If you are anything like Unii’s writers, you love and live for words and cannot wait to have full conversations with your offspring. How will they articulate themselves? What sort of books will they enjoy? Here are some strategies to get these questions answered faster or simply help ensure they’re hitting those speech developmental milestones.

Keep talking to your toddler and praise their attempts to communicate.

It may seem obvious, but talking to your child regularly is fundamental to their language development. You are your child’s favourite person; they’re captivated in the toddler years, and you can make the most of their desire to imitate you. Narrate your own daily activities, ask your child about theirs, and engage them in warm and happy conversation. Even if your child isn't speaking properly yet, they are still absorbing language and learning the rhythms and patterns of speech.

Read to your little one.

Sit down with a book and talk your way through it together. Story time can be a fun learning experience. Ask your child questions about the pictures and the characters. This is a bonding activity that has the added benefit of improving their vocabulary and comprehension skills.

Sing songs and say nursery rhymes.

Song lyrics and nursery rhymes are written to be remembered. They contain simple language that is easy for children to understand and repeat. Singing also helps develop rhythm and phonemic awareness.

Play word games together.

Games that involve language are a fun way to encourage language development. Play games like "I Spy" and "Simon Says" that involve following directions and using descriptive language. Play games that involve categorising and sorting, such as sorting objects by colour or shape. Cause-and-effect activities are also good for the under-threes. Help them building a house with bricks and then knock it over, using words like "Bam!" For three-year-olds, you could also start to build in some turn-taking activities to help them learn cooperation and nice manners.

Create opportunities for social interaction.

Social interaction is critical for language development. Encourage your child to interact with other children, either through playdates or activities like story time at the library. Children learn a great deal from each other, and social interaction helps develop language and social skills.

Model good language habits.

Children learn a great deal from their parents, so modelling good language habits is essential. Speak clearly and at an appropriate volume. Use correct grammar and syntax. Avoid baby talk and use real words instead of simplified versions of words.

Positive reinforcement is powerful.

Praise your child when they use new words correctly. Stay positive when they make mistakes, and teach them how to correct themselves kindly and slowly.

Create a language-rich environment.

As we’ve covered several times on this Unii Journey, your toddler needs a language-rich environment to support their development. Try to play music with simple, repetitive lyrics. Read to them and seek out toys that encourage language development. Label objects in their environment and read the words aloud while pointing out or using these things. Mastering essential and everyday words is more important than retaining the obscure or very complicated.

Use technology judiciously.

We’re no Luddites, we promise! Unii loves online learning, and technology can certainly support language development. The expert’s advice is simply to use devices judiciously. Limit your toddler’s screen time. If you do use apps for language education, try to interact with your child while you both use the device together. Your child needs loving, patient human feedback.

You should not use technology to aid in the development of your child’s motor and speech movements. These are very specific and must be taught systematically so that your child can use them in a more organised way.

What are some strategies for encouraging language development in toddlers?

For Unii’s Toddler Speech Journey, we look at some fun ways to encourage your child’s language development.