Activities to get your toddler talking (what actually works)

TL;DR

Shared book reading, self-talk and parallel talk, responsive play, and singing all have the strongest research behind them, because they surround toddlers with language while a parent and child are focused on the same thing, and that shared focus is really what drives early word learning. Most toddlers need something like 1,000+ hours of rich language exposure over their first three years, and none of these activities cost anything.

Why do some toddlers talk later than others?

Language develops unevenly in the toddler years, and that unevenness is normal, even though it's hard to sit with as a parent. Some kids say 50 words by 18 months. Others are still at 5 or 10 at that age. The gap comes down to a mix of genetics, hearing, how much language-rich interaction a child gets, and neurological differences that aren't always obvious yet. The American Academy of Pediatrics estimates that roughly 15 to 20 percent of toddlers are late talkers at age 2, meaning they say fewer words than expected for their age ^[1]. Most of these kids catch up on their own without any intervention. The ones who don't tend to be those with an underlying condition such as autism, hearing loss, or childhood apraxia of speech.

The single biggest predictor of early word learning is what researchers call "contingent responsiveness": how often, and how quickly, a caregiver responds to a child's sounds, gestures, and gaze ^[2]. That's genuinely good news, since it's something you can start changing today with nothing more than your own attention. Worth knowing too: more screen time and less face-to-face interaction line up with slower vocabulary growth in children under 2. The AAP recommends no screen time for children under 18 to 24 months except video chatting ^[1]. Take that as useful information about where to put your energy, not as a reason to feel guilty.

What counts as normal speech development for toddlers?

Before you try anything at home, it helps to know what "typical" actually looks like. The American Speech-Language-Hearing Association (ASHA) publishes the developmental norms that speech-language pathologists use in clinic ^[3].

Age	Receptive (understands)	Expressive (says)
12 months	Responds to name, understands "no"	1-3 words besides mama/dada
18 months	Follows simple 1-step directions	10-20 words
24 months	Understands 2-step commands	50+ words, starting 2-word phrases
30 months	Understands concepts like "in" and "on"	200+ words, 2-3 word sentences
36 months	Understands most of what is said at home	500-1,000 words, 3-4 word sentences

A few things worth keeping in mind. These numbers are averages, not hard cutoffs. Bilingual kids often have split vocabularies, so words from both languages should count toward the total. And it's completely normal for a child to understand far more than they say: if your toddler seems to get everything you tell them but doesn't talk much back, that gap between understanding and speaking is actually a good sign, not a worrying one. The things ASHA does flag for a referral: no babbling by 12 months, no words at all by 16 months, or losing words a child used to say, at any age. If any of that fits your child, don't wait it out. Start with a hearing test. It's a common cause of delay and one of the easiest to fix.

What actually helps toddlers talk more?

