Building language through play: A fun approach to get your little ones talking!

Building language through play: A fun approach to get your little ones talking!

Playtime is the perfect moment to help your child build language skills in an engaging, natural way. With simple, everyday phrases, your child can absorb new vocabulary while having fun - the most effective way for children to learn new skills! This is why speech therapists use play in their therapy sessions. 

Why play-based learning works?

Children naturally learn language best in real-life, engaging settings. Playtime offers the perfect opportunity to connect actions to words, making language learning both fun and meaningful.

By preparing the play environment with the right type of toys (not battery-operated ones), you can easily introduce new vocabulary and phrases in a way that feels like a game and keeps them engaged. 

Let’s explore how open-ended toys like Aden + Ren’s Tabur Arch + Slide,  Dahan Balance Beam, and Kancil Push Wagon can do just that.

 

Aden + Ren Tabur Arch + Slide: Ready, Set, Go!

The Tabur Arch + Slide offers endless opportunities to introduce action words and turn-taking phrases. As your child climbs, slides, and interacts with this toy, use simple, repetitive phrases like:

  • Up
  • Climb up
  • Down
  • Slide
  • Wheee
  • Whoa
  • Go
  • Ready, set, go
  • My turn, your turn

This not only makes playtime exciting but also introduces important verbs and sequencing words that help build early language skills. It also teaches sharing through turn-taking, fostering social interaction.

Aden + Ren Dahan Balance Beam: Walk, Jump, Explore

Balance beams are a fun way to enhance your child’s movement vocabulary. As they walk across or jump off the beam, guide them with words like:
  • Up
  • Down
  • Go forward
  • Walk backwards
  • Sideways
  • Turn
  • Left
  • Right
  • Step
  • Jump
This encourages not only physical coordination but also helps them understand directions and body movements through language. It’s an active way to teach spatial concepts and action verbs.

Aden + Ren Kancil Push Wagon: Push, Pull, and Move

With a wagon, your toddler can explore words related to movement and direction as well as positioning. As they are interacting with the wagon, try:
  • Push 
  • Pull
  • Go
  • Let’s go
  • Ready, set, go!
  • Turn left, turn right
  • Faster
  • Slower
  • Go faster
  • Slow down
  • In 
  • Out
  • Sit inside 
  • Climb in
  • Come out
  • Climb out

This provides a hands-on experience of cause-and-effect language while engaging their muscles and minds. It also builds on their understanding of directional and positional language, making it a rich source of learning.

Ready to get started?

Try these ideas during your child’s next playtime session with the toys you already have or even everyday household objects! If you’re looking for toys that encourage both fun and learning, check out Aden + Ren’s collection of thoughtfully designed products that make playtime an enriching experience.

 

Back to blog