Play Sounds - the gateway to first words
Did you know that toddlers will imitate or copy your sounds before they imitate or say “real” words?
It's a fascinating aspect of their language development journey. Perhaps you've noticed your baby engaging in a playful exchange of nonsensical sounds with you, like "Ma-ma-ma-ma" or "Boo-bee-bop." These seemingly random sound imitations are actually laying the foundation for your child to one day mimic the words you say – a crucial step in their language learning process.
To bridge the gap between these nonsensical sounds and real words, it’s a good idea to practice with play sounds and exclamatory words.
In this blog post we’ll talk about
Why focus on sounds?
Toddlers frequently mimic or reproduce sounds before they attempt words. This pattern emerges because sounds, by their nature, are less complex to articulate and pronounce. Consequently, toddlers can produce these sounds at an earlier stage of development, particularly as their pronunciation skills are still evolving.
By engaging in activities that involve sounds which they can pronounce and mimic, you're effectively enhancing their speech skills, especially their ability to pronounce words correctly. This, in turn, prepares them to take on the challenge of imitating and uttering more difficult words in the future.
Which sounds to practice with?
To make things simpler, let's categorize our practice sounds into two groups: noises and sounds. Sometimes, sorting things into categories can be easier to understand! Babies and toddlers tend to imitate noises before they start copying sounds. This happens because noises are generally a bit easier to pronounce than sounds, and both noises and sounds are usually simpler to say than words.
Noises
Play Noises: These are among the first sounds your child may mimic because they can often be the easiest for babies and toddlers to pronounce. Encourage them to copy sounds like blowing raspberries, pretending to yawn, sneezing with a cheerful "ah-choo," sharing a playful laugh with "haha," pretending to snore, or fake crying with a "wahh!" Other sounds include "shhh" for quiet, "hmmm" for thinking, making slurping noises while pretending to drink, mimicking chewing sounds, panting like a dog, playfully growling, and grunting to show effort or struggle.
Vehicle Noises: Toddlers often find vehicle sounds fascinating. Encourage them to imitate the noises of ambulances, helicopters, making fluttering lip sounds for car engine noises, saying "beep beep" for cars, honking horns, and mimicking airplane engine sounds.
Sounds
Exclamatory Sounds: These are expressions of emotions that are fun to make, and also vital for developing early communication skills. Practice sounds like "uh-oh," "oh-no," "whee," "woah," "wow," “pow,” "woo-hoo," “hooray,” "oops," "boo," "yay," "ta-da," "yum," “mmm,mmm,mmm” (when enjoying something delicious), "yuck," "brrr,” and "ouch."
Animal Sounds: Encourage your child to imitate the sounds of animals, including moo, quack, neigh, roar, woof, meow, oink, baaa, ribbit, peep, cock-a-doodle-doo, and tweet.
Do noises and sounds count as words?
Exclamatory words and animal sounds are considered early words in a toddler's vocabulary. Additionally, sounds like "beep," "honk," and "shh" can also be counted as words since they convey specific meanings. However, it's important to note that play noises, such as mimicking the sound of objects or bodily functions, are typically not counted as words in a toddler's developing language.
Related: What counts as a word? (the complete guide)
How to help your child imitate play noises and sounds:
Make it Fun: Learning should be enjoyable for your child. Incorporate sound imitation into playtime to make the experience engaging and exciting.
Get Face to Face: Ensure your child can see your face clearly when you make different sounds. Visual cues are essential for them to understand how to form the sounds correctly.
Be Repetitive: Repetition is key to language development. Repeat the same sounds naturally during your interactions, providing your child with ample opportunities to observe, imitate, and learn.
So, to wrap things up…
Sound imitation is a crucial stepping stone in your toddler's language development journey. It paves the way for them to transition from babbling and copying sounds to speaking recognizable words. By practicing with sounds that are fun and relatable, you're not only enhancing their pronunciation skills but also fostering their ability to communicate effectively. Embrace the playful world of sound imitation with your child, and watch as they transform these playful noises into meaningful words, one delightful sound at a time.
And if you’re working on sounds at home I have one more helpful resource for you!
3 Tips + 3 Activities for encouraging your child to imitate sounds
Written By: Stephanie Hatleli, MS CCC-SLP
© 2020-2023. Stephanie Keffer, MS CCC-SLP. All Rights Reserved.
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