Children need to hear a word lots of times before they will be able to use it. You can help by naming items that your child points to or shows interest in, and repeating new words several times throughout the day in different contexts (e.g. “apple” – at snack time, when cooking, when at the shops).
Hide & seek
Hide pictures or toys around the room. Send your child to find them. Every time a picture is found he must tell you what it is.
Books
Ask your child to point to pictures as you say them. Encourage him to name some too.
Choosing objects
Have some toys out on the table. Ask your child to pick one out (don’t point with your eyes!). You could do this with everyday things like spoons and saucepans to get your child used to useful names. Do the same in the bath, e.g. with flannels, toothbrushes, parts of the body, etc.
Posting
Name toys or pictures as you post them into a cardboard box. Take turns with your child.
Feely bag
Pull toys slowly out of a bag one at a time and encourage your child to name them. If he doesn’t know the name, say it for him.
Tidying up
Encourage your child to name their toys as you tidy them away or take them out.
Actions
Choose a favourite toy, e.g. teddy. Make teddy do different actions, e.g. jumping, sitting, sleeping. Talk about what teddy is doing in short phrases, e.g. “he’s jumping, he’s sleeping”. Repeat these lots of times. Say “what’s he doing?…jumping!” (answer your own question until your child can do it).