Here's what the research supports, roughly in order of how much evidence backs each one. Not every activity fits every kid, and that's fine. Start with narrating out loud, both what you're doing and what your child is doing. "I'm washing the dishes. Water's hot. There's the soap" is self-talk. "You're pushing the truck. It's going fast. Crash!" is parallel talk. Both give your child language tied to the exact moment they're living in, which is how toddlers connect words to meaning. Keep sentences short and use real words instead of baby talk. A 2012 study in Child Development found that the density of parent input during joint activities predicts vocabulary size at age 2 ^[4]. Then do less talking yourself, which sounds backwards but works. Say something, gesture, and wait a full five seconds. Count it out silently if you have to. Most parents jump in far too fast, and that silence is exactly when a child's brain gets moving to communicate. Whatever they produce, a sound, a point, a word, respond to it and build on it: if they say "ba," you say "ball, yes, ball!" This is called expansion and recasting, and it's one of the most replicated findings in early language research ^[2]. Shared book reading has about as much evidence behind it as anything in early childhood. A 1995 meta-analysis in the Review of Educational Research covering 35 studies found shared book reading significantly improves vocabulary and language skills in young children ^[5]. You don't need to read the actual words on the page: point at pictures, name them, ask your child to find one. "Where's the dog? There he is!" does plenty of work on its own. Singing and nursery rhymes help for a similar reason. The exaggerated rhythm and melody of songs makes it easier for toddlers to pull individual words out of a stream of speech, and the built-in repetition is how words get learned in the first place. You don't need to sing well; if anything, singing badly gets more laughs, and laughing together tends to bring out more speech attempts. Following your child's lead matters more than it sounds like it should. Whatever they're looking at is what you talk about. If they're staring at the fan, say "fan, the fan goes around," rather than steering them toward something you find more interesting. Joint attention, both of you focused on the same thing at once, is really the engine behind word learning. Research by Carpenter, Nagell, and Tomasello found that the onset of joint attention around 9 to 12 months is one of the strongest predictors of later vocabulary ^[2]. It also helps to cut back on questions and lean on comments instead. Most parents ask a lot: "What's that? What color is it? Can you say ball?" That piles pressure on a toddler who's already working hard just to communicate. "That's a big truck" teaches the same word as "What's that?" without the demand attached. Speech-language pathologists call this low-demand modeling, and it's central to many early intervention programs ^[3]. Routines help too, because toddlers learn language fastest inside predictable moments like baths, meals, bedtime, and car rides, where they can anticipate what's coming and attach words to it. Use the same phrases every time: "Bath time. In we go. Water's warm. Splash splash." Hundreds of repetitions across these small rituals is how words actually stick. Sensory and movement play, things like play-dough, water tables, sand, or puzzles with nameable pieces, works on the same principle: a child has to be engaged before any language you offer really lands. And turn-taking games like peekaboo, rolling a ball back and forth, or stacking and knocking down blocks build the back-and-forth rhythm underneath all conversation, long before a child can trade turns using words. One unglamorous but real factor: background noise. Toddlers have to pick speech out from whatever else is going on in the room, and a TV playing even when nobody's watching lowers the quality of parent-child talk. Hart and Risley's 1995 study on language input found that the sheer number of words directed at a child matters enormously for vocabulary ^[6], and background noise quietly eats into that count.

Does talking to your toddler all day really make a difference?

Yes, and the effect is large enough that it changed how pediatricians counsel families about early language. Hart and Risley's 1995 study, published in their book "Meaningful Differences in the Everyday Experience of Young American Children," followed 42 families over two and a half years. Children in high-interaction households heard roughly 30 million more words by age 3 than children in low-interaction households ^[6]. That word gap tracked with vocabulary size, IQ, and academic achievement years later. Other researchers have since pushed back on parts of the study and refined its conclusions. Later work found that the quality and contingency of language input matter as much as sheer quantity ^[2], meaning it's not just how many words a child hears but whether an adult is actually responding to them in the moment. Still, the core finding holds up: more responsive, child-directed talk means stronger early language. What this means day to day is that you don't need a curriculum or a set of flashcards. Narrate what you're doing, respond when your child tries to tell you something, and keep doing it. That's the whole intervention, and it costs nothing. It's available every waking hour you spend together.

What actually helps a late talker

Everything else on this list still applies to late talkers, but a few things matter more here.

Start by asking less. If your child is already frustrated about communication, putting them on the spot to say a word makes things worse, not better. Show them the word instead of quizzing them for it.

Gesture more than you think you need to. Goldin-Meadow and colleagues found that gesture predicts later vocabulary, and that parents who are coached to gesture more end up with children who gesture more, which in turn leads to more words ^[7]. Point at things all day long. When your child points, waves, or shows you something, react like it's a big deal, because to their language development, it is.

It's also worth getting a formal evaluation. In the US, early intervention is free for children from birth to age 3 under Part C of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) ^[8], and you don't need a doctor's referral, just a call to your state's early intervention program. Past age 3, this shifts to Part B of IDEA and runs through the school district instead.

One more thing: don't rule out AAC (augmentative and alternative communication) out of fear it will replace talking. That worry isn't backed by evidence. A review in the Journal of Speech, Language, and Hearing Research found no evidence that AAC holds back speech development, and quite a bit of evidence that it helps ^[9]. If your child is frustrated and struggling to get words out, it's worth reading up on AAC devices.

