Exercises To Stimulate Language In Children 1 To 2 Years Old

Early language stimulation is important from an early age. In this article, you will find some exercises to stimulate language in children aged 1 to 2 years.

It is important to stimulate language in children aged 1 to 2 years for good speech development. To begin to see what activities can be applied, it is necessary to keep in mind that language comprises two subtypes: expressive and comprehensive language.

In this article, you will find different types of exercises to stimulate language, both expressive and understanding, in children aged 1 to 2 years. Want to know what they are? Let’s start!

Exercises to stimulate language in children aged 1 to 2 years: comprehensive language

We can compare language to a repository of ideas, concepts and meanings that, from the moment we are born, we organize  and classify as if it were a library. So when we listen, we organize and add these ideas to that store (comprehensive language), just as we do when we express and communicate (expressive language).

To begin to understand the tales and stories, we can work with the little ones using different exercises. Do you want to know what they are?

point to images

For this exercise, we can use sheets with drawings or pictures and ask the child to point to the pictures on the sheets. We can use color drawings, animals, everyday objects, etc. That way, we can discover the vocabulary that she has already acquired or not.

Onomatopoeias to stimulate language in children aged 1 to 2 years

When the child is still young and has difficulty remembering words, we can use the different sounds to refer, for example, to animals. “ wow-wow” for the dog, “meow”  for the cat,  “cocorico”  for the rooster, and so on.

To choose

We should present two pictures, one of a word the child already knows and the other of a word he does not yet know. For example, a motorcycle and a car. So, we ask what the car is, since car is the term she knows, and motorcycle not yet. In this way, we can incorporate into their vocabulary the word that the child did not yet know.

Exercises to stimulate language in children aged 1 to 2 years: expressive language

Before introducing speech itself, there are many examples of this type of language. The look, the gestures, the sounds… So, before the children start talking, we can work through this type of exercise. Here are some options for you to put into practice:

Simulate a call

Early attempts to speak are often difficult to understand, but children should be encouraged to try even if they are not understood. One way to do this is to simulate a bond with them.

imitate sounds

If the little one, at first, still has difficulty imitating and repeating words,  we can play at imitating sounds that can be initiated by him or by us. For example, a fart, the “ba-ba-ba” , etc.

gesticulate

When explaining something, it is also important to use gestures, such as facial expressions or hand gestures. That way, kids will also use them to express themselves.

Look in the eyes

Every time we talk or  communicate with our child, we should always look him in the eye. It is advisable to lower to your height so that there is eye contact between the two. This is the first step to proper communication.

Blow

We can play at making paper boats and, at bath time, ask the child to blow the boat so that it can move, or to have it  blow to make bubbles. Thus, we can exercise the muscles involved in speech production.

play with the microphone

There are microphones where, when we speak close to them, the voice is heard as an echo, which children find a lot of fun. We can use this tool so that, while we are playing, the child can also hear himself.

I am seeing…

For older children, around 2 years old,  this game can be a lot of fun and also very beneficial for expanding their vocabulary. It consists of saying  “I see…” and the child responds:  “What?” Next, we choose an object that is visible and we give clues, such as its color, where it is, what letter it starts with, etc.

About exercises to stimulate language in children aged 1 to 2 years

So, as you can see, these exercises for stimulating language in children aged 1 to 2 years, besides being beneficial, can also  be a lot of fun, preparing the child for language production in the near future. This serves to stimulate her and so that the acquisition of vocabulary and its subsequent production is not so complicated. So be sure to try these activities and games.