate Toys for Late Talking Toddlers
With the holidays coming up, I get this question a lot –
“What are some toys you recommend for my toddler to help with their speech and language development?”
Let’s talk about the importance of play and toys as it relates to speech and language development in toddlers.
Play is the best way to help our kids learn and develop skills, and developmentally appropriate toys serve as powerful tools to stimulate language development in toddlers. These toys are carefully crafted to match a child's cognitive abilities, encouraging exploration and communication in a way that feels natural and enjoyable.
Why Developmentally Appropriate Toys Matter
Late talking toddlers often benefit from toys that align with their developmental stage. Simple puzzles, building blocks, and interactive games help enhance cognitive skills, fine motor abilities, and, most importantly, communication. These toys can help to create language rich opportunities where our kids can experiment with sounds, words, and gestures, and gradually build their speech and language skills in a fun and natural way!
Here are some guidelines I use when selecting toys for late talking toddlers:
Does your toddler like toys in a specific category already? Meaning, do they enjoy playing with pretend foods or do they prefer playing with cars if given the choice of those two items.
Is the toy too noisy? I typically prefer to stay away from toys that are made to produce tons of sound. It’s okay if a toy makes an animal sound, but if it’s singing the whole ‘baby shark’ song every time you push a button, that makes it hard for you and your child to work on language development and interaction if you can’t hear each other or have to wait so long for a song to be over!
Is the toy right for their age and current abilities? There are so many great toys out there, and some of them might be a little more advanced than what our toddlers can do right now. We want to pick toys that are challenging but not so challenging that they turn our little toddler away or lead to frustration or disinterest because it’s too difficult to engage with or figure out.
Below are some toys you can find on Amazon that I recommend to help foster your child’s speech and language development at home during play. These links were carefully selected to provide you with helpful resources for your late talking toddler!
OTHER TOYS:
Wooden Magnetic Fishing for Shapes & Colors
You can never go wrong with any Melissa & Doug toys!
As an Amazon Affiliate, I may earn a small commission from purchases made by clicking on the links above.
Incorporating Speech Therapy into Playtime at Home
By integrating speech therapy techniques from your sessions into everyday play, you can create a rich language-learning environment for your toddler. Use descriptive language like, “Wow, look at the blue car! Blue car goes fast! Blue car says, “beep beep”!, encourage turn-taking, and celebrate even the smallest attempts at communication during playtime!
Speech and language development is unique for every child, and engagement and interaction are at the heart of language development. Using playtime as an opportunity to model new words and play sounds can help to not only improve your child’s speech and language skills, but to also increase your connection with your child!
As I always say, you are your child’s greatest teacher!
The toys are a fun addition, but it’s how you play together that makes the biggest difference!
If you have any concerns about your child’s speech and language development, contact a speech therapist to learn more about what next steps might look like for you and your child.
We are always happy to answer any questions you may have at Pyzza Speech Therapy, so send us a note or give us a call!