How do I know if my toddler needs speech therapy?

The activities parents usually try at home are meant to support typical development, or to give a late talker something useful to do while waiting for an evaluation or early intervention. They aren't a treatment for a diagnosed condition, and they don't replace a professional opinion.

Some signs are clear enough that you shouldn't wait to call a speech therapist or ask your pediatrician for a referral: no babbling by 12 months, no words by 16 months, no spontaneous 2-word phrases (not just echoed ones) by 24 months, or any loss of language skills your child previously had, at any age. A recent hearing test matters too, since hearing loss is the first thing to rule out. And if your child seems frustrated trying to communicate, or has started avoiding the attempt altogether, that's worth acting on as well.

ASHA has said plainly that parents shouldn't be told to "wait and see" past age 2 without a full evaluation ^[3]. So if your pediatrician suggests waiting and your instinct says otherwise, ask for the evaluation anyway. Getting help sooner tends to lead to better outcomes, which is the whole point of early intervention.

If speech delay shows up alongside limited eye contact, repetitive behaviors, or trouble with pretend play, it's worth reading about autism spectrum speech therapy, since that's a specific area of practice built around exactly this combination of signs.

Do speech therapy apps and programs help toddlers talk?

Most apps marketed to parents of late talkers haven't been studied well, if at all. Worth being honest about that up front rather than pretending they're all equally useful.

What the research actually backs is parent-implemented intervention: a speech-language pathologist teaches the parent specific techniques, and the parent uses them during ordinary, everyday moments with the child. Studies on parent-coaching programs show meaningful effects on child language when parents are trained and supported ^[10]. The reason makes sense once you think about it: parents rack up thousands of hours with their kids that no therapist ever will.

Apps that simply play words or label pictures for a toddler to watch are a different thing entirely. Passive media exposure hasn't been shown to produce language learning in toddlers under 2, with the exception of video chatting with a familiar person ^[1].

There's a better category: apps that coach the parent in specific techniques, like self-talk, wait time, and expansion, instead of trying to teach the child directly. Little Words, for example, is built as a coaching tool for parents and caregivers rather than a passive language program. If an app is nudging you to interact with your child differently, it's doing something more useful than one that just plays word sounds at them.

Families who want more structured support can look into online speech therapy, a space that's grown quickly and now connects families with licensed SLPs who do exactly the kind of parent coaching the research supports.

What kinds of toys and materials actually help?

The toy itself matters less than what happens around it, but some things create more chances to talk than others. Simple board books with clear pictures work well, especially lift-the-flap styles. Balls are great too, since rolling one back and forth is a natural way to practice taking turns. Containers you can put things in and take back out build words like in, out, on, and off almost automatically. Baby dolls and stuffed animals invite pretend play and naming body parts, play food and kitchen sets pull in a huge range of everyday words, and puzzles with chunky pieces give you something to name and describe together.

On the other end, toys that make sounds or talk on their own, without needing anything from the child, don't do much for language. Screens and tablets fall into this category too (the AAP recommends limiting these). Very complex toys with lots of functions can also work against you: they tend to entertain a child solo instead of drawing an adult into the play.

The pattern holds up pretty consistently: toys that require two people, turn-taking, or naming things beat toys built to entertain a child alone. Open-ended wins over electronic almost every time.

None of this requires spending money either. Water in a tub, dried beans in a container, a cardboard box, spoons and pots from the kitchen: these offer the same sensory engagement and back-and-forth chances as anything you'd buy in a set.

Does bilingualism cause or worsen speech delays?

No, and this myth has done real damage over the years. It's one of the most stubborn ideas in early childhood, and it leads parents to stop speaking their home language to their children out of a misplaced fear that it's hurting their child's speech.

ASHA states clearly that bilingualism does not cause language disorders or speech delays ^[3]. Bilingual children often spread their vocabulary across two languages, so a Spanish-English toddler might know 25 words in each one (50 total) and look like they have a smaller vocabulary if you only count English. What matters is the total.

When a bilingual child does have a language disorder, it shows up in both languages, not just the second one. A child who only struggles in their second language isn't showing a disorder. They're just in the middle of learning that language.

