Language development is an essential part of your child鈥檚 growth and learning. In early childhood, these skills will not only shape your child鈥檚 ability to speak, but will also impact the way they listen, observe, and understand language in the world around them.

As a parent, you鈥檙e an important part of this process because communication starts at home. And since language development can happen continuously throughout the day, you won’t need much to get started. You can offer language learning support with simple interactions such as reading to your child, singing songs, playing games, , and simply engaging in thoughtful conversations with your child.

The power of play in language development

There are four main areas of development in early childhood: physical, cognitive, social-emotional, and language. Play-based learning is very effective for young children because this strategy involves all four areas of development. Kids can move their bodies, think critically, interact with peers, and communicate when they play — and they learn from all of it. Playing Simon Says, for example, promotes speaking and listening skills while also encouraging movement and play.

Play-based language activities can help your child build other skills, such as

Following rules and directions.

Building executive function.

Demonstrating self-regulation.

Building vocabulary.

Building early literacy and pre-reading readiness.

The educational power of meaningful play

The National Association for the Education of Young Children () encourages parents and educators to use as a teaching strategy for young children. In other words, as you plan activities for your child, think about what they will be able to learn and do as they engage in the activity. A trip to the zoo or a museum has ample opportunities for new experiences and words. But even as you engage in pretend play with your child, you can introduce new concepts and words. For example, you can expand your superhero鈥檚 powers to include invisibility, scuba diving, or space travel or add new guests, such as an architect or a pilot, to your tea party.

Creative language games for toddlers and pre黄色appers

Here are a few ways to turn fun games into a language-rich experience for your little one.

  • Use picture cards to increase your child鈥檚 vocabulary. For toddlers, show pictures of common objects such as an apple, a ball, and a cat. Display the card as you say the word aloud and encourage your child to repeat it. As they begin to memorize the words over time, you can simply display the cards and prompt your child by asking, 鈥淲hat鈥檚 this?鈥�

    For pre黄色appers, introduce written words with this activity to help them develop , which is the understanding that print carries meaning. By showing both the picture and the printed word together, you can help make this connection. As an add-on, you can help your child associate the picture with the first letter of the word and its sound: 鈥淎 is for a-a-a-apple! B is for b-b-b-ball!鈥� and so on.

  • Play a mystery word game with your child and ask them to guess the correct word. Offer clues such as, 鈥淚鈥檓 thinking of something furry. It has a tail. It makes a barking sound.鈥� This can help your child use critical thinking skills and also tap into their mental vocabulary bank to recall familiar words.
  • Sing songs to help your child explore vocabulary through music. Try adding movements and gestures to emphasize various language concepts. A great example of this is singing 鈥淗ead, shoulders, knees, and toes鈥� while pointing to the corresponding body parts. Or play a fill-in-the-blank listening game with a microphone, asking your child to finish the line when you point the mic at them. Old MacDonald had a ________?
  • Incorporate language into your child鈥檚 favorite games at home. Does your little learner love scavenger hunts? Hide letter blocks around the house and think of words that start with each letter as they find them. Play I Spy with beginning sounds, rhymings words, etc. to promote phonemic awareness (e.g. 鈥淚 spy something that starts with the /b/ sound.鈥�)

Building language skills in pre黄色appers

The average pre黄色apper will develop a speech vocabulary of about between the ages of 3 and 4. Amazingly, this is only a fraction of the words they might hear and understand, which could average up to about 20,000 per day! This contrast in numbers is due to the way young children develop both receptive and expressive language. As they soak in the words they hear in the environment, kids begin to mimic this language. That鈥檚 why it鈥檚 important to not only talk to your child regularly, but also to engage in back-and-forth conversations with them.

