Are you wondering how to best encourage your baby’s first words and early communication? As a speech-language pathologist, I’m passionate about showing parents and caregivers how play can make all the difference. While there are many factors at play, one of the most powerful and enjoyable tools we have is play and toys for speech development is key. Through playful interactions, babies learn about the world around them, develop social skills, and lay the crucial foundation for speech and language.

Think about it: play is a baby’s natural way of exploring and learning. It’s through touching, tasting, seeing, hearing, and even smelling during play that their brains make connections and build understanding. These early sensory experiences are intrinsically linked to language development. When a baby reaches for a bright red block, and you say, “Look, a block!”, you’re not just labeling an object; you’re linking the visual experience with a spoken word.

This article will explore why play is so vital for your baby’s speech and language journey. More importantly, I’ll share some of my favorite “go-to” toys that speech-language pathologists frequently use to encourage communication in babies. Remember, the key isn’t just having the toys, but knowing how to use them to spark interaction and language growth.

Top Toys for Speech Development: An SLP’s Guide

Here are some of the top toys that speech-language pathologists often use when working with babies, along with detailed instructions and scripts to help you make the most of playtime:

The Amazing Toy Mirror:

Tummy Time Floor Mirror

Why SLPs love it: Mirrors are fantastic for fostering self-awareness, encouraging vocalizations, and building early vocabulary related to body parts and emotions.
How to use it:
- Step 1: Introduce the mirror. Hold your baby in front of a safe, unbreakable toy mirror.
- Step 2: Point and label. Point to your baby’s reflection and say, “Look, it’s [baby’s name]!” Then, point to different body parts in the reflection and say, “That’s your nose,” “These are your eyes,” “Let’s wiggle your toes!”
- Step 3: Make faces and sounds. Make silly faces in the mirror (happy, sad, surprised) and label the emotions: “Happy face!” Encourage your baby to imitate your expressions. Make simple sounds like “ooh,” “aah,” “mmm,” and see if your baby tries to copy you.
- Step 4: Play peek-a-boo. Cover the mirror briefly and then reveal it, saying “Peek-a-boo!” This teaches object permanence (the understanding that things still exist even when you can’t see them) and encourages anticipation.
- Script Examples:
  - “Where’s your smile? There it is! A big smile!”
  - “Can you touch your head? Good job!”
  - “Let’s make a funny face! Look at our silly faces!”
  - “Uh oh, where did [baby’s name] go? Peek-a-boo! There you are!”

Indestructible Books: A World of Words at Their Fingertips:

Hello Farm, Love You Baby, Baby See the Colors, Baby Animals, Baby Let’s Eat

Why SLPs love them: These durable books are perfect for introducing early literacy skills, expanding vocabulary, and fostering a love of reading. They can withstand chewing, bending, and even washing!
How to use them:
- Step 1: Choose engaging books. Look for books with bright, simple pictures and few words on each page. Books featuring familiar objects, animals, or faces are great starting points.
- Step 2: Point and label. As you look at the pictures together, point to the objects and name them clearly. “Look, a dog! Woof woof!” “That’s a ball. Let’s bounce the ball!”
- Step 3: Make sounds. If the book features animals, make the corresponding animal sounds. “The cow says, ‘Moo!'” “The cat says, ‘Meow!'”
- Step 4: Ask simple questions (for slightly older babies). As your baby gets a little older, you can start asking simple “wh” questions like, “What’s that?” or “Where’s the [object]?”
- Step 5: Encourage interaction. Let your baby turn the pages (even if they skip around!), point to pictures, and babble about what they see. You could even babble back to you baby and see if you can get this back and forth interaction to continue!
- Script Examples:
  - “This is a big red apple. ‘Apple!”
  - “Look at the happy baby! The baby is smiling.”
  - “Where’s the bird? Touch the bird? Tweet tweet!”
  - “What does the car say? Vroom vroom! Or Beep beep!”

The Magic of Bubbles:

Bubble Tubes, Bubble Bestie

Why SLPs love them: Bubbles are incredibly motivating and versatile! They can be used to encourage requesting, imitation of sounds and words, and understanding of basic concepts like “up,” “pop,” and “more.” The nice thing about bubbles is that they disappear! This creates a natural opportunity for your child to request more or initiate the continuation of this activity.
How to use them:
- Step 1: Get ready to blow. Have your bubble solution and wand ready.
- Step 2: Build anticipation. Before blowing, hold the wand up and say, “Ready? Set… Blow!” This helps your baby anticipate the fun.
- Step 3: Blow bubbles and label. Blow bubbles slowly and say, “Look, bubbles!” Point to the bubbles as they float: “Up, up, up!” When a bubble pops, say, “Pop!”
- Step 4: Encourage requesting. Pause before blowing more bubbles and see if your baby looks at the wand or makes a sound. If they do, say, “More bubbles? Okay, here you go!” You can also model the word “more.”
- Step 5: Encourage imitation. Make sounds of surprise or excitement when the bubbles pop (“Oh!”, “Wow!”). See if your baby tries to imitate you.
- Script Examples:
  - “Want bubbles? Say ‘buh-buh’ (for bubbles).”
  - “Let’s catch the bubbles! Pop! Oh no, it’s gone!”
  - “Look at all the bubbles floating high in the sky!”
  - “More? You want more bubbles? Here comes another one!”