For bilingual families, the practical advice is simple: speak to your child in whichever language you're most fluent and emotionally expressive in. For most parents that's the home language. Warm, rich input in one language builds a foundation that carries over to the second. Switching to a language you're less comfortable with, thinking it will help, usually just means your child gets lower-quality input instead of better outcomes.

What should I do during everyday routines to encourage talking?

The research on toddler language keeps landing on the same point: everyday routines teach more than any structured lesson ever will. Forget flashcards. The bath, the meal, the car ride, the grocery store trip: these are the actual classrooms.

At mealtimes, just name the food in simple words: "Banana. Yellow banana. Mmm, yummy." When your toddler points to the cup, expand on it: "Cup! You want more water." Let them choose things by pointing rather than doing everything for them.

Bath time might be the richest fifteen minutes of language in the whole day. There's water vocabulary (wet, splash, pour, in, out), body parts, temperature words like hot and cold and warm, and it's a great excuse to sing.

Dressing works the same way: body parts, clothing words, action words like up, off, on, pull. "Arm in. Now the other arm. There you go." Simple narration, nothing scripted.

Grocery trips give you colors, food names, "more," "all gone," counting, heavy versus light. Kids are naturally curious about everything on those shelves, so just name whatever they're already looking at.

In the car, point out what you pass: buses, dogs, trees, trucks. Sing if you want. Skip the screen. The car turns out to be a surprisingly good spot for talking, partly because you're sitting side by side instead of face to face, which takes the pressure off eye contact, and partly because there's always something new to name out the window.

None of this takes planning. It just takes a small shift in attention: instead of rushing through the routine, slow down a little and talk through it as you go. Ten extra minutes of narration spread across a day adds up to a surprising amount of language over a year.

Are there red flags during play that suggest something more than a late talker?

A few patterns during play are worth mentioning to a speech-language pathologist or developmental pediatrician. Noticing them doesn't diagnose anything on its own, but they're exactly the kind of detail professionals want to hear when you describe your child.

Pay attention to whether your child points just to share interest, not only to request something ("look at that dog!" is a different gesture than pointing at a snack on a shelf). This kind of declarative pointing usually shows up around 12 to 14 months and is one of the early social communication milestones. Beyond pointing, notice whether your child brings you things just to show you, looks at your face when something surprising or funny happens, and copies the sounds and actions you make. It's also worth watching whether play shifts and changes naturally or settles into the same rigid routine every time.

Limited or absent pointing, little interest in sharing moments with you, and very rigid, repetitive play are patterns that can go along with autism spectrum differences. None of that confirms anything on its own. It just means it's worth bringing up with a professional rather than waiting to see what happens.

If your child repeats a lot of phrases from TV shows or books but doesn't have much back-and-forth conversation, reading about echolalia and echolalia meaning can help you understand what you're seeing and whether it's worth an evaluation. And if you're already working with a professional and wondering what comes next, it's worth reading up on early intervention services.

How long before these activities actually show results?

Honestly, there's no clean answer, and anyone who gives you a specific timeline is oversimplifying.

What the research shows is that consistent, high-quality language input over months produces measurable vocabulary gains. A 2016 study in the Journal of Child Language found that parent coaching on responsive interaction led to significant gains in child language over a 12-week period compared to controls ^[10]. But 12 weeks of daily interaction is a lot of input, and results vary from child to child.

For typical late talkers without underlying conditions, many catch up on their own somewhere between ages 2 and 3. The hard part is that you can't know in advance which late talkers will catch up and which won't. That's exactly why evaluation is worth doing even when a child seems to be gaining ground on their own.

If you've done these activities consistently for 2 to 3 months and your toddler is still well behind the milestones in the table above, take that as a strong signal to request a formal evaluation. The activities support language development, but they don't replace a professional assessment when something more is going on.

Little Words offers a short quiz at /start that helps parents figure out where their child stands and what kind of support makes sense next, whether that's more home practice, parent coaching, or connecting with a licensed SLP.

Frequently asked questions

At what age should I worry if my toddler isn't talking?

