A few weeks ago, my sister called me with a toddler speech therapy question. She was worried because a friend asked her if her two year old little boy knew his colors yet. Her friend said that her two year old little girl knew all of her colors, shapes, and was able to name pictures from flashcards. My sister asked me if this is something her little boy should know at this age. Yes, it’s important for your child to eventually learn his or her colors; however, your toddler should first be able to express his or her wants and needs by communicating with you and his or her caregivers throughout the day.
Many times when I’ve gone to a home to do a toddler speech-language evaluation the parents are so happy to tell me that they’re helping their toddler learn colors, but the child can’t tell them that he/she wants a cookie or a favorite toy. I explain to them that it’s important for their toddler to learn how to communicate his or her basic wants and needs first and build their receptive (what your toddler understands) and expressive (what your toddler says) vocabulary before naming colors.
Colors are adjectives. Once your toddler is able to say at least fifty single words, you can start adding in colors if he or she is ready to make two word phrases (which is the next stage of speech and language development). Just make sure your child is ready for colors. Do not push them on your toddler. There are many other two word combinations you can emphasize until your toddler is ready for colors.
Please keep in mind that I’m not saying colors are unimportant. They have their time and place! It’s crucial that your toddler know his or her colors eventually, but in the beginning you should stick to the basics. I think most early intervention speech-language pathologists would agree with me too!
To learn how you can help your toddler talk and communicate faster, be sure to check out my book on Amazon Kindle, Talking With Todders - 52 Tips to Boost Speech and Language Skills.
Many times when I’ve gone to a home to do a toddler speech-language evaluation the parents are so happy to tell me that they’re helping their toddler learn colors, but the child can’t tell them that he/she wants a cookie or a favorite toy. I explain to them that it’s important for their toddler to learn how to communicate his or her basic wants and needs first and build their receptive (what your toddler understands) and expressive (what your toddler says) vocabulary before naming colors.
Colors are adjectives. Once your toddler is able to say at least fifty single words, you can start adding in colors if he or she is ready to make two word phrases (which is the next stage of speech and language development). Just make sure your child is ready for colors. Do not push them on your toddler. There are many other two word combinations you can emphasize until your toddler is ready for colors.
Please keep in mind that I’m not saying colors are unimportant. They have their time and place! It’s crucial that your toddler know his or her colors eventually, but in the beginning you should stick to the basics. I think most early intervention speech-language pathologists would agree with me too!
To learn how you can help your toddler talk and communicate faster, be sure to check out my book on Amazon Kindle, Talking With Todders - 52 Tips to Boost Speech and Language Skills.
RSS Feed
