Teaching Toddlers The Correct Plurals

How should you teach your toddler higher communication concepts like plurals and help him fine-tune his speech? Try out these plural noun exercises for kids.

As your child crosses the 24-month mark, he becomes more and more adept in his communication skills. The baby who was once babbling is now beginning to speak sentences and can actually have intelligent conversations with you. This is the time when you should teach him correct grammar and nuances of communication like plurals.

Activities for Teaching Plurals to Toddlers

1. By Way of Communication

An important aspect of grammar development is the understanding of plurals and pronouncing them in the correct manner. Here are some of the communication-based tasks for grammar development in children:

Receptive Tasks

These involve reading to your child and emphasising on the difference when you count, “One ball, two balls, three balls” and so on. In the process, you could also simulate learning plurals by asking questions like “Can you count the three umbrellas for me?”

Expressive Tasks

These are taught by way of expression while speaking sentences. A method of doing this is to encourage learning through everyday tasks such as when vegetable-shopping. You could pick up a tomato and say “We have one tomato”. Pick up another one and say “Now we have two tomatoes.”

2. Singular and Plural Games for Kids

As your toddler watches and observes adults around him in conversation, he’ll automatically pick up the nuances of singular and plural. Here’s how you can teach plurals to toddlers through games and activities:

Memory Game or Flash Card Game

These are readily available in stores. Children have to match singulars with their plurals like “one cow with two cows”, “one foot with two feet” and so on.

‘I Spy’

Modify your ‘I Spy’ game and place objects hidden in a room. Ask your child to find ‘five toffees’. As you do this, keep two or three together and encourage him to say ‘I Spy two toffees’.

• Board Games like Hungry Hungry Hippos where you can count the number of balls each hippo eats.
• Board games like Candyland and Caribou Island
• Singing rhymes like ‘Five little monkeys’, ‘Wheels on the bus’, and ‘Five little fish’.

3. Plurals and Speech Therapy

For children who need help to develop their speaking abilities, teaching plurals through speech therapy is preferred. Therapists encourage them to speak out plurals to learn the different nuances of speech.

Any concept, if taught in a fun and engaging way, can be learned more easily. It also helps in long-term memorisation of the concept. The same holds true for teaching correct plurals. As much as you can, incorporate games and activities that stimulate learning.

Is there any other method or aspect that you would like to contribute to this subject? If yes, don’t hesitate to share your ideas and views.

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