ASHA recommends evaluation if a child has no words by 16 months, no 2-word phrases by 24 months, or loses any language skills at any age, and these are referral thresholds rather than reasons to panic. A hearing test is always the first step, and if your gut says something is off, ask for an evaluation regardless of age. Services under IDEA Part C are available from birth to age 3 at no cost to families.

What's the single best thing to do to help a toddler talk?

Responsive conversation during everyday routines beats any toy or program. Follow your child's gaze and point, narrate what they're doing, pause and wait for their response, then build on whatever they say. The evidence behind this kind of contingent responsiveness is stronger than the evidence for any specific game or product. It's not flashy, but it's what the research keeps pointing to.

Do shows like Sesame Street help toddlers learn to talk?

For children over 2, good educational programming can add some vocabulary exposure, but it doesn't replace live interaction. The AAP recommends no screen time for children under 18 to 24 months except video chatting. Toddlers don't pick up language from screens the way they do from responsive people, because a screen can't respond to what the child does or says in the moment.

How many words should a 2-year-old say?

ASHA's developmental norms put the typical 24-month-old at 50 or more words, starting to combine two into phrases like "more milk" or "daddy go." Some children have 200 words by this age. Falling well below 50 at 24 months is usually a referral threshold, and when counting, include animal sounds a child uses consistently for the same animal.

Can reading books to toddlers really help with speech?

Yes. A meta-analysis in the Review of Educational Research covering 35 studies found shared book reading significantly improves vocabulary and language skills in young children. The trick is making it interactive: point to pictures, name what you see, ask your child to point, follow their interest. Reading the words on the page matters less than the conversation the book starts.

Should I use baby talk with my toddler?

Motherese, the natural tendency to use higher pitch, slower rate, and simpler sentences with babies, is well supported by research and isn't harmful; it helps infants pick apart speech sounds. What's worth avoiding is swapping real words for nonsense sounds indefinitely: say "bottle" not "ba-ba," "stomach" not "tummy-wummy." Simplified grammar and exaggerated melody are fine. Replacing real words wholesale becomes less helpful as children approach age 2.

Does using sign language with a toddler slow down talking?

No. Research on baby sign language doesn't support the idea that signing delays speech. For many children, especially those with motor speech difficulties or those on the autism spectrum, signing supports communication and cuts down frustration while verbal language develops. The same goes for AAC devices: a research review in the Journal of Speech, Language, and Hearing Research found no evidence that AAC holds back speech development.

My toddler repeats a lot of things from TV. Is that normal?

Some echolalia (repeating heard phrases) is typical in toddlers under 2 and a normal part of language development. When it's very prominent, makes up most of what a child says, and there's little spontaneous functional communication alongside it, it's worth raising with a speech-language pathologist. Scripted language from shows can still be meaningful communication for some children, and an SLP can help you sort out what you're seeing.

How do I get my toddler to talk more at home if they already receive speech therapy?

Ask your child's SLP for specific home practice targets after each session. Research consistently shows parent-implemented strategies between sessions speed up progress far more than therapy alone does. Self-talk, parallel talk, expansion, and wait time are what therapists teach parents to use at home, and consistency across settings is what drives carryover.

Are speech delays hereditary?

There's a genetic component to language development and language disorders. Children with a family history of late talking, dyslexia, or language-based learning differences carry somewhat higher statistical risk for delays, but heritability isn't destiny. Rich language input and early intervention work regardless of family history. Genetic risk is a reason to keep a closer eye on things, not a reason to wait longer before acting.

What's the difference between a speech delay and a language delay?

Speech delay means difficulty producing sounds and words, the mechanics of talking. Language delay means difficulty understanding and using language as a system: vocabulary, grammar, following directions. The two often show up together but are distinct, and a child can understand language just fine for their age (receptive language) while still struggling to produce words. A speech-language pathologist evaluates both separately.

Do bilingual toddlers take longer to talk?

