The Inextricable Link Between Play and Language Development

Time and time again I hear, “all the speech therapist did in my session was play with my toddler…” Does this sound or feel familiar? I’m going to address this elephant in the room, right here, right now: the importance of play, how toddlers learn through play, and why it looks like we’re always “just playing…”

But, before I can dive into how we can support toddler language development through play, I need to touch on the crucial connection between play and language. I’ll start by saying this: a toddler’s only job is to play. That’s it! That’s how they learn just about everything they know, and how they develop all of the skills that they have. Think about it, toddler’s don’t sit at a desk, in a classroom learning. They don’t drill flashcards or study maps. They play!

Now, play can look very different at varying stages of toddlerhood. And while you may not look at an action and think of it as “play” - trust me, it is. Even when they are “just observing” others.

We see toddlers do this all the time on a playground: they stop and watch older children play around them. This “observer” stage is vital for development. Language learning and play are inextricably linked. And, as parents, it’s not always easy to recognize certain actions as toddler play, let alone be attuned to all of the potential language modeling opportunities. So let me get into it a bit here.

Toddlers are curious little humans who are always exploring, manipulating objects, and taking risks. Through all of their actions they’re learning turn-taking skills, problem solving, hand-eye coordination, visuo-spatial awareness, pragmatics, critical thinking, and the natural use of language.

When a toddler is given the opportunity to explore a swing set, all of these areas of development come into play. They need to figure out how to climb up that ladder, how to position their bodies to go down the slide, how to wait their turn, how to advocate for themselves, and so much more.

We, as parents and caregivers, are providing them with useful language models throughout it all. We’re directing their actions, giving them the language to share or to wait, and building their vocabulary while they play.

The language that you can model for and teach your toddler while playing outside is endless.

Let’s think about a play scenario where a toddler is simply climbing up the ladder of a playhouse…

With this seemingly simple action we have the opportunity to:

● Let them problem solve on their own

● Provide models of actions (e.g., step up!)

● Provide the language for asking for help

● Reassure them and build their confidence

● Teach them exclamatory phrases (e.g,“wow!” “look!”)

The importance of play as it pertains to language development cannot be overstated. We need our toddlers to play, however they’re going to play. We need to let them run outside, climb the ladders, slide down the slides, and just be toddlers - it’s crucial for all aspects of their development!

About Tala Hershey, Speech & Language Parent Coach

Check out Tala's website here: https://hersheyspeechcoach.com/

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