First words are emerging alongside expressive gestures—your baby has so much to tell you.
These activities encourage first word production, build gesture-word combinations, and develop the expressive communication skills that blossom in the toddler years.
Stacking and nesting toys are perfect for this age. Your baby is learning about size, order, and cause-and-effect with every tower they build and knock down.
First words may be emerging! Name everything you see throughout the day—narrating your world is the single best vocabulary builder.
Brief standing is happening! Let your baby practice standing while holding your fingers—building the leg strength and balance for walking.
Fill a basket with safe textured objects and narrate what baby touches — smooth, bumpy, soft, crinkly — pairing sensory exploration with descriptive words.
Introduce simple signs for 'more,' 'all done,' and 'eat' during meals — giving your baby a way to communicate before words come along.
Point to pictures in a sturdy board book and name them with enthusiasm — building your baby's vocabulary long before they can say the words themselves.
Play peek-a-boo with favorite toys, naming each one as it appears — combining the thrill of surprise with vocabulary building.
Take your baby outside and describe everything you see, hear, and feel in simple sentences — turning an ordinary walk into a rich language bath.
Read through a board book of animals, making each animal sound with big expressions — your baby will be giggling and trying to copy the sounds in no time.