A handful of words, meaningful gestures, and lots of jabbering—your baby is on the verge of a language explosion.
These activities encourage word production, support gesture-speech integration, and build the vocabulary foundation that will expand rapidly in the months ahead.
Walking is right around the corner. Push toys and sturdy furniture give your almost-toddler the confidence to take those first wobbly steps.
Your baby loves imitating you. Give them a play phone, a small broom, or safe kitchen items—pretend play is starting!
Simple shape sorters and chunky puzzles build problem-solving skills. Cheer when they get a piece in—confidence matters more than speed.
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.