The Simple Yet Powerful Ball:

Sensory Balls

Why SLPs love it: Balls are fantastic for encouraging turn-taking, requesting, and learning action words like “roll,” “throw,” “catch,” and “bounce.”
How to use it:
- Step 1: Choose a soft, safe ball. A soft fabric ball or a small rubber ball works well.
- Step 2: Start with rolling. Sit on the floor facing your baby and roll the ball gently towards them, saying, “Roll the ball!” Encourage them to roll it back to you.
- Step 3: Introduce other actions. Once your baby is comfortable with rolling, introduce other actions like throwing (gently!), catching, and bouncing. Label each action as you do it. “Let’s throw the ball! Catch!” “Bounce, bounce, bounce!”
- Step 4: Encourage requesting. Hold the ball and wait for your baby to look at it or reach for it. Say, “Want the ball? Say ‘ball.'”
- Step 5: Take turns. Emphasize the concept of taking turns. “My turn! Now it’s your turn!”
- Script Examples:
  - “I’m going to roll the ball to you. Here it comes! Roll it back to me!”
  - “Can you throw the ball up high? Wow!”
  - “Let’s catch the ball! Got it!”
  - “Whose turn is it? My turn! Now it’s your turn to bounce the ball.”

Soft Stackable Blocks: Building Language Brick by Brick:

Soft Blocks

Why SLPs love them: Blocks are excellent for teaching spatial concepts (up, down, on top), colors, sizes, and action words like “stack,” “build,” and “knock down.”
How to use them:
- Step 1: Start simple. Begin by stacking just one or two blocks at a time, labeling the action: “Up!”
- Step 2: Introduce colors and sizes. As you stack, name the colors: “Blue block on .”You can also talk about size: “big block.”
- Step 3: Encourage requesting. Hold out a block and ask, “Want the block?”
- Step 4: Build together. Work together to build a tower or other simple structures. Describe what you’re doing: “Now I’m adding another block.”
- Step 5: The fun of knocking down! Once you’ve built something, let your baby knock it down while you say, “Crash!” or “Down it goes!” or “Boom!”
- Script Examples:
  - “Let’s build a tall tower! Block, block, block!”
  - “Can you give me the block? Thank you!”
  - “We made a big tower! Uh oh… BOOM!”
  - “Let’s put the small block on top of the big block.”

Engaging Shakers:

Shakers with a handle, Egg Shakers

Why SLPs love them: Shakers are great for stimulating auditory awareness, encouraging imitation of sounds and rhythms, and teaching the concepts of “loud” and “quiet.”
How to use them:
- Step 1: Introduce the shaker. Show your baby the shaker and make a shaking motion, saying, “Shake, shake, shake!”
- Step 2: Make different sounds. Shake the shaker gently for a quiet sound and more vigorously for a loud sound. Label the sounds: “Listen, it’s quiet.” “Now it’s loud!”
- Step 3: Encourage imitation. Hand the shaker to your baby and see if they imitate your shaking motion. You can also say, “Can you shake it like this?” while demonstrating.
- Step 4: Play along to music. Put on some simple baby songs and shake along to the rhythm.
- Script Examples:
  - “Let’s shake it fast! Shake, shake, shake!”
  - “Can you shake it slowly? Shhh… quiet.”
  - “Listen to the music! Let’s shake our shakers together!”
  - “Want to shake the shaker? Here you go!”

Pop-Up Animals: Surprise and Language Fun!

Pop Up Toy

Why SLPs love them: Pop-up animal toys are excellent for teaching object permanence, anticipation, and early vocabulary related to animals and actions like “pop,” “up,” and “down.”
How to use them:
- Step 1: Show the animals. Point to the different animal buttons or levers and name the animals: “Here’s a cow. Moo!” “Here’s a dog. Woof woof!”
- Step 2: Demonstrate the pop-up action. Show your baby how to make the animals pop up. Say “Ready? Pop!” when an animal appears.
- Step 3: Encourage anticipation. Before popping an animal, say, “Who’s going to pop up?” or “Let’s see who’s next!”
- Step 4: Use exclamations. When an animal pops up, use excited exclamations like “Wow!” or “Look who it is!”
- Step 5: Encourage requesting. Wait for your baby to show interest in a particular animal and then help them make it pop up. You can also ask, “Do you want the [animal] to pop up?”
- Script Examples:
  - “Where’s the bunny? Let’s make the bunny pop up! Pop!”
  - “Oh, it’s the pig! The pig says, ‘Oink oink!'”
  - “Who’s hiding? Let’s find out! Pop! It’s the kitty!”
  - “Do you want to make the froggy pop up? Here we go!”

Beyond the Basics: Tips for Playful Toys

Remember, these are just a few examples of toys that can be incredibly beneficial for your baby’s speech and language development. The most important thing is to be present, engaged, and have fun! Here are a few extra tips to keep in mind:

Follow your baby’s lead: Let your baby’s interests guide the play. If they are fascinated by a particular toy, spend more time with it. Try imitating your baby’s actions or sounds!
Narrate your play: Talk about what you and your baby are doing. “I’m stacking the block.” “You’re shaking the shaker.”
Use simple language: Speak clearly and use short, simple sentences.
Repeat, repeat, repeat: Repetition is key for language learning. Don’t be afraid to say the same words and phrases multiple times.
Make it interactive: Encourage your baby to participate by making sounds, pointing, or reaching for toys.
Be patient and celebrate small victories: Every little interaction and vocalization is a step forward.

Play is not just fun; it’s a fundamental building block for your baby’s communication skills. By incorporating these toys for speech and techniques into your daily routine, you’ll be providing a rich and stimulating environment that will help your little one blossom into a confident communicator. So, grab those toys, get down on the floor, and let the language learning adventure begin!

For more information check out these resource:

MDS: Word Shapes 101: A Parent’s Guide to Speech Development

First Words Bright Futures Facebook Page

First Words Bright Futures Instagram Page

Disclaimer: This article provides general information and suggestions for educational purposes. It is not a substitute for professional diagnosis or treatment from a certified Speech-Language Pathologist. Please consult with a qualified professional if you have specific concerns about your child’s speech and language development.