Disclaimer: This title is a lie.
Sort of…
I’m sure this list really will be the 10 best toys for someone.
But just like everything else we do in speech, there isn’t a one-size-fits-all solution for the toys or activities you should use to help your child with their speech skills.
The #1 Best Toy for Speech
Want to know what the absolute best toy is for working on speech?
Your child’s favorite toy.
That’s right, the one you already have that your child already loves.
When you work on speech at home, you want it to be fun and motivating for your child.
One of the best ways to do that is by incorporating your speech practice into a game or activity with a toy that they already love.
That means you don’t need to buy something new. You don’t need to spend tons of money. You don’t need special materials.
Everything you need to get started is already in your home.
That being said…
New things can also be motivating.
And sometimes you just can’t have one more barbie tea party without going a little crazy.
So maybe you need fun ways to use your kiddo’s other toys…
Or maybe your child’s birthday is coming up and you want to give grandma ideas for gifts that your kid will love and that you can use to help them say their first words, expand their play skills, or start using words to tell you when they need something.
Whatever the reason is, this guide is here to help make your speech time a little more fun.
Criteria for the List:
In order to be included in this list, a toy had to meet 2 criteria.
1. No Tech
I’m not against technology, but there’s a saying that the more a toy does, the less the child has to do.
When it comes to working on language skills, I prioritize toys that do as little as possible.
2. Can Be Used for Multiple Speech Skills
All of these toys can be used to work on multiple speech skills, including many of the skills that your child needs to have before they start talking.
*UPDATE: This list originally focused on toys that could be used to support early language development (that’s the first part of the list). It’s now been expanded it to include some of the best options for working on articulation too!
So, in no particular order, here are some of my favorite toys you can use to practice speech at home (plus ideas for how to use them):
1. Building Toys
This category is intentionally broad because there are tons of different toys you could use to work on the same skills the same way.
Even a marble run…
Anything you can use for building works for these activities.
You can work on imitation skills by sitting side-by-side and copying what your child builds.
You can work on requests by keeping pieces in a box and handing them to your child one at a time as they stack them.
Or you can work on early words by repeating things like “again”, “one more”, “big”, and “uh oh… it fell down!”
2. Kitchen Set
Whether it comes from a store or gets created from extra pieces from your own kitchen, a toy kitchen set is a great tool for working on speech.
You can practice pretend play skills by pretending to cook soup, bake cookies, or wash dishes.
You can work on early words by naming foods, dishes, and actions like “stir” or “cook”.
And you can practice following directions and modeling requests by asking your child to hand you a spoon, two carrots, or a cookie and a glass of milk.
3. Puzzles
Puzzles are great because they can work for all ages.
You can start out with peg puzzles, move to very simple connecting puzzles, and continue to do similar tasks with puzzles that have more pieces as your child gets older.
You can use puzzles to work on functional play (one of the skills that comes before speech), by putting the pieces together instead of tossing them or tapping them together like drumsticks.
Puzzles are a great way to work on sustained attention since this activity can take a long time. Plus you can leave and come back to it without making too much of a mess.
You can also work on early words, questions, or describing by talking about what you see in the picture as you put it together.
4. Toy Animals
This could be your child’s favorite stuffed animal, a bunch of dinosaurs, or a set of farm animals.
Work on animal sounds with these toys. Practice early developing sounds like M, N, and B in words like “moo”, “neigh”, and “baa”… or go crazy and practice your loudest “ROARRR”.
(P.S. Animal sounds count as words too!)
You can work on pretend play skills by giving the animals a bath, helping them run around, or even making them talk to each other (or to your child!).
Or practice imitation by grabbing your own animal and copying what your child does with theirs. Imitate the actions and any sounds your child makes, and gradually add in your own to give your child a chance to copy you!
5. Books
No speech list would be complete without books.
Whether you have your own book collection at home or take a weekly trip to the library, I highly recommend making reading a regular part of your routine.
Did you know that kids whose parents read them 5 books a day will go into kindergarten having heard over a million more words than kids who aren’t read to?
That means you’re expanding your child’s vocabulary in a big way just by reading to them.
You can also work on understanding words by asking questions like “what’s that?” and “where’s the bear?” as you look at the pictures.
Then take it a step further and start working on gestures by pointing to objects in the pictures as you ask and answer questions about them.
If you’re looking to expand your child’s book collection, a few of my favorites are:
Brown Bear, Brown Bear, What Do You See?…
And Where the Wild Things Are.
6. Cars
From race cars to construction trucks, vehicles of all kinds are a fun way to work on speech.
Practice vocabulary like “up”, “down”, “fast”, and “slow”, or sound effects like “vroom vroom” and “beep beep”.
Work on joint attention and gestures by racing cars with your kiddo and pointing to yourself or your child to celebrate who won.
Or practice following directions by telling your child how and where to drive their car (go fast up the chair, stop, go slow down the chair, now race super fast into the kitchen).
7. Tool Set
I love toys that allow you to model vocabulary from real-life activities.
Just like the kitchen set, toy tools allow you to do exactly that.
Practice turn-taking by sharing a hammer as you each take turns hitting a “nail” or tapping your furniture into place.
Work on initiation by holding the tool kit for your child and handing them new tools as they need them.
