Hi again! Allie here. Today I want to talk about toys–Yes I am an adult and YES I LOVE toys! They can help our kids learn so much!
In this post, I’d like to provide a quick guide/list on what to look for in terms of TOYS that promote language development! I also want to share with you my top 5 favorite toys that I love to use to support language! So here we go:
- Simple toys = the best toys! So many of the electronic toys today do all the playing for kids. They might make fun sounds, teach letters/numbers, etc. But there is very little actual interaction between the child and the toy involved. It is actually the simplest toys where children need to engage with, build, manipulate, make their own sounds for, etc. That are the best toys for the language development. Toys that are simple and allow for open ended play are wonderful for promoting receptive and expressive language skills.
- Toys that promote pretend play skills are also wonderful for language. You can teach/model vocabulary with just about any toy or activity out there. But toys that promote pretend play also make it easier to work on SOCIAL language skills that are so important! A good example of a toys that are geared towards pretend play would be a toy kitchen set, baby doll and accessories, a toy doctor kit, etc. These toys all require “pretend” social interaction scenarios. These toys tend to be much more fun with another person engaged in the activity (ie; parent or peer) Making pretend pancakes out of playdoh for your teddy bear is fun, but making pancakes for mom and dad is even better!
- I also love toys that require a little adult help/assistance. The reason these toys are so invaluable is because children must communicate/interact with a caregiver in order to enjoy the toy. Asking for help/assistance is such an important language skill that many of us don’t tend to think about. Examples of the types of toys might require some adult assistance for young children include blowing bubbles, windup toys, nesting dolls. Etc. These toys are all very engaging so kids tend to WANT to interact and ask for “more more more!”
My favorites:
- Play doh
- Bubbles
- Large pretend play sets (Examples: play kitchen, play workbench, etc.)
- Little People play sets and figurines
- Wind-up toys
I’d like to reiterate that you can really model and promote language with any toy and/or activity! I hope that this post just gives you a few things to consider next time you’re purchasing toys/games for your child! 😊
-Allie-
