Speech & Language Growth Starts at Home — Here’s How!

As parents, we play a vital role in fostering our children’s speech and language development. The good news? It doesn’t require Pinterest-worthy crafts or elaborate organization solutions! It takes just a couple of minutes a day to help encourage speech and language growth, all while creating quality time with your kiddos. Here are some research-based strategies and personal insights to help you create a home environment that encourages speech and language growth.

Encouraging Communication by Keeping Preferred or Necessary Items Out of Reach

A simple yet effective way to encourage communication is to keep preferred items slightly out of reach. When a favorite snack or toy is placed on a high shelf, your child is naturally motivated to communicate their needs. Whether through gestures, pointing, or verbal requests, this small change encourages them to initiate interactions. Similarly, if your child is playing with something that requires a specific piece, you can foster language growth by withholding it until they ask for it. For example, provide some but not all of the Magna-Tiles, or give a child everything they need to paint—except the paintbrush!

I often have friends ask me how to encourage their toddlers to talk more, and this is almost always the first thing I recommend! A friend once shared how keeping the fruit snacks on the counter instead of in the pantry led to her toddler reaching up and saying, “More snack!” This small shift created daily opportunities for language practice.

Screen Time Limits and Language-Rich Shows

While technology is an unavoidable part of daily life, research supports setting reasonable screen time limits to prioritize face-to-face interactions. The American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) recommends balancing screen time with interactive activities (AAP, 2016). Studies have shown that excessive screen time can impact language development, but high-quality, interactive content can provide learning benefits (Linebarger & Vaala, 2010).

If your child is watching TV or YouTube, choosing language-rich content can enhance their learning. Shows such as Bluey, Daniel Tiger’s Neighborhood, and Sesame Street model strong language skills, social interactions, and problem-solving. YouTube channels like Ms. Rachel focus on interactive, slow-paced language learning, which can be beneficial for younger children. I’ll be the first to admit that I’ve used screens to keep my youngest occupied just so I can catch a break! But I take comfort in knowing that the shows she watches are engaging and educational. Over the past couple of years, her favorites have included Mickey Mouse Clubhouse, Danny Go!, Blippi, Ms. Rachel, Meekah, and StoryBots—all of which offer great language-learning opportunities.

Recasting for Appropriate Language Models

Recasting is a powerful strategy where parents repeat what their child says, modeling correct grammar, sentence structure, or vocabulary. This technique provides children with a rich language model without directly correcting them (Cleave et al., 2015).

For example, if your child says, “Him go park,” you can recast by responding, “Yes, he is going to the park!” This approach helps children naturally absorb proper language structures without feeling pressured or corrected. If your child says "fruitsnacks!" because they are now out of reach, you can recast by saying, "I want more fruit snacks, please!" Recasting is also a great opportunity to model appropriate speech sounds.

Reading Together

Reading with your child is among the most effective ways to build language skills. Shared book reading promotes vocabulary development, comprehension, and conversational turn-taking. Interactive reading strategies such as asking open-ended questions (“What do you think will happen next?”) and expanding on your child’s responses can further enhance language growth.

Research shows that children who are read to daily are exposed to significantly more words than those who are not, providing them with a strong foundation for language and literacy skills (Mol & Bus, 2011). A mom-friend of mine recently shared how her 3-year-old, who was initially quiet during storytime, began filling in words to his favorite book over time. This interactive engagement helped him develop confidence in verbal expression.

Encouraging Conversations About Their Day

Daily conversations about your child’s experiences help them practice storytelling, sequence events, and use descriptive language. Instead of asking, “How was your day?” (which often gets a one-word answer), try asking, “What was the best part of your day?” or “Tell me something funny that happened today.” Using visual cues like drawing or pictures can also help younger children express themselves more easily.

One of the parenting books I recently read, Habits of the Household by Justin Whitmel Earley, suggested playing "Two Truths and a Lie" about your day to spark conversation with kids. We started incorporating this game into our dinner routine several months ago, and it has quickly become a family favorite. At first, we had to help our then-2-year-old daughter participate alongside her 5- and 8-year-old brothers, but now she’s beginning to grasp the concept on her own! This game has led to deeper conversations about our children’s daily experiences, far beyond what we used to get with a simple "How was your day?"

Other great dinner conversation games include sharing "highs and lows"—where each family member shares the best and most challenging parts of their day—and "Pass the Pepper." Described in Habits of the Household, "Pass the Pepper" is a simple yet effective game where everyone takes turns answering the same question, with only the person holding the pepper (or another chosen object) allowed to speak. These small, structured games have transformed our mealtimes into engaging, language-rich moments.

Final Thoughts

Creating a language-rich home doesn’t require fancy tools—just intentional interactions, engaging conversations, and meaningful play. By making small, thoughtful changes in your daily routine, you can foster an environment where your child’s speech and language skills can thrive. Which of these strategies have you tried? I’d love to hear about your experiences in the comments!

References

• American Academy of Pediatrics. (2016). Media and Young Minds. Pediatrics, 138(5), e20162591.

• Cleave, P. L., Girolametto, L., Chen, X., & Johnson, C. J. (2015). Narrative abilities in monolingual and dual language learning children with specific language impairment. Journal of Communication Disorders, 55, 1-14.

• Earley, J. W. (2021). Habits of the Household: Practicing the Story of God in Everyday Family Rhythms. Zondervan.

• Linebarger, D. L., & Vaala, S. E. (2010). Screen media and language development in infants and toddlers: An ecological perspective. Developmental Review, 30(2), 176-202.

• Mol, S. E., & Bus, A. G. (2011). To read or not to read: A meta-analysis of print exposure from infancy to early adulthood. Psychological Bulletin, 137(2), 267.

• OpenAI. (2025). ChatGPT language model. Retrieved from https://openai.com/chatgpt