Bilingual games for toddlers: 10 fun and easy ways to help speech development through play

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Playing games is not only great fun for babies and children, but it's also a key part of their early development. And this is no different if you speak more than one language at home with your children.

“Whether you're a bilingual speaker or a modern English speaker, how language develops and embeds itself is the same,” says Speech and Language Therapist, Monal Gajjar.

You need repetition of the language, but more importantly, you need it to be fun and motivational for your child.

Around the age of three, your child starts to develop metalinguistic awareness. This is when they start to reflect on the language they’re using and consciously choose between different words.

“That’s when fun games are really crucial,” says Monal. “Because they allow your child to be engaged, to take the lead and experiment with their language skills.”

Two dads are chasing their young son around their garden. — Image caption,
Children will learn language easier when they're having fun.

Here are our top 10 multilingual games that you can try at home with your little one:

A child with Down Syndrome sits on his mum's lap. He's got a sock on his hand and is playing puppets with someone off camera. — Image caption,
Have fun with sock puppets by adopting different characters and languages - your little one will love it!

1. Whispering Game

If your child is lacking confidence, the whisper game is a perfect way to encourage their second language.

Whisper a phrase into their ear and get them to pass it on to another person or teddy in a different language. This game is great for repetition and modelling, giving your child the opportunity to repeat words and phrases and boost their confidence with pronunciation.

2. Phone Call Game

When your child is feeling noisier, you can grab a banana or just use your hand and have a phone call.

Stand at different corners of a room and have children copy what you say to a teddy bear who is learning your language.

“A lot is going on in this game,” Monal explains. “Your child will love taking the leading role with their teddy to teach them the language but will also be constantly picking up on your body language, gesture, intonation and accent.”

3. Playing with Puppets

Make a puppet that only speaks a certain language and encourage your child to translate what you are saying to the puppet.

“This game is nice because you’re saying their second language belongs also to someone else,” Monal says. “It makes them question what they can do if someone doesn’t understand English or their first language.”

A young boy is throwing a ball while his grandma smiles behind him — Image caption,
Using the same word in a different language when catching and throwing a ball is a really fun way to develop your child's language skills.

4. Play catch with a twist

Throw a ball to your child and say a word or phrase in one language. When the child throws the ball back to you, they have to say the word or phrase in a different language.

5. Matching Game

All you need for this game is to put together some flashcards with words in two languages. They don’t need to be pretty, and you can choose whether to add colour or drawings.

The main thing is you can put them on the floor or a table and play pairs with them, matching words in both languages.

“This game is fantastic because it encourages the use of lots of the senses,” Monal explains. “There’s quite a bit of processing going on in a child’s head without them having to come up with the words on their own.”

6. Hide and Seek with Words

This game lets children follow their own lead and be in control. You can take your cards from the matching game and hide the word in one language around the house.

You then hold up the word in the other language and ask your child to go around the house and find the matching pair.

7. I Spy

A classic game that works well in all languages.

Looking for a way to introduce words from your home country? Try playing this game at the supermarket, where you can find foods from all over the world.

A young girl is looking at a pad of stickers and talking about them. — Image caption,
Speaking the sounds of different languages helps your child practise their mouth movements.

8. Rhyming Games

“Language is not just about stringing words together but also phonics, sounds, patterns and intonation,” Monal says. “There are certain sounds that appear in some languages but not others. It can be fun for you and your child to play around with this concept.”

Start by saying a word in your chosen language and ask your child to say another word that sounds the same. You can chat about the word they’ve chosen or even have fun if it’s not a real word.

“It’s just about getting them to use those sounds and practise moving the muscles in their mouth in different ways.”

9. The Corner Game

Put flags from countries of the languages you speak in the corners of a room (one flag in each corner). Play some music and ask your child to run around the room. When the music stops, they have to quickly find a corner to run to of their choice.

Once they’re in place, hold something in your hand, like an object or image, and ask your child to say the word that matches the country they are standing in.

“This is a great game to play with friends and siblings,” says Monal. “You can swap out who stands in the middle and who shouts out the words.”

10. Photo Fun

Using photos of family members and other objects, like food or modes of transport, ask your child to create a story around Grandma or Grandpa and what they’ve done on that day.

If your child speaks in a certain language to one family member, encourage them to tell the story in that language. Change it up based on what family member you’re talking about.

Monal suggests leaving the photos lying around to allow your child to reflect on the stories they’ve told. “Being interactive with your child is great during playtime, but giving them time to think about what they’re chatted about and learnt is just as important.”

Monal’s Top Tips for Parents

Avoid saying ‘no’

Try not to be negative when your child gets a word wrong. It’s important to praise them and let them know it’s ok to make mistakes. There are lots of ways you can correct them without hurting their confidence.

This helps to create a fun and safe environment for them to explore using their languages, without worrying about getting it perfectly right.

Get the whole family involved

If there are people in your family who speak different languages, it’s great to get them involved with games. It’s so important for children to see all the languages they speak being valued.

Don’t panic if they’re not engaging

Avoid putting too much pressure on them. Their brains are working really hard, and it's common for them to go through a so-called silent phase.

Continue to have fun in different languages and ensure your child sees people using all their languages comfortably and happily.

Role reversal during playtime can also help. By letting your child take the lead and seeing you speaking the words you want them to speak, they’ll gain confidence and reassurance.

The most important thing is to have fun.