How Just 15 Minutes of Daily Play Can Boost Your Child's Communication

How much can you do in fifteen minutes? The dishes, maybe. The laundry, maybe more. What if we tell you that it takes only this much time a day to help your child boost their language and communication skills?

Just 15 minutes of connected, meaningful play daily, you can help them learn new words, expand their language skills, and boost their confidence in connecting with their environment. 

At First Words Together, we promote interactive play over passive supervision by empowering parents and caregivers with the knowledge and skills to turn everyday home routines and activities into valuable opportunities for communication and language development. 

This is part of our Parent Powered Communication Approach; parents become communication partners, helping clinicians achieve effective and lasting results. 

Why Play is Powerful for Language Development

Play is critical for developing speech and language skills in young children. Through play, children use language to express themselves and interact with their surroundings and others. Play can help develop essential social and emotional skills.

• Shared attention

Shared or joint attention between parent and child fuels engagement during play activities. 

For instance, while playing with their mini grocery toys, with you as the cashier, direct your child's attention to items in their cart and say, "These apples look delicious," or "I see you love cheese!" This purposeful direction of attention improves a child's vocabulary, focus, and interest in the activity.

• Turn-taking

Taking turns during playtime or other activities is a form of communication between you and your child, whether through verbal or nonverbal means. Various playtime activities can promote turn-taking, which helps build language, social interaction, and communication skills. 

For example, while playing with dolls, your doll can say, "Hi there!" waving its hand as if encouraging your child to respond. In basketball, you take turns throwing the ball into the hoop to score.

• Repetition

Repeating words and phrases is another technique for enhancing a child's language and communication during play. In play activities that involve singing or reading, you can repeat simple words and sounds, allowing your child time to respond. 

For instance, when singing "Row, Row, Row Your Boat," you repeat the word "row" while moving your hands and arms as if to row a boat. Repeating the words in the song "Heads, Shoulders, Knees, and Toes" is another example. 

Integrating these strategies during play supports vocabulary and sentence growth. Playtime is not about fancy toys, it's about connection.

The Difference Between Supervised and Engaged Play

There are two types of play activities. One is supervised play, where parents observe their child's activities, interacting minimally while they play. On the other hand, engaged play is immersive, co-play activities where you join in.

There is a stark difference between the two when it comes to promoting a child's communication skills. Parents may be present during supervised play, but they do not use play as a form of therapy. Their child may have the latest toys, books, talking dolls, and gadgets, but these are not enough to help them build meaningful communication through the warmth of interaction and responsive conversations.

Engaged play is where parents open doors to communication-rich interactions. You can learn more about your child's preferred communication technique by participating in play activities. 

For instance, they respond well to singing songs rather than simple play activities. You can observe them closely and note their progress, which can help clinicians create tailored activities to meet your child's specific needs and support their progress.

15 Minutes a Day: What It Can Look Like

A 15-minute play activity can look like any of the following:

• Building blocks

Young children enjoy playing with building blocks, holding them, stacking them up, and building simple words. Use this opportunity to enrich their vocabulary, help them learn new words, and boost their confidence.

• Tea parties

Transform your dining room into a fancy tea party venue where you and your child enjoy sipping tea on toy teacups and eating biscuits. With your pinkies up, chat about what happened in school, your shopping plans, or what to wear after bath time. This simple activity encourages communication and engagement and promotes fun.

• Board games

Pick a board game that your child likes to play. Let them lead the game by assigning tokens and explaining the rules to others. 

See what happens when you "break the rules," noticing how they would react to the situation. Board games teach children essential skills, including communication, social interaction, critical thinking, problem-solving, and patience.

• Telephone calls

Call your child using a toy telephone set and pretend to give them some instructions or news. Use simple words, phrases, and sounds when talking on the phone. Imitate the sound of the phone, "ring, ring, ring", and mention the words "hello" and "goodbye" during your calls. 

This simple activity can help enrich vocabulary, build language and interaction skills, and boost confidence.

How to Use Everyday Toys and Routines to Spark Language

Boosting your child's communication skills through play does not require special tools or expensive toys. All you need to do is be there, join the activity, and have fun!

Through our personalised sessions, our clinicians help you incorporate speech therapy techniques into playtime activities.

• Modelling language

Modelling is when you show your child how to pronounce a word or a sound. During playtime with a pet dog, you say "dog" or your pet's name. You say commands like "jump," "come," or "sit," letting your child repeat the words or copy sounds that you make.

• Narrating actions

Storytelling and pretend play are excellent ways to introduce narrating actions and techniques, thereby boosting a child's language and communication skills. 

For example, during a game of pretend beauty salon, where you're the stylist and your child is the customer, you say what you're doing, like "I'm going to give you a shampoo," or "Let me blow dry your hair."

• Using pauses to allow responses

Purposely pausing while interacting with your child during playtime encourages a more responsive behaviour. It's as if telling them that it's their turn to communicate. Silence also allows your child to process their thoughts, which is essential, especially in environments filled with loud sounds and distractions.

• Mirroring speech sounds

Mirroring is when you imitate your child's sounds, actions, or behaviours to encourage communication and interaction. It helps the child become more aware of their mouth movements and how they vocalise words. 

For instance, as you play pretend veterinarian with your child using stuffed animals, observe how your child relates to their toys and how they talk and make sounds. Mirror their actions by talking to the stuffed animals, giving them a check-up, and treating their illness.

Integrating these simple communication strategies into play can help your child open up, gain confidence, and learn openly under your guidance.

What We Teach Parents at First Words Together

The Parent Powered Communication Approach is the foundation of our speech therapy sessions here at First Words Together. This approach focuses on supporting parents and helping them become more confident in incorporating speech therapy practices into their daily lives. We help parents become their children's communication partners, guiding them toward effective and lasting progress.

Our speech therapists don't just "do therapy" to a child. They go beyond structured, clinical set-ups and bring therapy to homes where children feel safe and nurtured.

They guide families, equipping them with the knowledge and skills to integrate therapy into everyday home activities. Our focus is on creating lasting change through engaged play and connection. 

Ready to Make a Big Difference in 15 Minutes?

By committing only 15 minutes of your time each day to engaged play, you're helping your child enhance their language and communication skills and boost their confidence in interacting with their environment. These small, daily, and consistent moments are what matter. It's not about being perfect, but being present and engaged that builds lasting results.

Would you like to learn more about First Words Together’s speech therapy coaching sessions? Contact us to get started!

Frequently Asked Questions

1. Can play really make a difference in my child's speech?

Engaged play can make a huge difference in your language and communication skills. Participating in playtime activities promotes engagement and allows you to observe your child closely, which helps you develop effective therapy techniques.

2. What if my child doesn't talk much during play?

Results don't happen immediately. Give your child time to formulate a verbal or non-verbal response.

3. Do I need specific toys or resources?

You don't need specific toys for engaged play. You may use the ones your child plays often or join in on an activity they like. Our clinicians will provide resources to help you integrate speech therapy techniques into playtime routines.

4. How do I know I'm doing it right?

Results vary with each child. In some, establishing eye contact is a sign that play therapies are working. Meanwhile, a child uttering their first word or sound is a sign of progress.

5. What if I don't have time every day?

Play activities are just 15 minutes daily to help your child improve their communication skills. You can also apply these strategies to your child's daily routines, such as during meals, baths, or before bed, if you don't have time for play.