Toddler Attention, Toddler Imagination, and Speech Therapy

All people, including children, learn best when they are happy. After all, we are more motivated by things that we like!

When you join your child in an activity that your child has already chosen, you increase the chances that your child is in a space where they are ready to learn.

Try your best to get rid of the pressure to do a specific activity with your child that you think they need to accomplish. Instead, try joining in on an activity that your child loves and spends a lot of time doing already.

Following your child’s lead in play will help keep their attention and engagement in your at home speech practice!

Tips for keeping toddler’s attention by following their lead

Tip 1 - Copy your child and introduce a new item

To start, try joining in on something that your child is already doing. If your child enjoys rolling a ball off the couch, you can do that too. Joining in when your child is already engaged in an activity ensures that you are both paying attention to the same thing and that your child is having fun. Both are important for learning.

Once you’re comfortable joining in on an activity that your child is doing, you can bring different items into that activity to expand the play. So, after rolling a ball off the couch together, you might get a toy car and roll the car off the couch. Then, get a lemon and roll the lemon off the couch. It may sound strange to push a lemon off the couch, but young children love silly things, and it may encourage your child to stay engaged with the activity for longer.

Keep practicing joining your child’s activities, and continue to come up with new items or ideas you can introduce in this play.

Tip 2 - Copy your child and add one action

Another way to follow your child’s lead in play is to copy one action that they are doing and then add a new action.

• If your child enjoys pushing a car along the floor, you can push the car along the floor and then drive it up a chair leg.

• If your child enjoys feeding a babydoll, you can feed a baby and then put it to sleep.

• If your child enjoys jumping, you can jump with your child and then fall to the ground.

Whatever the activity, just copy what your child is doing and add one more step.

Tip 3 - You don’t need any special things or toys to play!

Remember, you don’t need anything out of the ordinary to follow your child’s lead and engage with them in play. Just tap into your child's imagination!

If you have old delivery boxes laying around, your child may enjoy stacking them or coloring on them with crayons. Allow your child to utilize their imagination and play with safe everyday items. An added bonus of following your child’s imagination is that you can help them learn the words to describe the things, ideas, and actions in their play. 

Here’s my list of toddler imagination toys - toys that are great for following your child’s imagination! And you don’t have to limit yourself to stereotypical toys, we can make a toy out of just about anything!

Toddler Imagination Toys

• Blankets and pillows

• Play-Doh

• Balls

• Cabinets (*toddler proof things inside only)

• Toy cars, buses, and trucks

• Baby dolls

• Blocks

• Pots and pans

• Cardboard boxes

• Sticks, rocks, and other outdoor nature finds

At home activity: Following your child’s lead as you practice speech at home

In this activity, we will brainstorm ways to follow your child’s lead during play. Thinking ahead about how you might follow your toddler’s imagination can help you practice at home like a pro!

You can follow along on your own or download a copy of this activity for free ↓

Step 1: Observe your child. 

What is an activity that they like to play? _________________________

What objects are they playing with? _________________________

Step 2: Think of a new step you can add to their play.

What is one new action you can do with the object(s) your child is already playing with? ____________________

What can you say while you do the new action? _________________________

Step 3: Pick another object you can add to their play, and think of what you’ll do with it.

What is one new object you could bring to the activity?_________________________

How would you add the new object to the game your child is already playing? What are you going to do with it? _________________________

What can you say when you add the new object? _________________________

Here’s an example of following a toddler’s imagination when playing with their toys:

Step 1:

• Child is playing ‘farm.’ The animals are eating. They have two cows, a horse, and a plastic farm.

Step 2:

• I can pick up the cow and have the cow sleep. I can say, “my cow is tired and wants to sleep!”

Step 3:

• I can bring a toy truck to the farm.

• I can put the cow in the truck and say, “the cow is riding a truck! Does the horse want to ride too?”

More at home speech therapy strategies:

• Focused Stimulation: Repeating words to help toddlers learn them -  https://toddlertalk.com/blog/focused-stimulation 

• Face to Face: The easiest speech therapy strategy - https://toddlertalk.com/blog/getting-face-to-face

• Questions Versus Comments: The power of what you say - https://toddlertalk.com/blog/comments-over-questions

© 2020-2022. Stephanie Keffer, MS CCC-SLP. All Rights Reserved.

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