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Home › Articles › Development › Walking and Talking

Walking and Talking

Toddler Language and Development Questions Answered by the Experts

By iParenting Staff

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New parents are full of questions about their newborns before and after their miracle makes his or her way into the world. When a child reaches toddlerhood, a new batch of questions crops up, and many deal with walking and language skills. Two experts answer a few common questions from parents like you.

How can I provide a rich language environment for my 1-year-old?

Providing a rich language environment for toddlers is essential, says Mindy Hudon, a speech and language pathologist certified by the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association. "Talk about everything that you or your toddler is doing ('That's a big cookie. That cookie tastes good.') Also, talk about things in your environment ('See the blue bird. That bird is flying up in the sky.') Help your toddler learn to ask questions, like 'More cookie?' or 'Help?'" she says.

At this age, children enjoy cause and effect games. "Hide-and-seek is a great example of this type of game," Hudon says. "Go around a corner and when they say a sound or a word, respond by saying, 'Boo' or 'Did you call me?' Then say, 'Bye, bye.' Do this again and again."

My toddler uses gestures mostly to communicate. For example, he'll point if he wants his juice. How can I get him to use his words?

It is important for parents to be good speech and language models for their children; however, it's equally as critical that parents and caregivers encourage children to "use their words," Hudon says. "Children need to express themselves through their words rather than by actions alone."

Although listening to language is critical for a child's language development, actually using speech to express her thoughts and desires is equally as important. "Talking allows children to practice using various semantic (meaning of words) and syntactic (sentence structure) features to develop more advanced language structures," Hudon says. "Responding to grunts, gestures and head nods is not necessarily helping a child expand their expressive language."


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