6 Ways to Increase Your Toddler’s Vocabulary through Play

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1. Use sensory words

Encourage sensory play where you and your tot describe what you see, feel, hear, taste, and smell.

This could be a planned sensory activity, like playing in a sandbox with hidden treasures. But it doesn’t have to be.

Use the sensory words during any type of play to get your tot used to using them.

You’ll love how many sensory words are in your toddler’s vocabulary!

2. Explore a variety of environments together

Everyone loves a little adventure and your tot is the same.

Take him out for a special adventure to explore a wooded area, new park, beach, or riverfront. Look for different types of birds, bugs, and animals.

Talk about what you see, smell, taste, touch, and hear.

3. Role play ideas from books

Take ideas or scenes from books and act them out. Do this with your tot and soon she will be doing it on her own.

4. Encourage your tot to play with children of different ages

Playing with children of different ages helps your child to try out different roles.

As the older child, your tot may be more of a leader. As the younger child, he gets a chance to learn from the older child.

Peer play is also great for him to practice his language and social skills.

5. Make a wide variety of toys available that require different types of language

Your toddler probably has a favorite type of toy to play with. Right now, my son loves vehicles and balls.

Even though those are his favorites, I try to have a variety of toys to play with.

Different types of toys require children to use different types of language during play.

Playing with farm toys encourages children to use words like cow, puppy, barn, tractor and so on.

6. Give your tot time to play with you and play alone

Playing with your tot gives her a great example of how to play. Plus you can teach many vocabulary words at this time.

It is also important that toddlers have some time to play by themselves.

This gives your toddler a time to practice language on her own and explore different items that seem interesting. This also allows her to explore her own imagination as she directs the play.