Imitating sounds around us are a great way to practice language and are fun for all involved! Onomatopoeias are a great way for your child to practice mouth movements and form complex sounds so let’s have some fun with it!
Activities
- Sound Hunt! Go around the house to find objects and toys you can make sounds for! Grab a cup and tap it on the floor while saying “Boink”. “Vroom" says the car. “Choo, choo” goes the train. How many sounds can you find?
- Sing songs with sounds! I just read/sang the book Five Speckled Frogs to Riley this morning and it is filled with onomatopoeias as the frogs eat their bugs. They crunch, munch, and chomp throughout the song. Other great songs with sounds include Six White Ducks, Wheels on the Bus, and Old MacDonald
- Read books with sounds We love the book Moo, Baa, La La La by Sandra Boynton! Other good examples are Click, Clack, Moo: Cows that Type by Doreen Cronin She also has some other good ones such as Giggle, Giggle, Quack.
- Splash! During bathtime or pool time, encourage your child to splash and say “splash”. Toss toys in the bath or pool with them and say “Splash” as they make a splash.
- Animal Sounds! We are constantly saying animal sounds all throughout the day. I can’t wait for the zoo to open back up and for it to be safe to go again because I would love to show Riley these animals in real life that we keep saying sounds for.
Note: Don’t forget to encourage your beginning talkers to repeat after you as you make these fun sounds. Breaking down the sound can also be helpful. Example: Boink, buh, oi, nk
Benefits:
- Language acquisition
- Expressive language
- Receptive language
- Imitation
- Socialization
