Apps for Toddlers: Which app will teach my toddler to talk?
In today’s technology driven world, there’s an app for everything, right? So, can an app teach my toddler to talk?
Honestly? No.
Children learn to talk and communicate through interactions with people. A device is not a person, so what they learn from it does not necessarily translate into actual improvements in language and communication.
That being said, there are a variety of “speech therapy” apps for babies/toddlers/kids that you can find readily available that claim to help children communicate and talk better. Some focus on vocabulary (language) and some focus on sounds (speech production) and many say they are geared towards ages 1 and up.
Many of these apps do use evidence-based methods, even methods that are used daily in actual speech therapy such as:
Repetition
Hierarchy of skills (starting with easy skills, and getting more complex)
Themes/categories of information
Video modeling
Practicing isolated mouth movements
However, there are some major pitfalls in each of these apps, if relying on them to teach speech and language skills. They can be broadly broken into two categories: apps that are aimed to teach language (the words children understand and say) and apps geared for speech (or pronunciation).
Ms. Melissa’s thoughts on Language and Vocabulary Apps
As a speech therapist, I’ve seen and used a lot of speech therapy apps over the years. Some I see and want to try out myself, and some that other parents introduce me to-and we may try out together. Most parents want to know if using an app will help their young child’s language… and if so, specifically what app. Let’s jump first into Language and Vocabulary apps.
What the apps do: Most of these language apps focus on trying to teach new vocabulary, either receptively (understanding new words), expressively (saying new words), or both. They may show pictures or little videos of items or actions and model the word or phrase a few times.
My concern: The problem is that there’s no context for learning these words, no way for a young brain to meaningfully file away a word such as parakeet in order to remember that word next time. Our brains learn and remember through connections and relationships. If someone were to teach me a new word in a language that I have no experience with, I might be able to repeat it in the moment, perhaps still a few minutes later. But next week? I won’t remember it unless there’s repeated exposure and a meaningful way to connect to and remember that word. A child is much more likely to learn the word parakeet while watching them at a pet store with their parent than they are from seeing it on a screen in their living room.
Many of these apps also do not choose their vocabulary words with care, in relation to what your child already knows or should know for their age. For example, one app stated it was designed for children as young as 1 year old, and had a vocabulary word of “chimpanzee.” That is not typically a crucial word for a 1 year old--it would be much better to start with monkey, banana, or even easier, the monkey sound “ooh ooh aah aah.” It is also not as useful for the toddler’s everyday life: for a child who only says one or two words, it would probably be much more useful to learn words they can actually use, like diaper, water, wash, or sleep.
If you’re looking for specific App Reviews for Language and Vocabulary apps, click here.
Ms. Melissa’s thoughts on Speech apps
For working on speech production, there are a lot of apps out there. And as a speech therapist, I’ve seen and used a lot of them. Some I see myself, or hear about from a colleague, or even from a parent. In order to recommend them (or not), I will trial them myself with young children in mind. Most parents want to know if using an app will help their young child’s speech production… and if so, specifically what app. Let’s explore these apps.
What these apps do: These apps are focused on teaching a child to produce a certain sound, or to make a certain mouth movement. Most of them use repetition, both in modeling that sound/movement many times and may also request that the child makes the sound/movement many times. The theory behind this is that by isolating a certain sound or mouth movement and repeating it many times, the child will learn to produce that sound.
My concern: The main concern with using these apps for toddlers working on speech sound development is that it is created as a “one size fits all” approach, meaning that it doesn’t take into account what your child knows or is ready to learn. Speech sounds do not all develop at the same time; there are easier and harder sounds and using an app could easily frustrate a 2 year old by asking them to practice a sound or word that is above their level. Besides, the app isn’t able to discern right/wrong attempts to know when to move on, so there is no guarantee that a sound has actually been learned anyway. In addition, there is very little evidence that working on mouth movement (what we call oral motor movements) will improve speech sounds. Teaching a child how to puff up their cheeks will not naturally improve their productions of any specific sounds. Some of these apps are created in that fashion, which is not supported by research or evidence.
The app has also removed the experience of a professional to guide the goal, tasks and activities. If your child is already talking and is seeing a speech therapist to work on certain sounds, some older children may be motivated to work on their speech homework with an app. HOWEVER, please ask your speech therapist what specific sounds, levels and activities would be beneficial to your child and how you can help monitor to make sure the sounds are being done correctly.
If you’re looking for specific App Reviews for Speech Production apps, click here.
What can I use to help my young child learn to talk if I don’t use an app?
Overall, children learn through active learning, meaningful interactions, and repeated connections to things they already know. They learn primarily through play. While a brightly lit and colorful screen may hold a toddler’s attention, there's minimal active learning. It is more passive: clicking buttons and watching things and doing a little bit of work.
Again, children learn when they play… when they experience firsthand what happens when a ball drops from the ball tower, over and over again and a parent is modeling the words for them “ball… falls down! Uh oh! Ball falls down again!” instead of just a screen repeating the word “ball” over and over and over again. There is very little that can be done in these apps that can’t be done in real life daily activities or in play.
Here are some ways to expand on an app to create active learning situations for your child.
What about teaching letters and colors, what app do I need for that?
There are also lots of educational apps that teach letters, numbers, colors, shapes, reading etc. Some of these apps (such as Starfall, ABC Mouse etc) are popular and quite good--for the right age child. Developmentally, these should be reserved for older preschoolers and school-aged children, not toddlers. While some of these apps are great, these are not a recommended focus for a child that is just learning to talk. Learning academic words (letters, numbers, colors, shapes etc) are not functional words and should not be the primary focus for toddlers. Toddlers need to focus on learning to talk about things they want and need to get their needs met, not to be able to simply memorize and label academic words.
But my child loves screen time, can I not use it at all?
Apps can be a teaching tool, when used in conjunction with other natural interactions and play. Children, especially toddlers, do not need apps to learn vocabulary words or meaningful communication.
In Review,
No app is going to magically teach your young child to talk
Apps can be used if needed, and ideally when paired with meaningful real life situations and play, to make vocabulary meaningful
Children learn when they play. So the playtime you have with your child, even for 10 minutes, is significantly more impactful than 10 minutes on an app
Written By:
Melissa Sartori, MS CCC-SLP
© 2020-2023. Stephanie Keffer, MS CCC-SLP. All Rights Reserved.
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