How to Add Words to Your Child’s Vocabulary

“How do I help my child move from saying one word to two words together?” is a question I get a lot! My answer is usually, “oh, you should ‘add one"!’ So, let’s break down what that means!

First, let’s define what a single word is. A single word is ONE unit. And nope, it doesn’t have to be perfectly said to count as a word. Take a look at this list of examples, and they may shock you!

These are all considered ONE word:

• a word approximation like “ba” for “bottle” or “wawa” for water

• common phrases like “all done, uh oh, let go, come on” (YES THESE ARE ONE UNIT- why? Because the child doesn’t usually say each WORD in the phrase separately, so to them the two words in the phrase are all ONE unit. Therefore, these phrases are one word.)

• signs like “more, eat, all done”

• animal sounds, vehicle sounds, exclamations (“oops, wow!”)

Some little ones acquire many single words, but need a little help learning to put them together. That’s where the “add one” technique comes in.

Here’s an example of how to use the technique:

• You go into Charlie’s room to get him from nap and he says “light”

• You imitate him and add one saying, “light on”

• He then raises his hands and says, “up”

• You imitate him and add one saying, “up please”

• He looks at you and says, “snack”

• You imitate him and add one saying, “eat snack”

“Adding one” is the process of imitating your little one and ADDING another word to what they are saying (can be in front of the word or at the end). It is a simple technique that you can do every time your child interacts with you. By imitating them, you are modeling for them to imitate you BACK. So, little Charlie will be more motivated to imitate your “up please” the next time you say it instead of just saying “up.”

[TIP: You can also use this technique with little ones who use word approximations. Every time little Sophie says “ba” for bottle, you can imitate and repeat back “bottle,” - adding the ending of the word back to her!]

This technique can take time, so continue to try it- consistency is key! If your little one starts putting two-words together, then continue to imitate and “add one” to model three word phrases and so on. Remember to add functional nouns, verbs, prepositions, and other words. Colors, numbers, shapes, and other academic words aren’t as functional, so try not to highlight those as much!