If your young child has autism or you’re noticing communication delays, it’s natural to wonder what you can do at home. Everyday play can create countless opportunities to build communication skills. Finding simple activities your child enjoys can help support prelinguistic skills and language development in autistic toddlers, including those who are currently nonverbal. These activities are designed to encourage connection, interaction, and early communication while keeping play fun because for a toddler, play is the language of learning.
1. Peek-a-Boo
The simple game of peek-a-boo is one of the first ways a child learns the back-and-forth rhythm of a conversation. It also teaches the fun back-and-forth rhythm of interaction and object permanence, a key cognitive skill for understanding that words represent things.
2. Sensory Bin Fun
Fill a small plastic bin with safe materials, such as water, bubbles, or dry pasta, and add scoops or toys. As they play, narrate with simple words to help your child connect words to actions and sensory experiences, forming comprehension and connect with experiences.
3. Sound Imitation Games
When you’re playing, make simple sounds associated with the toys, like “vroom” for a car or “moo” for a cow. After your child makes any sound, imitate it with a smile. This shows your child that their vocalizations have power and get a response, and encourages vocal play, imitation, and turn-taking, which are important building blocks for communication. Even if your child isn’t using words yet, responding to their sounds shows them that communication is meaningful.
4. “Ready, Set… Go!” Games
Before rolling a ball or pushing them on a swing, say, “Ready… set…” with a pause, then “Go!” as you do the action. This pause builds anticipation and encourages the child to use eye contact, gesture or make a sound to signal they want you to continue, helping them discover that communication can influence what happens next.
5. Puppet Play
Use a hand puppet to “talk” to your child, sing songs, model actions, or comment on what the puppet sees or does. It’s a great interactive tool for encouraging imaginative play and offering expressive speech activities for autistic 2-year-olds.
6. Mirror Myself
Sit with your child in front of a mirror and make silly faces, wave, clap, and copy each other’s silly faces, smiles, claps, and movements. This is a crucial nonverbal toddler activity for developing self-awareness and providing a clear visual model for imitation.
7. Building Block Requests
While building a tower, keep a few blocks that your child wants in your hand. Hold onto one block for just a moment, then pause and wait to see how your child lets you know they want another. This creates a natural opportunity to practice initiating communication to meet a need.
8. Singing and Fingerplays
Sing repetitive songs with hand motions like “The Wheels on the Bus” or “Itsy Bitsy Spider,” while gently guiding their hands to do the motions with yours. The rhythm and melodic patterns of songs are similar to patterns of speech, gestures and hand motions can help them connect words to actions.
9. Shared Book Reading
With a simple board book, focus on pointing to pictures and saying the word, like “Dog!” Then help them point to the same picture. This ability is a preverbal skill that signals joint attention, sharing focus on an object with another person.
10. Bubble Chase
Blow bubbles, then pause. Wait for them to look, gesture, or make a sound to ask for more. This creates a powerful and fun reason for your child to initiate communication and request more, a useful first concept to express. Celebrate every attempt to communicate, whether it is a smile, gesture, sound or word.
When to Talk With a Professional
Every child develops at their own pace, but if your young child isn’t using gestures, words, or other ways to communicate their wants and needs, or you’ve noticed differences in social interaction or play, it’s worth speaking with your pediatrician. Early evaluation and intervention can help identify your child’s strengths and provide support during an important stage of development.
Why Families Trust Stride Autism Centers
At Stride Autism Centers, our commitment to the highest clinical standards is nationally recognized. Our programs are rooted in applied behavior analysis (ABA) and built on the joy of play to better engage children. We specialize in early intervention for children ages 2-6, with programs personally overseen by Board Certified Behavior Analysts (BCBAs).
Over the years, we have helped hundreds of families just like yours, guiding them from uncertainty to seeing their child thrive. We see you as a partner in this journey, providing parent training and an individualized plan to help your child build the skills they need for school and life.
Unlock Your Child’s Potential With Stride
These communication activities for autistic toddlers are a powerful way to build a foundation for communication at home. Stride’s applied behavior analysis (ABA) therapy amplifies and personalizes the progress they’ve already made. Our team partners with families to create individualized plans that help children develop communication, social, and daily living skills in ways that feel engaging and meaningful.
Schedule a consultation to get started today.
