“Teach Me To Play WITH You: Easy Games, Songs, and Play Activities to Teach Social Interaction to Toddlers and Young Preschoolers with Language Delays”  is a therapy guide for parents and professionals who work with young children with social and communication delays.

This 185 page manual is filled with simple routines, songs, and games designed to inspire adults to interact with children in ways to motivate them to play WITH you. It’s a book of ideas to get you started so that you’ll know what to do when you play with a child who has difficulty staying with you and paying attention or with a child who seems bored and aloof most of the time.   

Chapter 1 is an introduction for parents explaining why social interaction is the foundation for language development. A child who isn’t interested in being with or communicating with other people for most of any given day isn’t developmentally ready to understand and use words. All communication begins with being social. Once a child learns to love being with you, he forms the foundation necessary to help him understand and use language. You’ll learn how to interact with him so that he’ll learn to interact with you.  

Chapter 2 is Easiest Beginner Routines and includes step-by-step instructions for 22 fun play routines. Young children with social and language delays best learn how to interact with others during the structure of a “game.” On each page you’ll find:

·         The name of the game

·         Materials required (if any)

·         Description of a child’s preferences to help you decide if this game is a good match for your child

·         Detailed instructions in “How to Play”

·         Key words and sounds YOU should say when playing to elicit a child’s first word attempts

·         List of child’s goals so that you’ll know what responses to shoot for, how to help your child move to a more advanced response, and how to measure  progress

·         Problem solving tips specific to each game

·         Ideas for expanding the game and new games to try when he’s mastered the first one

In Chapter 3 Early Toys you’ll find ideas for play with children who may not be interested in toys. Most of these games are with toys you probably have at home. Some aren’t “toys” at all, but household items you likely already own. These are my go-to-games when I need to get a child’s attention in the beginning sessions when he’s not “with” me yet. At the end of the chapter I list toys I use every day in speech therapy.  

Chapter 4 contains words and instructions for 33 Fingerplays and Songs I use in play with toddlers and young children. As in the previous chapters you’ll find a section for Child’s Goals and ways to expand the game into your daily lives.

Finally, in chapter 5, Solutions for Problems during Play, you’ll find suggestions for new things to try when what you’re doing isn’t working. Problems include:

·         Places toys in mouth

·         Avoids interaction with people

·         Doesn’t like toys

·         Lines up toys rather than playing

·         Holds toys instead of playing

·         Repeatedly pushes buttons

·         Prefers TV/videos to people and toys

·         Sensitive to touch and sound

·         Uses parent’s hands to operate toys

·         Odd, repetitive, or self-stimulatory behavior

·         Throws toys

·         Constant motion

·         Short attention span

·         Aggressive

·         Tantrums and meltdowns

·         Difficulty with transitions

·         Doesn’t like to share or take turns

·         Lost in own words instead of playing or listening (using jargon or echolalia)

Chapter 6 includes my list of references and recommended reading for parents.

This is a great parent training tool! SLPs and other therapists in early intervention programs will love how this book is organized in a format with activity pages that can be easily copied for distribution to parents.

Regular price is $48.00.

Anticipated shipping date is June 30, 2010. Until then, we’re offering a special pre-sale coupon for Facebook fans of teachmetotalk.com. During the Google checkout process enter EARLYBIRD to save $10. This sale will end on June 29, so hurry!  

Questions? Email me at Laura@teachmetotalk.com. 

This week we’ll be talking about the BEST early pretend toys to use with young children, and better yet, tell you EXACTLY how we use these to elicit words and expand a child’s ability to understand language and use new ideas in his play.

Call us with your questions or comments. Our call-in number is 1-718-766-4332. We’d love to hear from you!

You can listen live by clicking this icon.

If you can’t join us live, you can always listen later anytime using the blogtalkradio icon in the right hand column or on the home page.

Our show is also available for FREE download on itunes. Visit the itunes store and search “Teach Me to Talk with Laura and Kate.” For you itunes novices, choose subscribe, and the show will download so you can listen later with your ipod.

Hope you’ll join us! Laura

We’ll tell you what we LOVE (and HATE) about toys we use with toddlers.  You’ll find out our criteria for picking a good toy, our favorite ones we use in therapy, and MOST of all EXACTLY how we use them.

Call us with your questions or comments, and who knows, you could win a special treat!!! Our call-in number is 1-718-766-4332. We’d love to hear from you!

You can listen live by clicking this icon.

If you can’t join us live, you can always listen later anytime using the blogtalkradio icon in the right hand column or on the home page.

Our show is also available for FREE download on itunes. Visit the itunes store and search “Teach Me to Talk with Laura and Kate.” For you itunes novices, choose subscribe, and the show will download so you can listen later with your ipod.

I hope you’ll join us! Laura

Maybe the “experts” tell you everything’s fine. But you can’t get past that nagging feeling that things should be getting better. And they just…aren’t.

As a parent, there’s nothing more frustrating than watching your precious baby struggle to learn to communicate. While friends’ and relatives’ toddlers are all saying “Mama” and “ball” and even forming simple sentences, your child can only cry in frustration, locked away from the world of words that should to be opening up for her.

You can’t help feeling embarrassed, or jealous, or even angry. Why YOUR child? Why does it have to be so hard?

You would give anything for your baby to be able to ask for help when he needs it, or tell you he loves you when he snuggles close.

Everyone tells you, “Oh, she’ll talk when she’s ready.” Even the pediatrician insists there’s nothing seriously wrong. But you KNOW your child. You know she WANTS to communicate. You see her trying. You know she’s ready now.

But no matter how hard you try to help her, the words don’t come.

Maybe your child is seeing a speech therapist. But it’s hard when the techniques the therapist tells you to use at home are too hard and too complicated for you – let alone your toddler!

I want to tell you right now, the problem is not you.

And it’s not your child.

The problem is simply that you don’t have the simple, easy to understand tools you need to help your child communicate.

Until now.

Right now, TODAY, there IS something you can do. Without letting another painful, frustrating, heartbreaking day go by.

BECAUSE FINALLY, THERE’S AN EASY, FUN, NO-TEARS METHOD THAT’S PROVEN TO HELP TEACH YOUR TODDLER TO TALK.

It’s called Teach Me To Talk, and take it from a mother who’s been there – it’s just amazing.
The Teach Me To Talk DVD is packed with strategies that will unlock that beautiful voice your child has locked away inside. And best of all, these strategies are PROVEN to be simple to learn, easy to apply, and best of all, successful in teaching young children to talk.

Interested in seeing the Teach Me To Talk techniques in action? Here’s a quick preview of the Six Essential Strategies you’ll learn — and a glimpse of the first technique you’ll see:

What makes Teach Me To Talk different?

It was developed by Laura Mize, a pediatric speech-language pathologist who has literally spent thousands of hours and 15 years on the floor, helping toddlers just like yours and mine learn to communicate.

Laura has read stacks and stacks of research on the subject of delayed speech in children. She’s attended more professional courses than you can count. She’s taken the best of the best from all the “experts” in language development.

And she’s condensed all those years of learning and experience and trial and error into a single DVD, with the six most simple, most practical, MOST EFFECTIVE strategies to get your child talking. And best of all, you can start using them the minute you start watching the DVD.

“Thank you so much for this DVD! Our 3 and a half year old son has apraxia and only has 10-12 clear words. When I first started watching this DVD, I wondered if I could ever be that animated. About 5 minutes into the DVD, my son walked into the room and was instantly fascinated. He sat with me and watched the rest with me! His reaction was truly amazing, and our speech therapy will never be the same again! The most amazing thing to me, though, was how my son interacted with you! During the 90 minute video he “got” two new words: choo choo and boom. He also tried to say “pull” and “barn,” and learned the sign for fish. Twice he signed “give me” and then touched a toy you were playing with, and every time you tried to get a child to say a word he knows, he would say it with you.” Robyn, mother from Wyoming

How wonderful would it feel to hear your child say “Mama?”

You’ve been waiting for that moment since he was born and you first held him in your arms. But as the months have dragged by, you may have started to lose hope that you will ever communicate with your baby – to hear what he wants, what he needs, what he feels.

And even if your toddler can say a few words, is it taking longer for her to communicate than other children her age? Are you constantly trying to interpret what you think she might be saying, or asking for?

Maybe both of you are ending up in tears.