And help extend your child’s sustained attention by seeing how many items you can “fix” before they’re ready for a new game.
Bonus! While not traditional tools, occupational “tool sets” like a doctor’s kit are great for these kinds of activities too!
8. Ice Cream Kit
While it might not replace the real thing, a toy ice cream kit is such a fun way to work on language skills.
You can work on following directions by asking your child for specific numbers, colors, or flavors of scoops.
Practice joint attention as you and your child transition your focus between the ice cream and each other.
And even if you’re targeting a different skill, you’ll be working on pretend play skills because, well, it’s not real ice cream.
9. Busy Boards
Whether it’s a simple wooden board or a whole book of boards, these target so many skills.
They can be very functional, including things like laces, latches, letters, and animals, which creates tons of opportunities to help your child learn words that they’ll use frequently throughout their daily routines. Practice naming the items and describing what they do or how you use them.
You may even want to choose a board that has an element or two your child will need help with. That way you can use it to work on initiating interactions and making requests.
Plus, you’ll be working on fine motor skills. While not language-related, it’s equally important and a good way to support all aspects of your child’s development.
10. Dress Up Clothes
You can make silly “outfits” out of your old clothes, repurpose Halloween costumes, or buy things specifically for dress-up purposes.
However you create the collection, this is pretend play at its finest.
Once your child chooses a costume, you can incorporate all of your language skills into that imaginary scenario.
If your child is a superhero, you can work on gestures by pointing to the stuffed animal that needs saving next.
If your child is a princess, you can practice following directions as you (her fairy godmother) help her get ready for the ball.
And if your child is an astronaut, you can target imitation skills by copying the silly movements you’d make floating around in space.
BONUS! 11. Fidgets
While I do believe you can use absolutely anything to work on language skills, these wouldn’t be my top pick for things like expanding vocabulary or joint attention because they’re not easy to make interactive between two people.
However, I think it’s very important to support sensory needs and give kids tools to help with self-regulation.
Both of those things are necessary for kids to be in a calm, relaxed state where their brains are capable of learning and developing skills like language.
And since fidgets are easy tools that can help meet those needs, they get an honorable mention on this list.
With anything sensory-related, what one person loves might be another person’s worst nightmare. So try a few different options until you find the best one for your child.
Let’s Talk Articulation
Up until this point, this list has focused on early language skills.
While you could use any of those toys to work on articulation too, many of the options are geared towards younger kids, and they aren’t ideal for getting lots of repetitions of a single sound (which isn’t necessary every time, but it’s a good goal for most of your artic practice).
My favorite artic activities are turn-based, so you can do something fun and practice sounds during the built-in “breaks” (in between turns).
12. Classic Board Games
Personally, I think this is the easiest way to work on articulation.
You can practice with literally any game.
I even worked with kid who regularly requested to play Chess (no, he did not know how to play, but we didn’t let the rules get in the way of a good time).
You can use any set of articulation cards, or even a word list with your child’s sounds, and practice a word, phrase, or sentence after each turn.
13. Non-Board Games
Is there a better/more accurate/more descriptive word for turn-based games without a board?
I’m talking games like…
Honestly, these might all be considered board games too. But my board game list was getting too long.
Regardless, you use them the same way.
Take a turn. Practice a sound. And repeat.
14. Card Games
Let’s continue our turn-based trend with games like…
Or a Memory game.
P.S. For a memory game, you can print out two copies of your favorite articulation cards, cut them up, and flip them upside down. Laminate if you plan to use them frequently.
15. Games That Get You Talking
Something new for articulation!?
That’s right, toss the artic cards for these games.
These are perfect for kids working on sounds at the sentence or conversation level.
If they’re not there yet and you want to use these activities for practicing sounds in words, you can use artic cards or word lists like all our other games, or you can pick a word out of the sentences to practice on its own.
First on this mini-list, is Guess Who?.
And yes, this could have also been on the list of non-board board games. Apparently there’s even a card game version now.
But this feels different than the other turn-based games to me, because there are so many opportunities to practice sounds in sentences when asking questions and describing characters.
Another favorite is Would You Rather questions.
To be honest, I’ve never played the actual game… I just find questions online.
But they’re such a fun way to start conversations (which are the final phase for practicing a sound).
If your child is old enough to read, they can also practice sounds while reading the questions out loud.
If you want to get other kids involved in the fun, a game like Apples to Apples can be a great way to do that.
Although basic gameplay doesn’t have quite as many opportunities for sounds as Would You Rather, you can create those opportunities by having your child read the descriptions on the cards or by explaining why their card is the best one.
Finally, Mad Libs.
You get double practice with this one.
When your child picks a word (bonus points if they can think of one with their sound in it), have them tell you the sentence they think will be in the story.
Then, when you’re done, it’s time to read.
This part’s best if your kiddo can read the story out loud themselves.
But if they can’t, just pick out words to practice when you’re done, or have them repeat sentences after you.
Which of these toys will your child like best?
Here’s your challenge for the day:
Pick one toy you think your child will have a great time playing with.
Then pick one of your speech goals and spend 15 minutes practicing with that activity.
After you’re done, head into our Facebook group and let us know what you did!
Need more ideas for how to use toys like these to work on speech skills?
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