Nurture the Bond’s Gift Guide
Speech-language pathologist approved
[…and not on everyone else’s list]
Happy November, friends! With the clocks changing this weekend, we’re also changing our brains over from Halloween to the holidays. And while yes, it seems like everyone and their Grandma puts together these AMAZING gift guides these days (more to come on that soon, we promise), we have a few favorites that we wanted to contribute.
These gifts are speech-language pathologist approved, encourage language development, and connection with your littles. Read on for the best ways to encourage words and language development with them in only 5 minutes of playing or less. These strategies are quick, effective, and easy to implement. Because who has time to dedicate their whole day to playing with their kids, we’ve got stuff to do, people!
Animals and Barn (see description for more options)
Personalized Books (see description for more options)
1: FLOWER GARDEN
This toy is a favorite for all ages and stages. The best part is that your language can grow with it. Our favorite first words to use with it are: up, on top, in, tall, whoa, crash.
With toys with a lot of pieces, sometimes we like to keep “control” of the pieces (aka have the bag of all the pieces in our lap and resist the urge to dump them all out). This makes it easy to offer choices. Pull two out of the bag and offer them to your kiddo:
“Do you want stem or flower?” | “Big or little?” | “one flower or two flowers?”
Sure, we sometimes ask colors too, but remember there are SO many other words we can model for our kids besides colors! And remember that once you offer, any attempt is a great one. Maybe it’s a point, maybe a “deh” for stem…repeat back whichever one they’re reaching for as if they said it clearly, “stem!” and move on.
Alternately, let your kiddos dump them ALL out and build it together. Just model the words of flowers that you pick, without any expectation for them to imitate you. “Oooh, big flower, on! Stem in. On top.”
You’ll be shocked at how taking the pressure off will actually INCREASE their desire to try!
2: LEARNING BARN TOYS
Aren’t these the cutest little friends? There are so many ways to play with these little guys. Yes, we can model colors and numbers…BUT we prefer a wider variety of words and pretend play schemes with it. Our favorite first words to use with it are: night-night, wake up, go in, close, open, hi, bye.
As every speech pathologist (or SLP for you all in the know) will tell you, our absolute favorite thing to do with little items that have a lid is to knock on them. Here’s the routine, it goes a little something like this:
“Knock knock….open”, “Hi puppy”, “woof woof”. Yawwwwn, “where does puppy want to go night-night?” “Put in…top on”, “Night-night puppy”
Rinse and repeat. Five minutes or less of intentional play time.
We love this for adding verbs in to little one’s vocabulary (research shows that late-talking toddlers use dramatically fewer verbs— an average of about 3 compared with almost 46 for typically-developing toddlers)
3: CAR RAMP
There are so many fancy variations of car ramps out there, ones with all the bells and whistles. But this one is our fav. Simple and fun. Our favorite first words to use with it are (you guessed it!): ready, set, go, down, on top, more, weeee.
4: BILIBO SEAT
It’s a turtle shell, it’s a seat, it’s a diaper, it’s a helmet, it’s a…..BILIBO seat! Have you seen these before?! SLP’s and OT’s everywhere are raising their hands, but this is something that you don’t see in every household. But HOLY MOLY is it fun. It’s an awesome toy for those kiddos in our lives that are seeking a little extra sensory input. Our favorite first words to use with it are: spin, stop, whoa, row row.
We love pairing toys that move with songs. It’s the perfect way to add in that MAGIC PAUSE for your kiddos to fill-in-the-blank. A fan favorite is “Row, row, row your boat”, pausing for “boat” and “dream”. Or if you’re our kids, you love the dinosaur addition to it.
“Row, row, row your boat gently to the shore, if you see a dinosaur don’t forget to…ROAR”.
What are your favorite verses to add in?
5: CARRY AROUND ANIMAL TOWN
How cute is this?! Adorable jungle animals, amazing pretend play schemes, different familiar park equipment (slide, swing, seesaw). And the best part? It closes up and is portable (I hear a little “ahhh” with the clouds parting on this one). Our favorite first words to use with it are: my turn, on top, go, wee, splash.
6: CUSTOMIZABLE FAMILY BOOK
THIS. This is hands down my favorite gift to make. I’ve made one for both of my kiddos when they turned one. Because do you know what littles like? Looking at pictures of themselves and their family!
Yes, it takes a little bit of work, but Pinhole Press makes the process so easy. (And nope, we’re not getting paid to say this. We just ADORE this company). Add in your baby, mama, dada, siblings, pets, grandparents, aunts, cousins. Bonus points if it’s pictures of your kiddo WITH their family member.
BEST PRESENT EVER.
But! We wouldn’t be SLP’s if we didn’t mention, this book is not meant to drill your kiddos on names. Try to take down the, “who’s this?” like three notches. Read the book and model the names. You can say “hi” to them or add in your magic pause.
A classic. Once again, there are so many variations of barns and animals. So many bells and whistles. This is our favorite barn. It has stalls for the animals, opens up for different rooms, and has a big barn door to knock on. What else could you need? Oh, a wider variety of animals to go with it!
Our favorite first words to use with it are: animal names and sounds, eat, “num num”, knock-knock, go in, open, night-night, barn.
And HOW CUTE is this travel barn? It’s a portable wooden barn that folds up, includes animals and a tractor, and is only 8 inches! Adding to cart now…
8: SHAPE SORTER
There are shape sorters out there, and then there’s this one. Cute animal faces, only three slots, and it makes the FUNNIEST SOUND. Kids can’t get over the sound it makes. It’s perfect for capturing attention and wanting to do over and over.
Remember, keep doing it as long as your kid is interested.
Our favorite first words to use with it are: in, down, haha, silly, uh-oh, stuck, help, wiggle, push.
With this one, we love to pretend that we can’t get the shape in the shape sorter. Nothing like a grown-up having a tricky time to get kids engaged! “Uh, stuck” “Help!” “Wiggle wiggle, in” “Push!”. Your kiddo will be enthralled.
9: PERSONALIZED BOOKS
I See Me has a huge variety of personalized books. It could not be simpler to pick a theme, add your kiddo’s name, and even a picture, and VIOLA! A book to be cherished.
Our favorites are the farm book with a picture of your kiddo in it (because again, what kid doesn’t like looking at pictures of themselves?), and the truck book for our truck-loving friends.
You can help them learn the sign of “my” by tapping on their chest every time you say their name.
What a great way to practice recognizing and saying their name!
10: SPORTSTASTIC ACTIVITY CENTER
Ahhh, last but not least. Our absolute favorite gift to get kids moving, entertain them on rainy days (hello, we live in the Pacific Northwest!), and add language to those movements. Our favorite first words to use with it are: ready, set, go, wee, down, on top, big step, up up up, boom, swoosh.
Research shows that incorporating motor movements is a great way to get kiddos talking, so get your kiddos moving, and narrate their actions with this awesome toys.
Now check on those holiday gifts off your to-do list!
Happy playing, NTB Fam!