“[When I watched the DVD] I felt like I was reliving my son’s life for the past 1 1/2 years now. It was a little sad in some ways, but on the other hand if I concentrate on where he is now and how far he’s come, it’s positive…..” Holly, mother from New Hampshire

Teach Me To Talk the DVD is now available for an introductory offer of $39.99 plus shipping and handling. This is for a limited time only! Order yours now!

HOLIDAY SALE - 11/30/2009 - 12/5/2009 - ENTER THE CODE “2YA” IN GOOGLE CHECKOUT TO SAVE 20% OFF YOUR ORDER.

The Secret is Simple…Change Your Approach!

Of course you’ve been trying to teach your child to talk. It’s what parents do. But if what you’re doing hasn’t been working, the solution is simple.

Change your approach.

If you’re like me, you’re probably wondering what that can possibly mean when you’ve tried EVERYTHING. The problem is, you’ve probably tried without really knowing what to do, or how to do it.

This DVD will change everything. Because a lot of the time, it’s not what you do, but HOW you do it. Teach Me To Talk will lay out step by step, in easy-to-follow terms, exactly what you can and should be doing to help your baby learn to talk.

“I know for a fact that Laura’s approach really does work because I’ve been using it for years myself! Don’t be afraid to copy exactly what she says, how and when she says it! It is not hard and can become second nature to you, just as it has to me. By implementing her approach, you will set the stage for both you and your child to be successful!” Kate, Developmental Interventionist, Kentucky

If your child has a language delay, no doubt you’ve heard it all. There’s always the well-meaning friend who tells you “Boys talk later than girls.” Or the mother-in-law who tells you to “Wait and see” (while you worry what she’s saying about your parenting skills behind your back).

The fact is, the most critical time for language development in a child is from birth through age three. So if you feel in your heart that something’s not right, you’re probably on to something. You know your child.

Most parents of children with language delays regret that they waited to do something. The good news is, YOU DON’T HAVE TO WAIT ANY LONGER.

Teach Me To Talk will show you a better, easier way to do things. Things you can do RIGHT NOW, at home, that will help your child learn to talk. It’s all about learning a new and better way of working with your child.

After all, as a parent, you are the most important teacher your child will ever have.

“Just wanted to let you know how thrilled I am with your video. I just received it five days ago and I’ve watched it every morning to gear up for working with my daughter each day and I have to tell you what a difference it has made! My daughter has been in therapy for a year and a half (she’s 31 months) and she would often run from me during our “play” sessions…finally, after only five days, she is starting to think that her mommy is fun during playtime! Thank you for giving me a way to really connect with my daughter on a new level. This video is priceless.” Helen

“I do think the video will be very helpful for parents with late talkers. The ideas are great, and you really do show them how to do the things you are talking about which is very important…..” Holly, mother from New Hampshire

Secrets Your Speech Therapist Hasn’t Told You (or might not even know!!!!)

“Even when weekly therapy reports indicated a great deal of progress, we weren’t always seeing that progress at home. The Teach Me To Talk DVD has dramatically changed the number of words we hear. Seeing the techniques you use, and seeing how easy they are to incorporate in to our daily routines has been a blessing. I can get so many words and even phrases out of my both my toddlers by incorporating playfulness in to our daily activities. As a working mom, I’ve always felt as if I’m not as active in my children’s therapy as I should be. You DVD is finally helping me make that connection. Thank you so much for such a fantastic tool!” Stephanie, Mother from Kentucky

Speech therapy is a specialized skill – that’s why speech therapists charge hundreds – even thousands — of dollars for their services. But the very same techniques they use can be SIMPLIFIED, so that you can use them at home.

Teach Me To Talk will teach YOU how to use the very best, most effective techniques speech therapists charge hundreds of dollars for. Watch and learn as these techniques are explained in plain language so that you can use them at home. Then, see each technique in action.

And you won’t just see how it works with one child, but with 20 different toddlers, all with different personalities and challenges. You’ll be amazed and inspired by their progress as each and every one of them learns to talk – just like your child can with the Teach Me To Talk DVD.

“The DVD brought tears to my eyes (not your goal I’m sure, but there you go!). Each strategy you used - reminded me of my child. It is amazing how simple techniques (most of which we take for granted) can help a non-verbal child become verbal. Another thing I learned from my experience with being a mom, a pediatrician, having your guidance and the DVD - is that language, talking, speech, and articulation involve SO many other aspects of development.” Ranjana, pediatrician and mom from Ohio

If your child is a late talker, you’ve probably read dozens of parenting books and looked for advice on the internet. But when you apply it to YOUR child, it doesn’t always make sense.

Do you try to do what the “experts” say, but find it just doesn’t work with your child?

The secret isn’t just knowing WHAT to do, but WHY you need to do it, and better yet, seeing exactly HOW to do it. Teach Me To Talk unlocks those secrets.

“The DVD was quite different from what I expected - in a good way. I hardly expected to see so much one-on-one with the kids, and it was great!” Kristyn, mother from New Hampshire
”The DVD is great! I wish I had had this when we first started down the path with Gabe who has been diagnosed with apraxia.” Julie, mother from Illinois

View It — Then Do It!

You don’t have to read another book. You don’t have to make time for a class. All you need is a TV and a DVD player – you can watch and learn at your own pace, in your own time, in your own home.

And your child can be right there with you while you learn!

“I recently watched a DVD that has been advertised on this site called Teach Me to Talk, by Laura Mize, Pediatric Speech-Language Pathologist. The DVD was 90 minutes long and taught six strategies to teach your child to talk.

It is aimed at toddlers who are delayed in speech…..which is how I will use it. It has tons of video of the speech therapist actually working with children! This was so informative. Laura Mize explains what she is doing while showing actual video of her working with children with delays! These are things you can incorporate in every day interaction with your child. I finished watching the video feeling like I could really teach my child to talk!

From the time I first learned Sophie had autism, I have wanted to see what a speech therapist actually did while working with a child. I desperately want to homeschool Sophie, but until now I have been in the dark about what the experts do to get children to talk. Now I have video examples to work with.

I watch this video with my 3 children in the room, and my daughter Sophie, was actually playing along with the video! I highly recommend this video for anyone who has a child with delayed speech. It is worth every penny.”      Sarah, mother and author of the website www.wakingsophie.com

Teach Me To Talk takes the camera INSIDE therapy sessions with children just like yours. Whatever stage your child is at – if you’re just wondering if there’s a problem, if you’ve already seen a professional or if your child is currently in speech therapy – you’ll see all kinds of children in all kinds of situations.

So you’ll discover the very best techniques to use with YOUR child.

”Seeing these tips ‘in action’ was very beneficial. When you have a child that is language delayed, you want to do as much at home as you can - after all, our children are at home most of all! And this DVD helped me do that.” Kristyn, mother from New Hampshire

All of this…for only $39.99???

It can be expensive teaching your child to communicate.

Conferences that teach parents and therapists cost hundreds of dollars – and take up hours and hours of time.

But the Teach Me To Talk DVD has all the information you need for only $39.99. That’s less than 1/3 the cost of a typical one-day training conference.

And the Teach Me To Talk DVD is packed full of ideas and tips you can use all day, every day as your child learns to communicate. Plus, it’s yours to keep and watch over and over again until you master the techniques.

“I have worked with quite a few speech therapists in my practice as a developmental interventionist. In ten years, I’ve only worked with one that was universally appreciated by parents and young children alike! Thanks to this DVD, you no longer have to live in our county to benefit from Laura Mize’s unique and effective approach. For a minimal investment, she comes live to your living room to demonstrate her highly successful approach to speech and language therapy.” Kate, Developmental Interventionist, Kentucky

Teach Me To Talk the DVD is now available for an introductory offer of $39.99 plus shipping and handling. This is for a limited time only! Order yours now!  

          
  “A lot of the therapy techniques that you use, some and or all of his therapists have used EXCEPT for a few things. First, your enthusiasm it’s AWESOME!!!!! I have never seen any of my son’s therapists be so upbeat and fun as you were in your video. I wish they had been because I know my son would respond so well to that in therapy. Any time I play with him at home and do some of the things you do with your kids, like tickling them and just being ’silly,’ his whole frame of mind changes and I can usually get him to try whatever it is again at least one more time.” Holly, mother from New Hampshire

Watch how you can learn sign language to help teach your child to communicate.

