5 Play-Based Language & Speech Strategies To Boost Communication Skills for Late Talkers

Research has shown that meaningful interactions through play builds approximately 90% of a child’s early language skills. In an earlier blog post we described the six developmental stages of play and the foundational communication skills that are acquired during each stage, from birth through four years old. Speech Language Pathologists have an educational background that includes strategies for teaching foundational communication skills through play. However, we believe that these strategies should be shared with ALL parents so that families can more easily incorporate language learning opportunities with their children at home. 

Below are five practical communication strategies that families can use during everyday play interactions with their children, to help increase language learning opportunities at home. These are especially helpful to use if your child is a late talker or has already been identified as having a speech or language impairment.

A “late talker” is a term used by speech-language pathologists to describe a young child—typically between 18 and 30 months—who has a limited spoken vocabulary or is slower to begin combining words, despite otherwise typical development in areas such as understanding language, play skills, hearing, and social interaction. While many late talkers eventually catch up to their peers with the appropriate interventions in place, some may be at risk for ongoing language delays. If you are concerned that your child may be a ‘late talker’, it’s important to speak with your Pediatrician and seek the guidance from a licensed pediatric Speech Language Pathologist.

You do NOT need special toys, therapy materials or activities to help your child increase their communication skills at home. Play is the most powerful tool that you can use to help your child, along with some simple communication strategies outlined below:

1. Focus on Joint Attention and Back-and-Forth Turn-Taking with and WITHOUT Words

Nonverbal aspects of communication are important to teach children, as they lay the foundation for building verbal and reciprocal communication skills. Examples of nonverbal communication skills, many of which begin emerging during infancy, include eye gaze and eye contact, shared focus and joint attention, changes in facial expressions, body gestures, imitating actions and sounds, pointing, turn taking and sharing, etc. 

To boost joint attention skills with your child, try the following activities at home:

• Roll a ball back and forth – without producing any words or sounds. Try to get your child’s attention with your eye gaze, facial expressions and gestures and see how many ‘back and forth’ turns you can take during this simple joint attention play activity.

• Take turns stacking blocks to build a tall tower.

• Imitate your child’s movements, actions and sounds.

• Model exaggerated facial expressions for various emotions and silly faces in front of a mirror with your child.

• Point and name what your child is looking at (e.g. toys, objects of interest, pictures in books).

• Play ‘Simon Says’ and sing nursery songs that incorproate simple actions and gestures that you can do together.

2. Use the “Say Less” Strategy

When playing with children who are late talkers, caregivers often make the mistake of talking ‘too much’ because they are so desperate to help their child learn to speak.  Although it sounds counterintuitive, silence can actually CREATE language opportunities for your child! An incredibly helpful language strategy that we recommend you use with your child during play focuses on ‘saying less’ and ‘observing more.’

Here are some examples of ways you can ‘say less’ while encouraging your child to communicate MORE at home:

• Using shorter, simple phrases.

• Slowing down your rate of speech.

• Emphasizing key words.

• Simply sitting down on the floor and silently engaging with your child during play and observing their interests, sounds, and actions that YOU can then imitate.

• Providing your child with EXTRA TIME to respond to your words, gestures, or phrases. Try to wait 5 seconds after you make a comment, to allow your child extra processing time to respond.

  
  

3. Teach Vocabulary Through Repetition

Research shows that children need MULTIPLE exposures to a word before they are able to fully understand and use it. During play, you can help model key words many times in meaningful contexts, to help build your child’s foundational vocabulary knowledge. Play is the PERFECT vehicle for teaching foundational vocabulary words, such as common nouns, action words, descriptive words, and spatial concepts.

Here’s an example of how you can repeat and label the same word (‘car’) in meaningful contexts during play with your child:

• “Car.”

• “Go car!”

• “Fast car!”

• “Car stop!”

• “Crash car”

• “Blue car”

• “Push car”

• “Blue car”

• “Want car”

• “More car?”

• “Two cars”

• “Big/small car”

4. Use Strategic Pausing When Asking Questions

Create opportunities for communication by allowing your child enough time to process the language you’ve modeled or questions you’ve asked. Here’s an example for how you can use pausing when working on the question, ‘Where is the ___?’ at home:

Step 1: Say your child’s name to gain their attention, then ask: “Where is the ___?”

Step 2: Wait 5 seconds and observe how your child responds. Providing this extra processing time is important, so try not to skip this step. During this wait time, notice whether your child is already using gestures when you ask, “Where is the + noun?” For example, does your child: Look at the correct item? Reach toward the object you named? These early gestures are important clues that your child may already understand the question and the object being named.

Step 3: If your child does not respond to your question about 5 seconds, repeat the question and then answer the question by modeling the phrase, ‘There is the + noun’ while pointing to the named object. This also teaches your child the important skill of pointing and answering basic ‘where’ questions.

5. Expand Your Child’s Language with the “Plus One” Strategy

One simple and powerful way to help your child learn to us longer phrases is by using the “Plus One” strategy. During play or everyday interactions, listen to what your child says and then repeat it back to them —adding just one or two extra words.

For example:

• If your child says, “Dog,” you can respond with, “Big dog!” 

• If your child says, “Truck go,” you might say, “The truck is going!” 

  
  

This approach models slightly more advanced language without overwhelming your child. By hearing their own words and phrases expanded, they begin to naturally learn how to use longer, more complete phrases.

It’s also important to keep communication positive and encouraging. Rather than correcting your child (e.g., “Don’t say it that way” or “Say it like this”), simply model the correct form. This makes language learning feel more natural, engaging, and motivating—helping your child build confidence while developing their communication skills!

To learn more about our play-based approach to delivering family-centered speech and language therapy services, visit our website at: http://www.sunnyspotspeech.com.

ABOUT US:

Sunny Spot Speech provides private speech therapy services and evaluations for kids in home, online, at your child's preschool, daycare, private school, or at another community location throughout Los Angeles' San Fernando Valley. We have an incredible and growing team of bilingual (Spanish and English speaking) Los Angeles based Speech Language Pathologists who are knowledgeable in the assessment and treatment of a wide range of communicative disorders, including (but not limited to) children with Language Disorders and Developmental Delays, Hearing Loss, AAC users, Fluency disorders, Articulation and Phonological Disorders, Childhood Apraxia of Speech, and Gestalt Language Processors.