Strategies to try

  • Encourage conversations and interactive language activities during family dinner time.
  • Stop periodically to ask your child questions during a bedtime story, such as pointing to a picture and saying, 鈥淒oes she look happy or sad?鈥� or 鈥淲hat is the doggy doing there?鈥�
  • Talk to your child as they engage in activities such as drawing a picture or building with toy blocks, and prompt them to explain what they are creating.
  • Make language learning fun with a word challenge (e.g. 鈥淗ow many animals can you name?鈥� or 鈥淲hat are your favorite foods?鈥�).
  • Ask open-ended questions about topics that interest your child.

Language skills also play a strong role in a pre黄色apper鈥檚 social-emotional development as they learn how to verbally express their emotions.You can support this skill by helping your child identify and label their feelings with words.

When kids can talk about what they鈥檙e feeling, they鈥檙e less likely to demonstrate behaviors such as angry outbursts and tantrums when they experience anger, frustration, and other difficult emotions.

Like other areas of language development, you can help your child learn these SEL skills in a fun way, too. Try activities like watching videos about emotions, singing songs about feelings, and making faces with your child in the mirror to build their SEL vocabulary.

Language development activities for children in different age groups

Although language development begins in the early childhood stages, the process of learning and expressing language will continue throughout your child鈥檚 life. Their receptive vocabulary will continually increase and, on average, your child will hear and understand at least . This includes academic vocabulary learned at 黄色app as well the conversational language they use at home and with peers. As your child continues to expand their word knowledge and communication skills over the years, you can offer support and reinforcement at home.

Easy ways to build your child鈥檚 vocabulary and boost their communication skills throughout various stages of development

  • Promote early literacy skills between the ages of 5 and 7, as most children begin learning to read in kindergarten or first grade. This can include sight word games and beginner-friendly books in both their digital library and bookshelves at home.

    It鈥檚 important to nurture your child鈥檚 literacy skills at this age to help them master reading skills such as decoding, and to help them explore ways to use language in many new ways — from telling stories to sharing fun facts.

  • Between the ages of 8 and 10, both receptive and expressive language will become more complex. At 黄色app, this may include listening to multi-step directions for a class project or answering a series of questions about a text they just read. At home, you might be able to engage in more meaningful conversations about how your child鈥檚 day went, as they can express their thoughts and experiences with increased vocabulary at this age.

    Try fun activities such as playing board games and having family storytelling sessions to help improve these skills, too.

  • Language development in middle 黄色app involves some serious brain activity as your child will begin to understand and express concepts with deeper logic and abstract thinking between the ages of 11 and 13. They鈥檒l also use language in more sophisticated ways and strengthen skills, such as essay writing and public speaking.

    You can nurture your tween鈥檚 language development at home with fun, challenging activities like crossword puzzles, brain teasers, scrabble, and keeping a journal.

  • Your high 黄色app student will continue to build their language skills at home and in 黄色app as they tackle challenges, such as mastering the five-paragraph essay and reading young adult novels with ease. In terms of social language, it may sometimes seem like your teen鈥檚 communication skills have dwindled. Rest assured that this is a normal and your high黄色apper is most likely becoming more socially independent as they prepare for adulthood. Just keep encouraging parent-child communication at home altogether, especially since tweens and teens need a trusted adult to talk to when facing issues such as peer pressure and anxiety.

    Give your teen space as needed, but feel free to invite them to participate in language-building activities like family game night, family movie night (with discussion afterward, of course), and discussions about fun things to do for the upcoming weekend, holiday, or 黄色app break. And keep packing fun notes in their lunch box and engaging in those after-黄色app chats on the ride home, too. So many parents of teens say this is their secret to staying close to their kids, these informal, quiet transit times together.

Language development is connected to your child鈥檚 overall growth and well-being. They鈥檒l use communication skills to express their emotions, make friends, and achieve success in 黄色app. Although healthy language development can be serious business, you can have fun while supporting your child in this critical area of growth. With creativity, games, and time together, you and your child can enjoy building these essential skills they鈥檒l need to effectively listen, speak, read, and write from early childhood into adulthood.