“I also like the emphasis put on signing with your child. I was very hesitant to do this with my son at first, I was afraid it would hurt his speech development, but it helped him learn that he has to do something to get something, now anytime I hear someone say they are hesitant about signing, I pipe up and tell them to please consider it. What a great DVD! It will be a huge help to other parents like me!” Julie, mother from Illinois

Teach Me To Talk the DVD is now available for an introductory offer of $39.99 plus shipping and handling. This is for a limited time only! Order yours now!

HOLIDAY SALE - 11/30/2009 - 12/5/2009 - ENTER THE CODE “2YA” IN GOOGLE CHECKOUT TO SAVE 20% OFF YOUR ORDER.

Get The Must-Have Speech Therapy DVD Recommended For Both Parents and Professionals!

The Teach Me To Talk DVD was especially designed for parents. But the techniques used are equally beneficial for professionals. Anyone who works with young children can learn from these PROVEN, EFFECTIVE techniques, including speech-language pathologists, developmental interventionists, occupational therapists, service coordinators, family therapists, and preschool teachers.

“I think this DVD is a tremendous & invaluable guidance tool for parents, preschool teachers, caregivers, and other therapists (speech, occupational, developmental, etc) and should be used as an accessory aid for anyone involved in early childhood development.” Ranjana, pediatrician and mother, Ohio

”Teach Me to Talk is an easy to watch DVD that empowers parents and caregivers with the “how to” skills to not only promote speech development, but also PLAY. As an occupational therapist, I believe that play is an important “job” for a child, but it requires more interaction from a parent than just watching a child play. Finally, parents have a visual tool that teaches them how to interact and play with their child so that he or she will not only learn to talk but will be on the road to reaching their optimal potential! The techniques are easy to implement, and you will discover playing with your child is actually fun!” Carey White, OTR/L, Occupational Therapist

The Teach Me To Talk program is so effective, university speech pathology programs are already ordering this DVD to train their new grad students! Several state early intervention agencies are also purchasing Teach Me To Talk for their loan libraries to make these proven techniques available to parents and therapists.

Why? Because the experts know—Teach Me To Talk does exactly what it says it does.

”This is an excellent training DVD for parents of late talkers. The strategies that Laura teaches are the same ones she used when working with my son, who has apraxia of speech. My son made incredible progress working with Laura. These strategies are very effective and easy to apply to a variety of speech and Ianguage disorders. I wish all speech therapists possessed this level of knowledge and skill. As a Speech-Language Pathologist, I would recommend this DVD to my parents of late talkers. As a Mom of a late talker, I would recommend this DVD to all speech therapists working with children.” Laurie Felty, Speech-Language Pathologist

“I just finished your DVD. It was great! I really got into it and actually found myself taking notes! As a PSC (early intervention service coordinator) it was helpful to see the speech therapy in motion so I can answer some questions from parents. As an OT is was refreshing to see some OT techniques embedded into the speech therapy activities.” Cindy, Louisville, KY

”Thank you so much for allowing me to preview your DVD! I will put these techniques into practice myself on Monday morning with my clients! They’re not going to recognize me anymore! I learned so much from watching you provide therapy, and I will never use those same approaches again. This DVD has rekindled my excitement for pediatric speech therapy. I can’t wait for next week to come so I can try them out! One more thing - Why didn’t they teach me this in grad school? Thanks again!” Penelope, Speech-Language Pathologist, Kansas

Even experienced therapists struggle with the challenge of providing therapy that’s developmentally-appropriate for toddlers.

One on hand, it needs to be entertaining enough to hold their attention. But on the other hand, it needs to provide real growth and learning opportunities in order to be “therapeutic.” Teach Me To Talk effortlessly combines the two, illustrating WHAT to do and HOW to do it in a wide range of situations.

”What I especially loved was that it wasn’t just clips of the PERFECT session; you showed us what to do when a kid turned away, or lost interest, or was more difficult to engage (for instance, touching the child or changing their position). Let’s face it, sometimes kids have their own agenda!” Kristyn, mother of a child with apraxia, New Hampshire

The 1 ½ hour Teach Me To Talk DVD is packed with plenty of “HOW TO” examples you can begin using right away with clients in your practice. Learn how to make therapy FUN, how to keep a busy toddler’s attention, and how to select successful and age-appropriate techniques that will lead to SUCCESS for you and your clients.

You’ll see toys that are “winners” with children at various developmental levels from 12-36 months old, watching the kids in action and seeing how the toys work.

“Just watching how my son interacted with the DVD made me a believer in how engaged he will become once it stops being “work” and begins being fun.” Robyn, mother of a 3 year old with a language delay and apraxia, Wyoming

You’ll learn how to use play and food as THE focus for therapy — not just the reward at the end of the session!

“The whole idea of using food during speech is awesome. I will usually reward him with something after therapy especially if his self esteem is a little low that day or he’s just having an off day, but I never thought of buying something to use when working with him, nor have any of his therapists used food ….” Holly, mother of a 3 year old with apraxia, New Hampshire

Teach Me To Talk is packed with essential, must-have tips to make your sessions more natural, more kid-friendly, and most importantly, more effective.

“If you are the parent of a young child who has been in speech therapy, you may have already learned the hard way that children don’t necessarily respond to all speech therapists efforts to “teach them to talk”. Despite being well intentioned, far too many speech therapists attempt to implement the same strategies that they use with school- age children or mistakenly believe that young children “choose” not to talk. As a result, young children are frequently frustrated by inappropriate techniques or by speech therapists who have even more “attitude” than they do.” Kate, Developmental Interventionist, Kentucky

Of course, there are plenty of things that just DON’T work with toddlers – and you’ll learn what those are too! Watch here as Teach Me To Talk illustrates a classic example of one of the most common mistakes parents and professionals make when trying to teach a toddler to communicate:

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Teach Me To Talk the DVD is now available for an introductory offer of $39.99 plus shipping and handling. This is for a limited time only! Order yours now!

HOLIDAY SALE - 11/30/2009 - 12/5/2009 - ENTER THE CODE “2YA” IN GOOGLE CHECKOUT TO SAVE 20% OFF YOUR ORDER.

More feedback….

“I also liked the tips in the “withholding” section. A lot of times, we Moms are instructed to do so (by putting toys out of reach and such), but sometimes it is difficult to judge just how much is too much or how long is too long. You gave easy to understand tip to follow. How to push just far enough to elicit a response, but not so far as to discourage language, or cause too much frustration.” Kristyn, mom from New Hampshire

”I love the part about not ruining the interaction and to keep it going with humor…this is SO important. I can’t tell you how many times I probably lost Gabe in the process of working with him because it was too drill like. The withholding concept is explained perfectly. It was never explained to me as well as you did, I failed to keep it playful and as a result totally killed the communication with Gabe. As you say in the DVD, you will miss the effectiveness and the child won’t learn anything…I plan on trying to keep things much more playful with him from now on when it comes to withholding.” Julie, Mom from Illinois

If you’ve been struggling to help a late talker learn to communicate, there’s no need to wait another day to hear those precious words. Order Teach Me To Talk today – and you’ll be on your way to a healthier, happier relationship with your child tomorrow.

Teach Me To Talk the DVD is available NOW for an introductory offer of $39.99 plus shipping and handling. This is for a limited time only! Order yours now!

