The type of toys you give your child can help them build key speech and language skills in children. Hands-on activities (non-tech toys) yield rich developmental benefits and promote learning skills.
Last week’s blog we shared the American Speech – Language – Hearing Association (ASHA), toys and play ideas that encourage foundational language skills. Here are a few more.
Understanding cause and effect
These toys include those that help children understand concepts. Pretend workbenches and kitchens, pop-up and wind-up toys, instruments and even bubbles.
ASHA explains how they help: “Children learn that taking a particular action (turning a knob, pushing a button, blowing in a wand) with these toys causes something else to happen. The toys also provide endless entertainment, giggles, and wonder.
Imagination and role playing
Encourage your child’s imagination with creative play, kitchen sets with food, grocery carts, dolls with strollers, and tea sets.
How they help: Kids will make up stories, create dialogues, express feelings, and practice perspective-taking (how each character feels and why they feel that way). Even when playing by themselves, they are considering how others might be feel and think, helping to develop empathy.
Developing pre-literacy skills
Books, books, books. Picture books, lift the flap, and touch and feel books, capture the attention of young minds. Books that have rhymes and simple nursery songs are perfect for younger toddlers and progress with more complex stories as they get older.
How they help: “Children will learn new sounds and how to decode sounds to form words. Early spoken word play prepares them to read. As kids get older, books help them explore characters, plot, choices, feelings, and more. They also learn time concepts, logical order, and prediction (guessing what comes next in a story).
Go outside in the fresh air
This one doesn’t even have to cost a thing. Take a walk, go to the park, or a hike. A water table, small pool, or even a bucket will work. Spoons, cups, or a small shovel is great for digging. Start a small garden with flowers or vegetables. Use chalk to draw on the sidewalk.
Setting up your child for success, is the most powerful thing a parent can do. ASHA offers parents essential information on children’s communication and development from birth to and 5.
