Toy Talk Resource

Toy Talk: Speech Therapy Toys & At-Home Activities

Looking for the best speech therapy toys for toddlers? Toy Talk is our free video series where Dr. Carla Kekejian, a licensed speech-language pathologist, shares favorite toys and simple, play-based activities you can use at home to support your child’s communication. Every pick is chosen for how well it sparks language — not for being flashy or expensive.

How to Get a Non-speaking Toddler to Start Communicating

Encouraging a nonverbal or minimally verbal child to communicate often starts with “communication temptations,” pausing at just the right moment to invite a response. Using SpinAgain by Fat Brain Toys, Dr. Carla Kekejian models core words like want, more, and open, a strategy that works in any language.

How to Teach First Words to a Late Talker

Teaching first words to a late talker works best through simple, repeatable modeling. Using the Hap-P Playhouse Shape Sorter, Dr. Carla Kekejian demonstrates a 3-step approach (model the word, pause, then respond and expand) to teach core words like in, out, open, and close.

How to Practice Speech Sounds at Home

Practicing speech sounds doesn’t have to feel like drill work. Using a Traditional Stuffed Grape Leaves Cooking Play Set from House of Talia, Dr. Carla Kekejian targets initial /s/, /t/, /p/, /d/, and /l/ sounds through requesting and pretend play, in honor of Armenian Heritage Month and Arab American Heritage Month.

How to Teach Sequencing Skills to Toddlers

Sequencing skills, understanding the order steps happen in, can be taught through hands-on, multi-step activities. Using the Pump Fun Balloon Powered Car Set by The Little Learners Toys, Dr. Carla Kekejian models sequencing language (first we build, next we pump, then we race) alongside requesting phrases like “I want more air.”

How to Increase Vocabulary for Late Talking Children

Building vocabulary in a late-talking child often starts with functional words and everyday concepts. This farm playset activity targets words like up, open, and out, size concepts (big cow vs. small cow), and animal sounds, an early building block for spoken vocabulary.

How to Teach Your Toddler to Answer “Wh-” Questions

Teaching a child to answer “where” questions starts with modeling location words during play. Using the Where’s Bear? game by Peaceable Kingdom, Dr. Carla Kekejian introduces vocabulary like inside, outside, and kitchen while encouraging children to ask and answer “where’s the bear?”

How to Build Joint Attention and Turn-Taking Through Play

Joint attention and turn-taking, two of the earliest communication skills, can be built through simple cause-and-effect toys. Using the Zig Zag Race Track by Woodlets, Dr. Carla Kekejian models functional phrases like “car go” and “more car” while taking turns racing cars down the track.

How to Help Your Child Speak in Longer Sentences

Helping a child move from single words to full sentences often starts with modeling and expanding what they already say. Dr. Carla Kekejian uses the Story Dream Machine by Little Tikes to project story scenes and prompt real WH-questions like “what is the dog doing?”, encouraging children to build longer, more complete phrases.