“As members of the medical community and parents of two toddlers who experienced speech delay, we can personally attest to the value and effectiveness of Laura’s instructional video, “Teach Me to Talk.”  The teaching points reinforced throughout the DVD are parent friendly, reproducible, and easy to follow.  Laura repeatedly demonstrates simple and effective techniques that promote language skills, while at the same time emphasizing a fun and engaging environment for both parent and child.”  Jane Rice, RN and Michael Rice, MD

“ Hi Laura. I just finished watching your DVD and am so impressed You really did a terrific job putting everything into “parent-friendly” language, and your examples are super. Thanks so much for doing this. I look forward to sharing it with the parents in our practice. By the way, I am working on a 3rd edition for my “Childhood Speech, Language & Listening Problems: What Every Parent Should Know” book, and I will definitely include your DVD and website. You have so much great information on there.” Patti Hamaguchi, Speech-Language Pathologist and Director, Hamaguchi & Associates, Cupertino, CA  

“I have been a Speech and Language Pathologist for 12 years, and I have worked in the early intervention for the last 2 years.  In my quest to provide the best services I could for the children I worked with, I scoured the internet looking for therapy tips.  I hit a gold mine when I found Laura Mize’s Teach Me to Talk website.  Her website has wonderfully informative articles, but being the visual person that I am, it was even more helpful to see her therapy techniques in action.  The Teach Me to Talk DVD is a valuable tool for anyone looking for hands on ideas to help develop speech and language skills for toddlers, and it is an especially valuable tool for those in the profession.  No matter if you are a seasoned pro or a grad student; you will surely find many helpful tips and ideas to make the most of your therapy sessions with toddlers.  The DVD does a great job of putting the information into very simple and easy to understand steps.  I also found it helpful that Laura did not just show the sessions where “everything” goes perfect, because in the real therapy world it often does not.  Her DVD includes several clips that show you how to playfully re-direct those “little angels” when they might not be at their “toddler best.”  This is really a wonderful tool, and I will be recommending the DVD not only to my early intervention parents, but also to the other early intervention speech therapist I know.”  Yvonne Smith, Speech and Language Pathologist MS, CCC-SLP, Sacramento, California

“The DVD was quite different from what I expected - in a good way. I hardly expected to see so much one-on-one with the kids, and it was great!”
–Kristyn, mother from New Hampshire

“The DVD brought tears to my eyes (not your goal I’m sure, but there you go!). Each strategy you used - reminded me of my child. It is amazing how simple techniques (most of which we take for granted) can help a non-verbal child become verbal. Another thing I learned from my experience with being a mom, a pediatrician, having your guidance and the DVD - is that language, talking, speech, and articulation involve SO many other aspects of development.”
–Ranjana, pediatrician and mom from Ohio

“Just wanted to let you know how thrilled I am with your video. I just received it five days ago and I’ve watched it every morning to gear up for working with my daughter each day and I have to tell you what a difference it has made! My daughter has been in therapy for a year and a half (she’s 31 months) and she would often run from me during our “play” sessions…finally, after only five days, she is starting to think that her mommy is fun during playtime! Thank you for giving me a way to really connect with my daughter on a new level. This video is priceless.” 
–Helen

“Even when weekly therapy reports indicated a great deal of progress, we weren’t always seeing that progress at home. The Teach Me To Talk DVD has dramatically changed the number of words we hear. Seeing the techniques you use, and seeing how easy they are to incorporate in to our daily routines has been a blessing. I can get so many words and even phrases out of both my toddlers by incorporating playfulness in to our daily activities. As a working mom, I’ve always felt as if I’m not as active in my children’s therapy as I should be. You DVD is finally helping me make that connection. Thank you so much for such a fantastic tool!” 
–Stephanie, Mother from Kentucky

” I loved your first DVD Teach Me To Talk, but I think I enjoyed Teach Me To Listen and Obey even more! The way you presented the information made it very easy to understand. My child does have some difficulty understanding what’s said to him, but I never thought it could be the reason he doesn’t seem to listen to me. Thank you for letting me watch this because now I know how to help him better. ” —–Andrea, Mother from Chicago, Illinois

“The discipline information alone would be worth the money to buy the whole set.”  Kathleen, mother of son with speech delay from Florida  

“As a father, I want my son to mind me. Until I watched your video I didn’t realize that he didn’t understand words. Thank you for showing me that.” Jason, Father from New Jersey

“This is a great DVD set for teaching parents how to view receptive language delays. I’m a developmental therapist, and I learned several new things that I will be thinking about as I work with my clients in my state’s program.”  Margaret, therapist from Pennsylvania

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Before you run out and buy toys listed below, remember that no toy can substitute for an engaged, nurturing, responsive, and FUN adult as a play partner for a language delayed toddler! 

I pick from this list of toys everyday and have great luck with them in eliciting sounds, words, signs, and social interaction.  Probably the main reason they’re successful is because I am PLAYING (not observing) WITH the toddler.  Don’t neglect that as a common denominator when you’re deciding what makes a good toy for your child!        

You’ll find a list of categories with recommended toys, a general description for how I use the toy, and also a suggested list of early words to teach.            

MOVEMENT TOYS/GAMES

The following are the toys and games I use during movement parts of the session to get a kid going at the beginning when he’s not attending to me OR when I feel like I am “losing” him, especially between sit-down activities.  I believe that ALL of us need to move, especially when we’re learning something brand new like talking, so that we stay regulated, focused, and on alert.  A lethargic, inattentive, BORED child is not in an optimal state for interacting or communicating.  GET UP AND MOVE!     

Bubbles 

No-spill bubble containers changed my life!  I love the smaller ones with characters on the sticks that kids recognize.  You can find them at major retailers (WalMart, Target, Meijer, Toys R Us, etc…) - especially when the spring/summer toys start coming out.  I do not use the automatic blower types because I  want kids to learn to blow.  Imitating blowing is a great way to get toddlers to start to imitate any kind of mouth movement.    

Target words - bubbles, pop, more, mine, please, blow, all gone, wet, yucky, in, out, plus character names.  Right now I’m using a Dora set with Dora, Boots, and Diego.  It’ s been a big hit!

Balloons

The most cautious mothers on my caseload nearly have a heart attack when I bring these out, but with adult supervision, balloons are always fun and a GREAT movement activity.  Several years ago we did discover that one of my little clients had a severe latex allergy when her face began to swell right before our very eyes, so be careful and attentive!  I never let toddlers blow up the balloons because of the choking hazard, but some adventurous mothers do let them try (especially those with several older children!).  

Target words - balloon, blow, more, mine, please, up, down, throw, catch, hit, kick, color words (If a kid is really into colors.)          

Phlat Ball

This is a newer toy for older children, but I use it with toddlers everyday.  It’s a ball that can be pushed flat and then pops open.  You can find it at most major retailers, and it’s usually on the aisle with the Nerf toys.  Toddlers need help to learn to push the ball flat,  and their little fingers can get caught in the edges, so save this toy for play with a parent or older child. 

The directions talk about throwing the ball and letting it pop open in the air, but I use it on the floor.  It’s a great toy for sensory-seekers  and kids who crave deep pressure.  I also use it for turn-taking practice since the turns are fast and fun, even if you’re not the one who gets to push the ball.            

Target Words - ball, push, pop, mine, more, please, roll, kick, surprise, scary (”not scary”)

Bowling Sets

I love this game for 2 1/2 year olds and up.  You can practice turn taking, do LOTS of running/moving, and it’s also great for learning to WAIT until something is ready to play.  For kids who can’t wait, you can start by having them knock down one pin, then run get the ball while you set up two pins, and then gradually increase the time they wait for the pins.  It’s a good verb & preposition game - roll, catch, fix, throw, stand up, knock down, etc…   It also lends itself to lots of cheering - good for kids who are still non-verbal at this age who need to practice learning to use their voices.  Try the standard, “Yay,” but also “ooh” and “aah” and even, “Oh man!” when you miss the pins completely.    

Inflatable Bouncer Toys        

If you have the room in your basement or another larger room, a good investment is one of the blow up bouncy sets.  Kids can jump, and jump, and jump.  If the set is durable enough and I don’t exceed the weight limit, I jump too. (Or I get skinnier Mommy to jump).  When I ran a playgroup program in my clinic, this was a standard warm-up activity.  Once kids are regulated, they are more likely to attend and learn.  Great target word too - JUMP! Also fall, crash, down, up, in, out, stop, go, etc….  

Launchers - (Hot Wheels Motorcycle Set, Wind Up Cars, etc.).

Another kind of “movement” activity is to use a set that launches vehicles so kids have to go retrieve them.  You can find toy launchers for planes, cars, motorcycles, etc…  I use wind up cars/trucks for this same kind of task. 

The girl version of this toy is Sky Dancer, a Barbie-like princess that “flies”off a launcher.  This is an older toy that’s no longer available due to a recall, but if you’d still like to try it, please use it only with careful adult supervision.         

Target words - Ready, Set, Go!, wind, car/truck/plane/bike (motorcycle is usually too difficult for the kids I see to say), crash, roll, fly, etc…  This is a great one to practice the directions, “Go get the _____,”  “Bring it back,” and ”Come here,” since the child is going to return to you anyway for another turn.  Don’t forget to practice “help” since the toddler will likely not be able to operate this toy on his own. 

