Late Talkers
Is your toddler not talking yet? Does s/he babble and coo and squeal and holler? Or is s/he quieter?
Parents of late talkers are usually eagerly anticipating their child's first words. "Getting him/her to talk" is the goal parents most often identify when starting speech therapy with a child whose communication isn't developing on its own. But using words (which typically begins around the first birthday) is not where communication begins. In fact, communication has been developing for the entire first year, and one of the foundational skills before we hear kids start to talk is we hear them becoming NOISY.
Learning to vocalize (meaning making sounds with your voice) is something kids do well before we hear them using words. They may grunt or shout and point at something they see (hoping to direct our attention), they may babble ("babababa" or "mamama" are common), or they may use "jargon" (strings of sounds that we can't understand as meaningful words). Children need to learn to use their voices with purpose and control before they can organize themselves to try out meaningful words like "mama" or "ball." So before we can jump into teaching words, we need to get them making noise!
Here are some great ideas for working more vocalization into your child's routine:
Get moving! Kids find it easier to vocalize when their bodies are in motion. Run, jump, swing, or bounce around while making sounds with your child.
Model sound effects often. When playing together, make the cars go "vrrrrrooom!" and the animals/babies slurp/smack their lips as they eat. Say "wheeee!" going down the slide. Say "mmmm!" when food is yummy. Celebrate everything with "yay!" Be creative!
Play with sound-amplifying toys and household items and experiment with your voice as it echoes through the toy (e.g., cardboard tube, bucket, $1 "echo" microphones from the dollar store, etc). Encourage your child to try it, too.
Play games and sing songs with animal noises or other sound effects (e.g., here comes the monster → "AAAAH!")
Go to a large space with an echo and vocalize in there (e.g., empty garage)
Try having everyone in a large group talk, laugh, or sing all at the same time with the child present - this "crowd noise" sometimes helps the child organize his/herself for joining in.
(Adapted from the work of Laura Mize of Teachmetotalk.com: https://teachmetotalk.com/2016/05/13/286-286-11-skills-toddlers-use-before-words-emerge-8-vocalizes-purposefully/)