Written by Cindy Hovington, Ph.D. Founder of Curious Neuron and Host of the Curious Neuron Podcast

Do you ever define words during playtime with your child? Play is a very powerful way of learning in early childhood. Some parents have asked me what their role is during play. There are many ways we can support our child’s development through play. Here are some points I found in a study that highlighted how caregivers can use definitions to promote language development.

What has research taught us about verbal feedback?

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According to research (Wasik and Jacobi-Vessels 2016. Early Childhood Education Journal), providing meaningful feedback during play can help support a child’s language development. Feedback can vary. A parent or caregiver can ask their child questions that invite a child to talk about what they are doing. Feedback during play can also look like repeating or recasting what the child is doing using more sophisticated language. Feedback can also include defining words. Providing a child with a child-friendly definition can help clarify the meaning of the word.

Young children are trying to understand the world they live in, including how to communicate. Defining words while you are playing allows them to construct the meaning of the word through play.

This is part of something called scaffolding for language skills (if you are part of our Parent Play Camp at the Curious Neuron Academy, please log on to view a 25-page workbook on how to do this!).

How can you apply this with your child?

We often assume our child knows the definition (I’ve done it as well!) but when we take the time to define words for them, it helps support their language development in a powerful way.

During play, an adult can say, “Can you pass me the triangle, the shape with 3 sides?”.

Hearing the definition of the word in the context of play is a powerful way to support language development.

Was this blog post helpful? Give this a try and let us know in the comments if your child learned a few words as a result!

Comments from our community on Instagram:

chatterbox.family
I also like to bring the definition of a word into a child’s life to make it more meaningful to them!
marisacastillon
Love this!! As an SLP and a mom, I started this technique when my boys were little babies to build my own habit of it during play and stories :)
hungryforbooksdotnet
I do this all of the time, and we think about synonyms and antonyms too!
trulykidtabulous
I usually label objects while playing with my 1year old, I will try scaffolding also. The new colour palette I like, it feels warmer
Hello, what age would this apply to? How young is too young for this to be helpful?
- (response from an SLP)
  speakingwithintention
  Babies are listening and learning from day one. It’s important to use simple words and language when talking to our babies to encourage their understanding. We do this too by using words in context and in their environment. You can really start doing this as early as you’d like. 🤗 Great post Cindy!