Elefun

This is a cute game with an elephant that blows butterflies out of his trunk.  You stand up and use nets to catch the butterflies as they blow all over the place.  This is a great early game to use with peers and siblings since a kid doesn’t have to take turns or share per se.  You can gets lots of language too talking about the butterflies and the whole reloading process.  I use this game often to target “ing” verbs when a child is ready- flying, catching, blowing, holding, running, walking, dropping, etc…            

Musical Instruments

When I use these at all, I get up and have a parade.  It’s a great social activity too since kids don’t have to take lots of turns, but are playing “with” other kids.  Other therapists may recommend sitting in a circle and trading instruments to play, but I love to MARCH!   

CAUSE AND EFFECT TOYS

This is a huge cognitive concept to master.  Most typically developing children master this concept at/near 1 year of age. Some kids who have sensory issues, especially those with autism spectrum disorders, may even get “stuck” in this kind of play.  

If I am seeing a child and they haven’t mastered this kind of play yet, this is where we start.  Kids have to learn that they can have control/power in their worlds.  If a kid doesn’t get this, he’s not going to be ready to talk yet since requesting with language is an extension of this concept.  They have to learn, “I have to DO something to GET something.”

I like lots of these kinds of toys and all for the same reasons.  I start with toys that are appealing, but have only one kind of movement to make something happen.  I like the Fisher Price spiral race track, and there’s a newer cooler one with the “Cars” movie theme.  All a kid has to do is push the lever, and the cars slide down swirly lanes to the botttom.  Kids will try to imitate the car noise, ”Vroom, vroom.”  It’s a little tricky to get the cars put back in the top to get ready to race again, but you can work on the word/sign for “help,” since it does require adult assistance.      

I love Jack in the Boxes that operate with one push of the button.  (Save the wind up kind for later.)  My favorite one is from Discovery Toys, and it has a clown that’s removable.  I always start with words like more, push, open, close, in, out, bye-bye, and my favorite,”Boo,” when the clown pops up.         

Fisher Price has many toys geared to the concept of cause and effect.  There’s a turtle that you place the balls in his open shell, and the child can push his head down to make the balls spin.  Their Gumball Machine is also similar since you push the lever and the balls fall down.  Other ball toys are listed in the next section down under “balls.” 

Any Poppin’ Pals toy is also good for cause and effect, but sometimes frustrating because some of the switches are too hard to master without adult help.  I like to practice saying, “bye” to all the animals/characters as you close the doors.  Other vocabulary - push, turn, open, close, animal/character name.  Good for working on receptive vocabulary too for these concepts, way before a kid can say these words.

Other toys that fall into this category are the bells/whistles/lights toys.  For some kids, this is a place to start if you can’t get them interested in playing with any other toy in any other way.  However, I don’t stay here long, and I beg parents not to let their children play only with this toy to the exclusion of others, especially if their child is struggling with social interaction.  Read the article titled, “Ditch the Bells and Whistles” if you’re haven’t yet, or are still not sure why I feel this way.              

SIT DOWN ACTIVITIES

Ball and Hammer Toys   

This is a standard toy with lots of versions available.  The one I’m using now is made by the Parents line from Target.  I like it because the hammer squeaks, and it has a clear front so kids can watch the ball fall into the hole, slide over a wheel, into a tunnel, and out the door.      

Target words - ball, hammer, in, hole, out, door, hit (it), bang, boom, mine, more, please, down, I got it (When the ball comes out of the door, I grab it away before the child can get it and say, “I got it!”  I can’t tell you how many kids have started to try to imitate and say  a 2-3 word phrase using this ”game.”)

Other Ball Toys  

Balls are a big hit with the toddler set.  Sometimes it’s the only word I can get spontaneously for a while, so I try to rotate several different ball toys to keep it fresh and fun.  Here’s a description of the other ball toys I use (You’ll have to wait for the final version of this article for the exact names.  These toys are so old that I don’t remember the real names.)  

• Tomy has one that looks like a gumball machine.  The kid pulls the lever and the balls come out.  Different Target word - pull 
• Fisher Price has a cute one that looks like a bug.  There’s a hole for the ball that looks like its mouth is open.  It plays cute music while the balls fall, so we can work on “dancing” to the music in imitation. 

Blocks

My favorite blocks are an OLD set from Tupperware.  They are plastic, and they open so you can hide small animals/characters in them. 

I also like a new set of graduated-sized stacking blocks that a mom just gave me as a gift.  They’re cardboard, so they won’t last forever with the kind of abuse my toys get, but they have darling artwork with great vocabulary choices (plus ABC’s, but that’s not important).  They are from Walmart, and I think it’s from their cheaper, in-house line of toys.  Most of the kids I see like to stack them up high and (you guessed it), knock them over, but they are having fun putting them back in the larger one.  You can target size words with these, ”Get the big one,” or “That one is little.”  I love anything with “fall down” as the gag, because I can get kids to do it over and over again.  I used to have a cute bucket set of graduated sizes so you could either stack or place them all in one.  Same benefits.  

Shape Sorters           

As a rule I don’t like shape sorters for language because parents are always expecting their kids to say ”circle” or “triangle,” when their kids can’t even say “milk” or “ball.”   But I have found one that I like.  It’s by Parents (I got it from Target), and it has an animal on top of the shape.  The thing I love is that it makes a cool sound when the animal/shape goes in and down the chute.  You can still practice the matching concept (a very important cognitive skill), but it’s an attention getter, and not as boring as the traditional shape sorter.

VOCABULARY BUILDING (more sit down activities)

Potato Heads

I have collected lots of these sets over the years as well.  This is a basic vocabulary building activity since you can target body parts and basic clothing items such as hats and  shoes.  They even have sets now with purses and earrings and other “themed” sets related to holidays and children’s characters.  Get the giant 2.5 size gallon ziplock bags so you can keep all of your accessories together.  I would definitely use this during parent-child playtime only so your pieces don’t get lost.         

Little Linguist

This is probably the only electronic toy I’ve ever loved.  It’s made by Neurosmith and not in production anymore.  You can still find used ones on e-bay occasionally.  This comes with 15 or so familiar objects that are placed into the base, and the toy says the name or makes the sound when you push the appropriate button.  This toy was originally made to teach other languages to children, and you could use the cartridge for English, French, Spanish, Japanese, etc…  Since I see language delayed children, and they are struggling to learn one language, I never used or recommended the other cartridges.  If you can track this one down, it’ll be worth your time and effort.

Puzzles

I own an embarrassing number of wooden, inset puzzles, but they are ”gold” when it comes to targeting language.  These are cheap ($3-$10) and most toddlers love to do them.  You can find them now with any kind of theme - farm animals, zoo animals, transportation, food, bath time, toys, etc…  Stay away from ABCs, colors, & numbers until your child is really talking.  Stick to ones with words your kid needs to learn to expand his vocabulary. 

Puzzles are also great for targeting receptive language.  After you’ve had your child name the piece going in (or choosing from a choice of 2 is even better), you can have him, “Get the _____,” to clean up the pieces.  You can expand receptive language more by asking him tougher questions, “Which one says moo?”  “Which one flies?”  “Which one goes in the water?”  “Which one do you wear on your feet?”                

EARLY PRETEND 

Dolls

This is the very best and easiest early pretend activity you can do.  For dads who are too macho to let their boys play with obviously girl dolls, try a boy doll, or a character doll, or stuffed animal.  Get lots of accessories to use.  My basic set includes cups, spoons, a fork, bowl/plate, bottles of milk and juice, blanket, carrier, brush, hats, shirts, diapers, wipes, socks or shoes, a few pieces of plastic food, and a “toy” for the baby.  There are so many things you can use this for to target both receptive and expressive language.  You can give lots of directions, “Feed the baby.”  You can expand to higher level receptive concepts, “She’s sleepy.  What should she do?”  You can have your child request for every single thing you’re going to do with the dolls.  It’s endless and a must-have activity for every toddler.

