5 Speech Therapy Strategies That Encourage First Words
Updated: Aug 3
Helping Your Toddler Talk
By Tamara Gonzalez-Scheulov, M.S., CCC-SLP
Wondering how to help your toddler talk?
These five simple, speech therapist-approved strategies encourage first words, build communication skills, and support early language development during everyday routines and play.
Tip 1: Follow Your Child's Lead During Play & Everyday Routines
Notice what your child is interested in and join their world, whether it’s trucks, bubbles, or kitchen spoons. Use their interests as a bridge to connect, play, and build language together.
For example, if your child is pretending to stir a pot with a spoon while you’re cooking nearby, you might say, “Stir, stir! You’re making soup like me!” or “Mmm, that smells yummy! What’s cooking in your pot?”
Why it works:
Children are more motivated to communicate when they are interested and engaged. It opens the door for natural interaction and shared attention.
Tip 2: Get Face-to-Face To Build Communication
Sit or kneel so you're at your child’s eye level during play. Being face-to-face helps you and your child share the same focus, whether it's a toy, a book, or each other’s expressions. This kind of shared attention, called joint attention, is a powerful building block for communication.
Why it works:
It makes it easier to connect, exchange looks, gestures, and sounds, and helps your child learn how back-and-forth interaction works.
Tip 3: Pause & Wait for Your Toddler to Respond
After you ask a question or make a comment, pause for 5 - 10 seconds. Give your child time to respond with a word, gesture, or look. This is a purposeful pause that shows your child you're waiting for a response.
Why it works:
Waiting shows your child that you’re listening and gives them time to process and respond at their own pace.
Tip 4: Add Language During Everyday Activities
Language stimulation techniques are strategies used to support communication and language development by increasing a child's opportunities to hear, understand, and use language.
One way to do this is by adding language to everyday interactions and talking about what you and your child are seeing, doing, and experiencing in the moment. For example: "You're stacking the blocks!" "Uh oh! You dropped it." "I'm putting it back on top." "We did it!"
Why it works:
Language stimulation techniques help facilitate communication by providing children with meaningful language models throughout the day. As children repeatedly hear words and phrases used in context, they begin to understand what those words mean and how they can be used to communicate. Over time, these experiences help build the foundation for children to use gestures, signs, word approximations, and spoken words to express themselves.
Tip 5: Respond to Every Attempt to Communicate
Notice and respond to your child’s sounds, gestures, facial expressions, or words even if it’s just a glance or a babble. Smile, repeat their sounds, comment on what you think they’re trying to tell you, or simply pause and tune in to establish a moment of shared attention.
Why it Works:
The ultimate goal is to be tuned-in and responsive. Being responsive helps your child move from emerging communication (making sounds or gestures without a clear purpose) to intentional communication (doing things on purpose to get your attention).
Final Thought
Some of the best opportunities to support your toddler's speech and language development happen during everyday moments like playtime, mealtime, bath time, story time, and other familiar routines
Choose one or two of these speech therapy strategies and begin incorporating them into your daily interactions. Simple changes—such as following your child's lead, pausing to give them a turn, offering choices, and using language stimulation techniques—can create meaningful opportunities for your child to communicate, learn new words, and build confidence.
Remember, the goal isn't to get your child to repeat words on demand. Instead, focus on creating enjoyable, responsive interactions that encourage communication naturally. Over time, these everyday experiences help build the foundation for speech, language, and communication skills.
When Should I See a Speech Therapist?
Every child develops communication skills at their own pace, and there is a wide range of what is considered typical. However, if you're concerned about your child's speech, language, or communication development, it's always okay to seek guidance from a speech therapist.
It may be helpful to schedule an evaluation if your child:
Is not yet using words by around 18 months or has a very limited vocabulary for their age.
Is not using at least 50 words or beginning to combine two words together by around 24 months (for example, more juice or mommy up).
Has difficulty understanding simple directions or everyday language.
Rarely points, gestures, or attempts to communicate with others.
Becomes frustrated because they cannot express their wants and needs.
Is difficult for familiar people to understand compared with other children their age.
Stops using words or communication skills they previously had.
Is not meeting expected speech and language milestones.
You have concerns about their overall communication development.
Early intervention can make a meaningful difference. A speech therapist can evaluate your child's communication skills, answer your questions, and provide individualized strategies to support speech and language development through everyday interactions.
Additional Resource
This printable handout from the Hanen Centre introduces the OWL strategy.
Hanen Centre - Language Building Tips
This free, printable handout from the Hanen Centre aligns with the strategies shared in this blog and offers simple, everyday tips to support your child’s language development.
About the Author
Tamara is the owner of Little Chatterbox, LLC and an SLP with experience across early Intervention, private practice, and school-based settings. Her approach combines evidence-based practice with play, connection, and family-centered coaching.
References
Hart, B,. & Risley, T. R. (1995). Meaningful Differences in the Everyday Experience of Young American Children.Baltimore: Paul H. Brookes Publishing.
Huber, E., Corrigan, N. M., Yarnykh, V. L., Ramírez, N. F., & Kuhl, P. K. (2023). Language experience during infancy predicts white matter myelination at age 2 years. Journal of Neuroscience, 43(9), 1590–1599.
Mundy, P., & Newell, L. (2007). Attention, joint attention, and social cognition. Current Directions in Psychological Science, 16(5), 269–274.
The Hanen Centre. (2004). It Takes Two to Talk® Guidebook
Tomasello, M., & Farrar, M. J. (1986). Joint attention and early language. Child Development, 57(6), 1454–1463.
Weisleder, A., & Fernald, A. (2013). Talking to children matters: Early language experience strengthens processing and vocabulary. Psychological Science, 24(11), 2143–2152.
Zimmerman, F. J., Gilkerson, J., Richards, J. A., et al. (2009).
Teaching by listening: The importance of adult-child conversations to language development. Pediatrics, 124(1), 342–349.