Bilingual children aren't slower language learners, but they can look like they have smaller vocabularies in one language because their words are split across two. Total vocabulary across both languages is the right measure. ASHA is explicit that bilingualism doesn't cause language disorders, and if a bilingual child does have delays, they show up in both languages, not just one. Speak to your child in whichever language you're most fluent and expressive in.

Can I access speech therapy for my toddler for free?

Yes. Under IDEA Part C, children from birth to age 3 with developmental delays are entitled to evaluation and early intervention services at no cost to families. You don't need a doctor's referral; you can contact your state's early intervention program directly. At age 3, services shift to school-based support under Part B of IDEA, and eligibility and what's offered vary by state.

What should I do if my pediatrician says to wait and see?

Trust your instincts and request the evaluation anyway. ASHA's guidance doesn't support stretching out a wait-and-see approach past age 2, and you can request early intervention services directly without a pediatrician's referral under IDEA Part C. Getting evaluated doesn't obligate you to accept services; it just gives you information, and earlier assessment consistently leads to better outcomes than waiting.

1. American Academy of Pediatrics, Council on Communications and Media. Media and Young Minds. Pediatrics. 2016.: Roughly 15 to 20 percent of toddlers are late talkers at age 2; AAP recommends no screen time for children under 18 to 24 months except video chatting.
2. Carpenter M, Nagell K, Tomasello M. Social cognition, joint attention, and communicative competence from 9 to 15 months of age. Monographs of the Society for Research in Child Development. 1998.: Joint attention onset at 9 to 12 months is one of the strongest predictors of later vocabulary; contingent responsiveness predicts word learning.
3. American Speech-Language-Hearing Association. Late Language Emergence. ASHA Practice Portal.: ASHA developmental norms for receptive and expressive language milestones; no babbling by 12 months and no words by 16 months are referral indicators; bilingualism does not cause language disorders.
4. Rowe ML. A longitudinal investigation of the role of quantity and quality of child-directed speech in vocabulary development. Child Development. 2012.: Density of parent language input during joint activities predicts vocabulary size at age 2.
5. Bus AG, van IJzendoorn MH, Pellegrini AD. Joint book reading makes for success in learning to read: A meta-analysis on intergenerational transmission of literacy. Review of Educational Research. 1995.: Meta-analysis across 35 studies found shared book reading significantly improves vocabulary and language skills in young children.
6. Hart B, Risley TR. Meaningful Differences in the Everyday Experience of Young American Children. Paul H. Brookes Publishing. 1995.: Children in high-interaction households heard roughly 30 million more words by age 3 than children in low-interaction households; word exposure gap associated with vocabulary size, IQ, and academic achievement.
7. Goldin-Meadow S, Levine SC, Hedges LV, Huttenlocher J, Raudenbush SW, Small SL. New evidence about language and cognitive development based on a longitudinal study: Hypotheses for intervention. American Psychologist. 2014.: Gesture predicts later vocabulary; teaching parents to gesture more leads to children gesturing more, which then predicts more words.
8. U.S. Department of Education. IDEA Part C: Early Intervention for Infants and Toddlers with Disabilities.: IDEA Part C provides evaluation and early intervention services at no cost to families for children birth to age 3; families can contact state programs directly without a doctor's referral.
9. Millar DC, Light JC, Schlosser RW. The impact of augmentative and alternative communication intervention on the speech production of individuals with developmental disabilities: A research review. Journal of Speech, Language, and Hearing Research. 2006.: No evidence that AAC inhibits speech development; substantial evidence that AAC supports communication development in children with developmental disabilities.
10. Suskind DL, Leffel KR, Graf E, et al. A parent-directed language intervention for children of low socioeconomic status: A randomized controlled pilot study. Journal of Child Language. 2016.: Parent coaching on responsive interaction led to significant gains in child language over a 12-week intervention period compared to controls.
11. Individuals with Disabilities Education Act, 20 U.S.C. § 1400 et seq.: IDEA is the federal statute establishing free evaluation and early intervention services for eligible children from birth through age 21.
12. American Speech-Language-Hearing Association. How Does Your Child Hear and Talk?: ASHA publishes developmental milestone charts used clinically by speech-language pathologists, including typical expressive vocabulary sizes by age.