Target Words - baby, (all of the nouns/names for all of the accessories you’re using), plus all of the verbs/action words you can do with dolls - wash, eat, sleep, drink, jump, walk, dance, swing, night-night, etc…, plus the prepositions/location words you can target - clothing items can be put on/off, baby can be put in/out of various things, baby can climb up, fall down, etc….   Descriptive Words - big, little, wet, dry, yucky, stinky, pretty, etc…

Plastic Food

My  favorite plastic food sets are the ones that can be cut into pieces with the pretend knife.  These usually come with Velcro to attach the halves back together.  Many therapy catalogues sell them, but you can find them cheaper at major retailers too.   I often play with this with dolls once a child can sequence lots of actions.  I like to use plastic foods with a pretend kitchen or pretend microwave to “cook” the food too.  The microwave is always a huge hit!  Look for one of these too!

Target Words - cut, eat, cook, all done, plus all of the names/nouns of the foods 

Pretend Playground, Farm, House

I use these kinds of toys often once a kid understands and gets past cause and effect/object permanence, and has started to do some early pretending with dolls.  Fisher Price makes lots of good toys in this category.  I use the barn quite a bit and the house occasionally.  I use an older version of the Little People slide with attachable swing almost every day. 

I play with the Little People, but I also collect other little plastic characters for kids preferences.  McDonald’s used to offer lots of these kinds of toys with Happy Meals, so I have gathered quite of collection of lots of different people since the mid-90s.  You can also buy other little characters solo in the giant retailers.  Favorite ones for kids I see now are Dora, Diego, Swiper, Boots, Elmo, Mr. Noodle, Cookie Monster, Big Bird, Teletubbies, Woody, Buzz, Jessie, etc… 

My friend who is a Developmental Interventionist loves the Fisher Price Lovin’ Family sets & accessories.  This is great for pretending with Mama, Dada, baby, sister, brother, and even grandma.  

You can often find these toys at garage sales and tag sales to save a buck or two.  Look in children’s consignment stores or second hand toy stores for these items as well. 

Target words - endless depending on your activity.  Try to get several of these kinds of sets.  It’s a keeper!

Zoo Animals, Farm Animals, Dinosaurs

I have many sets of these since they are so versatile and great for vocabulary building.  Try to find big/little ones to work on size and pretend using the whole family concept. 

For my zoo animals, I play zoo by putting the animals into their “cages” using a Chico shape sorter toy with colored keys to open the matching doors.         

I use dinosaurs with sand in a small Rubbermaid container with a top so I can lug it in and out of my car and control spills.  This is great alternative for a larger sandbox if you don’t have the space, or when it’s too cold.  Toys R Us sells clean sand in small bags. 

Thomas The Train   

I used several Thomas toys often before the whole lead scare, but I still have one set that I really love.  It’s Carry Around Thomas, and it comes only with one small wind up Thomas, 2 horses, 2 trees, a bridge, and a clock that all conveniently fits inside a green case.  I have been looking to buy a new one of these since my Thomas is getting old, and I’m not having much luck at the major retailers.  For little boys (or girls!) who love trains, this is a winner.         

Target words - nouns/names for items in set & train names, choo-choo, go, stop, crash, fix, tunnel (even if you have to make one by unfolding a cardboard book over the tracks).     

I generally stay away from all of the Tickle Me toys because the use is usually so limited, but I LOVE one particular Cookie Monster toy.  He can actually “eat” the plastic cookies you give him, and it goes into his backpack.  I use this with any other plastic food that will fit in his mouth.  It’s an older toy, but you still may be able to find it on e-bay.  Search for ”Puffalump Cookie Monster.”         

EARLY GAMES

Candy Land Castle

This is the brand new toddler/preschool version, not the traditional board game.  It has a castle to hold colored, plastic shapes.  The shapes fall out of the castle’s door when you pull the candy cane lever.  You match shapes to your gingerbread board.  I don’t use this game with kids until they can sit through several turns, can match pretty well, and are talking using lots of functional words.  At this point I do go ahead and talk about color and shape names, but ONLY if they have lots of other “real” language first.  This is a good one to use with older siblings too so that your toddler can participate in a “game.”   For kids who can’t/won’t take turns yet and get too upset when I try to force the issue, I set out several game boards and find the matching shape together.  Again I focus on more functional phrases - my turn, I got it, I pull, I need more, more please, etc….  rather than the shape’s name.  Lots of kids I see are learning colors, so they may say, “red one,” or “I got/have blue,” rather than the shape’s name, and this is fine with me.     

Lucky Ducks

This is a cute matching game with a “pond” so that the baby ducks can swim and around in the water.  The object of the game is to match the shape and color on the bottom of the duck to the one you have in front of you, or the older version, where you match the duck to the “lily pad” with the same color.  For kids who can’t/won’t match yet, I have them ask me for ”duck” to put in the water.  This game “quacks” continuously when it’s on, so it’s also good for facilitating an animal sound.  I also practice “on/off” for pushing the button to start and stop the game.  Put your hand over the button until your child asks for “on,” or “go,” or “more.”  

Fishin’ Around

This is another cute matching game.  The fish swim around the water and swim under a “slide” or “bridge.”  You turn it on by pressing a turtle’s shell.  There are fishing poles and matching cards too when your child gets over the initial fascination of watching the fish go around and around.  I use this one for lots of requesting practice at the phrase level - “More fish please,”  “Give me fish,” “I need (a) fish.”                 

ARTS / FINE MOTOR / SENSORY PLAY

Playdoh

I love playdoh for kids after 2 1/2 when they no longer want to eat it!  I especially love the little sets.  My favorite one is the Barber Shop set because you can make the man’s hair grow and then cut it with scissors.  It’s very fun and can last a long time - good for kids who want to move on after only a few minutes.  I also use cookie cutter shapes - those that come with the sets and then other real cookie cutters I’ve added.  Add a rolling pin, plastic knife, and child scissors.  This is especially good for kids with tactile defensiveness/sensory issues who want to play, but refuse to touch the playdoh.  

Don’t forget to make your own playdoh creations too.  Every kid loves to make snakes and balls.  Try snowmen.  My favorite is making a birthday cake complete with a little candle so you can sing, “Happy Birthday,” and pretend to blow out the candle.

This is another good activity for action words/verbs - push, pull, roll, cut, etc…

Markers

Some toddlers love to draw (My own daughter wanted to do this for hours from age 24 months on, but her brothers did not!),  so I use washable markers and giant sheets of paper (or the backs of my progress notes).  Try to draw things to label instead of shapes and letters.         

Threading/Stringing Sets     

I lucked out several years ago and found plastic beads in the arts/crafts section at WalMart in the shape of farm animals and people complete with plastic strings for threading/stringing.  Many 2 1/2 + year olds have loved this.  You may also find sets with larger blocks and geometric patterns.  My OT and DI friends love that I work on this too!  I don’t like to do it unless I can get some “language” mileage too, so look for objects with different pictures or of different shapes of real things (not just a circle, bead, block, etc…).

Flashcards

I do not recommend or use these with kids unless they LOVE them.  Otherwise, they will get plenty of this later in preschool/school-age speech therapy.  IF I am working with a child who loves it, the way I make it more age-appropriate and fun is to do something with the cards  vs. sitting at the table with them.  For example, this winter I found a cute plastic snowman bucket with a top.  I cut a slit in the top so kids can drop the card in.  You can make one using an ice cream bucket.   

Other ideas - hide the cards around the room and let your child run around to find them.   Or use them with a puppet or another toy that can “eat” the cards.  When I use this activity at all,  I only do it for the amount of time a child wants to.  If that’s only 3 cards, so be it.  BEG your SLP to move on to “play-based” therapy activities if your child hates these.  It will take more work on your therapist’s part, and it’s not as efficient, but it’s not worth the fight if he doesn’t want to sit and do them.

Books

I prefer to use books with one or only a few real photographs per page during therapy, but as parents, you do need begin reading very simple books as soon as your child can tolerate it.  If he can sit and listen to a whole story, by all means, do this as often as he’ll let you.  If not, try just pointing to the pictures, labeling the object, give a brief 2-3 word phrase about the objects’ function, and then move on.  I use the Bright Baby books (almost) everyday.  Other repetitive theme books by authors like Sandra Boynton , Good Night Moon, and Eric Carle’s Brown Bear and Polar Bear books are also hits with toddlers.  I also like books that give you directions to follow, such as Barney Says. 

MUSIC

The only CD I recommend with any regularity is “Time To Sing.”  It’s produced by a man  whose son has apraxia because he was disheartened by the fast pace of most children’s CDs.  His son wanted to sing, but couldn’t keep up.  It has beautiful orchestral accompaniment for the slower tempos.  Better yet - sing the songs yourself without the CD and keep it s-l-o-w!  

