Cheap & Simple Toys to Encourage Language Development (Part 2)

In order to round off my list of therapy toys, below you will find three additional ideas to add to your bag of tricks!

 

5) Toy Bus & Little Toy People 

My mom had saved this toy from my little sister's toddler days, and man oh man was I grateful. Although I am not sure how much a bus and little people would cost, I am pretty sure that this toy set would be the most expensive out of all the items that I have shared. Still, if you can pick one up at a yard sale or consignment shop--I highly recommend it.

This little set became a go-to for all kinds of different activities. Regarding functional play, we put people in and out of the bus, and rolled the bus back and forth. By pushing down on the driver, lights and music were activated, which allowed for practice with JA and the concepts of on and off among others. For one of my little guys who loved all forms of imaginary play, we drove the bus round and round the therapy room to pick up the "kids" for "school." For this little guy, imaginary play brought out the greatest amount of vocabulary use, which is what we were working towards for him. Any kind of play set, such as a doll house, barn, or airplane would create similar opportunities for language growth, either at a very basic level (Joint Attention and turn taking) or at higher levels of imaginary play.

 

To play is to learn.

6) Stacking Cups

 

I will tell you that this set of stacking cups was purchased at a Mighty-General-Dollar-Store-Tree for $4. Again, I can't count the number of therapy sessions where these cups made an appearance. Labeling colors, talking about big and little, working on motor skills while stacking, and then knocking them down were among the top uses of these little gems.

A few times I even scoured the therapy closet for small objects (tiny car, little plastic lion, a little toy person, a marble) and stacked the cups while hiding one toy between each cup. My little guy squealed every time he got to reveal a new surprise, and we were able to practice vocabulary as we discovered each new object.

For my little friend with motor challenges, these cups were a great alternative to blocks because of the small rim around the top of each cup that made them a little less prone to falling over as he stacked them. They are also the perfect size for kid hands. 

 

 

7) Everything but the Kitchen Sink

(Disclaimer: The use of a sink is actually helpful with some of these objects)

 

I am trying to prove a point, which is that anything can be used as a toy with a preschooler. Whether you're building language skills or filling time as a busy parent on a rainy day, I can guarantee that you have the makings of some simple and fun activities around your house.

 

Freeze tiny objects into an ice tray and allow your kiddo to melt them by whatever means necessary. Let them try a squirt bottle, dropper, their hands, or a sink with hot/cold water. If your little preschooler is at all like my little client, he may even through them against the sides of the sink to crack the ice and free the tiny toys. This was by far one of my little guys' favorite activities. We worked on producing opposites (hot/cold, in/out, big/little and up/down), new vocabulary words (ice, rock, bug, shoe...), and had a blast while doing it all.

 

For some of the non-freezable items you may see in the photo--I used them in sorting activities. In attempting to build vocabulary, I found activities centered on opposites to be a gold mine of expressive opportunities. I went around my house and found hard/soft or big/little items (cotton ball, felt square, rock, battery, paint roller, sea shell, magnet...) and put them in a brown paper bag. My little guy would then reach his little hand inside and pull out an object. I would then ask him "hard or soft?" In the beginning, I would gently rub soft objects on his hand and say "soft", or knock on the hard objects while saying "this is hard" in order to help him grasp the concept. Sorting was a hit! Especially if I started out by saying "Can you help me put all of these things into two piles?" Preschool kids LOVE to feel like they are helping out.

So, if you bank account is sucked dry due to tuition, books, and gas like mine was--go on a search through your drawers and cabinets before shelling out any more cash.

 

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Be creative, keep it simple, and have fun :)