The best thing you can do to teach your baby language is to talk directly to him.  It’s never “too early” to talk to your baby.  I remember working with a woman in an office when I was fresh out of college, but waiting to go to grad school.  She knew that my educational background “had something to do with teaching kids to talk,” (her words), so she asked me how and when I thought she should start teaching her daughter to talk.  I made lots of general comments about talking to her daughter all day long during activities, reading to her, singing songs to her with hand motions, and I was just about to launch into a tirade about the benefits of signing (all new research then), when I noticed the shocked look on her face.  I asked her what was wrong, and she said, “My daughter is only 14 months old.  Do you think she’s ready for that?” 

If you’ve read any of my previous posts, you know that I wanted to scream, “Are you kidding me? Fourteen months old and you’re just now concerned about language?  Good grief lady, where have you been????  What have you been doing for the previous fourteen months of her life????”   But of course I didn’t.  I managed to say, “Yes, she’s ready,” in as nice a tone as I could muster and then continue to suggest things she should (and should have already been doing) to facilitate her daughter’s language skills. 

All joking aside, (Sadly this was a true story, so it’s really not a joke), the most important thing you can do to teach your baby to talk is to teach him to understand words.  Many children whose parents think they are ”just late talkers” also have difficulty understanding what’s said to them.  The truth is that children who don’t understand very much aren’t going to say very much.  

I have been reading parents’ message boards for speech-language delays and other developmental issues on several different sites on the Internet.  So many of them focus on their children’s language concerns as purely ”expressive” issues, meaning that their children aren’t saying as much as their peers.  When you read on about their individual children’s stories, many of them report “receptive” issues too, or difficulty understanding language.  Sometimes they report that the receptive delays are greater than the expressive delays.  This is a big, big problem. Let me repeat that again for those of you who need extra clarification.  This is a huge problem.  In typically developing language, children understand more than they can say.  If your child’s receptive skills are lower than his expressive skills, this is “atypical” development.  You need to work hard on helping your child learn not only how to talk, but more importantly, how to understand what’s said to him.  For more ideas for this, see the post, “Improving Receptive Language Skills.”                      

Now that I’ve finished today’s rant, here’s the down and dirty list of activities to do at home to work on language with infants and young toddlers:   

1.  Talk directly to him about what’s going on around him.  Especially talk about what he’s paying attention to at the moment.   Name people, objects, actions, and pictures in books frequently.  Give him specific words to “link” to activities.  Sometimes parents of think that they are doing a fine job of talking to their children when there could be a problem with HOW they are talking.  I’ll give you an example to illustrate this point.  I am working with a great set of parents right now who have been blessed with a set of triplets, all boys.  The mom and dad both work outside the home, and they have a wonderful new nanny.  These parents by natures are both very nurturing and both have quirky senses of humor.  Consequently when they come home or anytime they interact with their children, they spend lots of time greeting their children, “Hi guys,” and nurturing them, “I really missed you today.  Did you miss Mommy too?  I’m so glad to see you this afternoon.”  Then the parents start talking to each other saying funny comments.  ”Wow - look at him!  What happened to him today?  What’s that facial expression about?”  Even though technically the boys are hearing lots of words, it’s not kind of language they can learn from. 

2.  Play lots of social games.  Games I make sure I remind parents to play include -

Peek-a-boo.  For those of you who need a tutorial, cover your baby’s face with a blanket.  Ask, “Where’s (baby’s name)?” Call him several times since this builds anticipation.  Then jerk the blanket off with a big gesture and say, “Boo!”  I specifically say, “boo,” rather than “peek-a-boo,” “pee-pie,” or even, “There he is,” because “boo” is a word your baby will more likely be able to say back rather than the other versions.  I’m always planning ahead to make sure that I am teaching an eventual response so that the baby can join in verbally. 

What you want to look for is that your baby is ”learning” the game.  For example, at first we want to see him look at you and smile and laugh when you take the blanket off his head.  If he won’t laugh, try a tickle or jiggle to get him going.  After playing this game for a while, we want to see him start to kick or move under the blanket and start to giggle in anticipation that you are going to surprise him by taking the blanket off.  Then we want to see him try to participate by taking the blanket off his own head because he “knows” this comes next.  Then we want to see him try to cover his own head when you give him the blanket. 

An indication that he’s really “learned” the game comes when we see him initiating the game with you by reaching out on his own to get a blanket, getting your attention with a giggle or squeal to let you know he wants to play, and then performing all of the covering/uncovering by himself.  Saying “boo” might not come for months, but if he’s doing all of the prerequisites, we know he’s understanding the routine, with or without the word. 

So Big. This game begins when parents ask, “How big is (baby’s name)?”  Then mom or dad should answer, “Sooooo big” while holding both arms up over their heads.  If your baby isn’t watching or trying to imitate holding his arms up, help him do this.  Repeat this cycle for  5 or 6 times before moving on to a new game.  Babies and toddlers need the repetition to learn.  When a baby has truly learned this game, he holds his arms up, grins, and looks at his parents to say the words for him. 

Patty-Cake.  This classic has so many different ways you can play.  I say, “Patty cake, patty cake, baker’s man.  Bake me a cake as fast as you can.  Pat it out. Roll it up. Throw it in the pan.”  I clap to the rhythm of the words during the patty cake and bake lines, clap fast on the “pat it out,” line, roll my hands in circle on “roll it up,” and then throw my hands in the air for, ”Throw it in the pan.”   Help your baby do the motions until you’ve done it for several days or weeks, but stop helping when she begins to start to clap by herself. 

Row Your Boat.  Sit down on the floor with your legs outstretched in front of you and place your baby on your legs.  Hold your baby’s hands and row back and forward as you sing, “Row, row, row your boat, gently down the stream.  Merrily, merrily, merrily, merrily, life is but a dream.”  I sing a cute second verse with better hand motions.  “Row, row, row your boat, gently down the stream.  If you see an alligator, close your eyes and scream.”   On the “alligator” line, let go of your baby’s hands and make a big alligator mouth by opening and closing your outstretched arms/hands.  Cover your eyes for, “Close your eyes.” After you sing, “Scream,” SCREAM!  Toddlers love this one!  After you’ve played this one for a while, help your child participate and then initiate this game with you by putting him on lap and then asking what he wants to play.  Don’t immediately offer your hands to “Row.”  Many kids initiate this with me by reaching down and grabbing both of my hands and starting to rock back and forth.  Also help start the hand motions for the second stanza, but let her do it on her own as soon as she can.  Don’t forget to encourage the “scream” at the end.  Many kids will imitate this when they can’t yet imitate a word. 

Ride Little Horsie- Another game for sitting on the floor with your baby seated on your outstretched legs.  Hold his hands, bounce him up and down on your legs, and sing, “Ride a little horsie to town.  Watch out (name), don’t fall down.”  On down, spread your legs so that he falls to the floor.  When he’s learning this one, pause and exaggerate, ”Dooooon’tt faaall” before you say ”down” so he begins to anticipate the falling gag.  When a toddler has learned this one, I have him say, “down” or even look down before I will let him fall.  Kids can initiate this one by grabbing your hands and bouncing or asking for “horsie.” 

I have kids pick between ”Row Row” and “Horsie” once they’ve learned them and like them both.                         

Here Come the Tickle Fingers - For this game I lean way back so it looks like I’m getting closer with every word.  I wiggle my fingers and pause between every word to build anticipation as I lean forward closer and closer.  Then I say, “Tickle, tickle, tickle” as I tickle them.  Kids “ask” for this game by either grabbing their bellies and giggling like I’m going to tickle them or by wiggling their fingers toward me.  When kids can talk, I wait for them to say the “tickle” part before I do it.  Don’t forget to to do lots of repetitions so she “learns” the game.

1, 2, 3, UP or JUMP! -For babies who can stand but not walk, I stand them on my lap and hold them under their arms counting, “1, 2, 3″ and then lift them into the air on “up.”  Hold their faces down to yours while they are still in the air and laugh/kiss them.  When they’re too heavy for me to lift over and over again, or if they like to jump, I do this version.  Be creative.  Sometimes I hold their hands and let them jump off a chair or couch to me this way.  Don’t forget to pause and build excitement.  Let them fill-in-the blanks when they can say the words.  Pause to give them a  chance to finish after you count, “1, 2, ___.” 

Up/Down -  Hold a child on the floor on your outstretched legs again.  Lift up your knees saying, “Up,” and then lower them down to the floor saying, “Down.”  Lots of times I repeat “Up, up, up, up, up” on the way up and then “Down, down, down, down, down.”  Pause and wait for them to say, ”up” or “down” once they have learned the game.          

I’m Gonna Get ‘cha, Get’cha, Get’cha - I use this with runners who like to be chased.  When they are far enough away from me, I exaggerate taking giant steps walking toward them with big arm motions and slowly saying, “I  ‘  m  ,   g  o n  n  a ,” and then I run toward them and grab them on the get’cha, get’cha, get’cha part.  Kids who start to initiate this will look at me with twinkly eyes, start to run, and then turn around to see if I’m going to follow them and start the game. 

Sing songs with hand motions.  My favorite ones are:

Itsy, Bitsy Spider

Wheels on the Bus

Open Shut Them

Head Shoulders Knees and Toes

If You’re Happy and You Know It

Ring Around the Rosies

Skinamarinky Dinky Dink

If you don’t know remember the words or motions to these classics, e-mail me, and I’ll send those to you!  Laura

Since I have been in private practice for the last 10 years, no one else buys my supplies, so consequently, I own lots of toys.  A whole 10 x 15 storage room full of toys in addition to the ones that fill the back of my SUV at any given time.  This makes me a toy expert of sorts since I have “field tested” many toy winners and losers while playing with my one- and two-year old friends.  Their parents are often saddened that they are animated and talkative during our one hour speech therapy visits, and then they don’t say much at all when playing by themselves during the rest of the week.  They question me asking, “What makes your toys so much more appealing than the hundred or so we already own?”  

As I’ve stated many times here on this site, having a plugged-in, FUN adult sit down to play WITH a kid is much more exciting than playing alone with even the best toy.  Often times the difference in a child’s affect and interaction is simply due to the fact that I am playing one-on-one with the toddler with no other distractions (other than a chatty mom or dad.)  Sadly, that hour may be the only truly individual time that some of my little clients get in a week.  What kids need more than a whole house full of toys is a caring, connected adult who revels in spending lots of time with them.  A basement that resembles Toys R Us cannot replace the value of consistent, one-on-one play time with mommy and daddy.  If you need more detailed information about interacting with your late-talking toddler, please read the “What Works” and “What Doesn’t Work” articles for further recommendations.  Before you spend one more dime on toys, please make sure that you are carving out time EVERY DAY to play with your baby.  There’s little chance that a toddler with developmental delays, including late talking, will catch up with his peers without parents who make individual play time a top priority.      

Beyond this, there are some guidelines that parents should use when selecting toys.  My first rule is stated in the title of this post, ”No bells, whistles, flashing lights, DVDs & ABCs!”  The toy manufacturers have it all wrong.  They are not correctly utilizing the research we now have about brain development in infancy and through toddlerhood.  They are marketing to parents who want to buy their children anything they can to ensure that they turn out to be smart and do well in school.  Adults are often tricked into thinking that because a child needs to know his letters and numbers for kindergarten, we better start when he’s 3 months old.  Better yet, let’s buy a toy that blinks and flashes letters so he’s sure to pay attention.  Even though the flashing lights of a new toy may attract an infant or toddler, there’s often no value beyond initial attention.  

Some children become so engrossed in sensory-seeking behaviors with light and sound toys that they miss out on the fun and benefits of more traditional play.  All they want to do is find the buttons and press and press and press to the exclusion of interaction with real people or more challenging toys.  If your child falls into this category and is already hooked, let the batteries run down and don’t replace them.  Some parents don’t like to hear this advice.  They struggle with taking away what their child seems to thrive on.  It’s up to you, but if you want your child to learn to be more engaged with others, I’d ditch those kinds of toys today (or at least put them on the top shelf of the closet).                    

Many parents think of DVDs as “educational” playtime.  “Edutainment” has become a $600 million dollar industry with $100 million of that from sales of DVDs for infants and toddlers.  Cutting-edge research in brain development tells us that quickly changing visual stimuli may actually wire a child’s developing brain to ”scan and shift.”  One neuroscientist has hypothesized that habitual television and video viewing for infants and toddlers may be the reason for the surge in childhood ADD in our country.  See the post titled “No Television” on this site for more information. 

I blew this one with my own children.  They are 18, 16, and 11 now, so we didn’t have access to this information then.  Our oldest child was the only one who really begged to watch movies and television, so we let him.  I’m embarrassed to say that as a young mother struggling through a masters degree with a two children under three, Disney movies and Nickelodeon frequently filled our tiny, married student housing apartment.  Our younger two children watched for a few minutes here and there as they busied themselves with  better play, but we still turned children’s television on as ”background noise” often.  Thankfully none of our children were diagnosed with ADD, but MILLIONS of other children have been.  

If God ever chose to bless us with another child (after I first picked myself up off the floor from shock), I would stick with the American Academy of Pediatrics recommendation for no television viewing or any other “screen time” for babies under 2, and I’d be mighty careful during the rest of their preschool years.  The research is that impressive to me.  If you too have really messed up with this one, you may find some consolation in my favorite quote from Maya Angelou.  To paraphrase her, “When I knew better, I did better.”  It’s not too late to kick or at least reduce this habit. 

Lastly, I absolutely HATE toys for infants and toddlers with the main purpose of teaching the alphabet or numbers.  If you’re a frequent visitor to this site, you’ve read my previous rants about this.  This includes all of the computer-like toys and games and even the ones for the real computer for kids under 3.  There is no reason you need to overtly teach numbers and letters to babies.  Period.  I can’t find one bit of credible research that supports this practice.  

Literacy experts will not disagree on this point.  Focusing on teaching the alphabet to your toddler is totally different from reading to him.  You should introduce books and stories to your babies.  Books with brightly colored photographs and simple story lines are highly recommended as activities to expand your baby’s language and attention skills.  However, other kinds of ABC or reading toys are not required in order for your child to grow up to learn to read or to be “smart.”  Most of the time, these kinds of toys aren’t  very interesting for babies.  

A perfect example of the stupidity of this concept occurred just this past Christmas when I was shopping at Wal-Mart.  Of course I was in the toy department shopping not for the young children in my own extended family, but checking out the sales for me!  I noticed a mother holding up a stuffed dog with its body parts labeled with giant letters in front of her baby girl who was seated in the cart.  Instead of talking to her daughter about the dog or better yet, pretending to bark or pant herself, she held up the dog’s ear which was clearly labeled E-A-R.   It was as if the mother expected the baby to read it herself and blurt out, “Ear!”  The little girl looked away.  At this point I wanted to interject, “Ya’ know, she can’t read that yet,” but I didn’t.  I continued to watch as the mother became almost a little agitated.  She pursued her daughter’s attention by shaking the dog in front of her face and then very slowly pushed the dog’s nose.  The toy’s very mechanical voice responded, “NOSE.”  Again the mother said nothing.  Consequently neither did the little girl.  The baby looked down, grabbed the edge of the seat belt, and lifted it to her mouth to chew.  The mother tried one more time to engage the little girl by calling her name and repeatedly shaking the dog right in front of her eyes.  The little girl  shut her eyes and rubbed her face.   When her daughter looked away, the mother, now clearly exasperated, tossed the dog back on the shelf.  I wanted to yell to the baby, ”Good for you!  You resisted the major advertising ploy of printing words on a toy that you can’t and shouldn’t be able to read!  The toy almost sucked your mother in, but you showed her how boring and non-purposeful a toy like that it is!  Good for you, you smart baby!”  Kudos to the mother too because even though she did a poor job of interacting with her baby, she did not purchase a toy her child clearly showed no interest in.

By now you are probably wondering if there are any toys that I do like since I have bashed most of what Target, K-Mart, and all of the other huge retailers carry in their baby and toddler sections.  I can definitively answer, “Yes!”  There are many toys that are wonderful for stimulating little minds and facilitating language.  My specific favorites will be listed in a later post.  Until then clean out your toy boxes!  Ditch the toys with bells & whistles along with the DVDs and ABCs!  If your child could, he would thank you for it.