Putting Words Together

Information for parents and carers

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Putting Words Together – PIAG 0095 (170kB)

Introduction

Once your child is using single words throughout the day you can start to encourage them to join words together.

Example exercises

Model lots of different types of words throughout the day such as:
- Naming words (nouns) e.g. dog, cat, sock, bag, cup, ball etc
- Action words (verbs) e.g. eating, jump, read, drawing, painting, skip, hug, sleep
- Words that describe e.g. hot, wet, soft, big, small, fast
Repeat what your child says and expand by adding one extra word such as:
- “teddy…Jack’s teddy”
- “teddy…soft teddy”
- “teddy…teddy is jumping”
Offer choices with short phrases such as:
- “big car or little car?”
- “orange juice or apple juice?”
Using gestures can support joining words together, so if your child says “mummy” and gestures “up” to mean “mummy pick me up” accept their response and repeat it back as a sentence (“mummy up”). You could use gestures with your words too.

More information

For more information talk to your Speech and Language Therapist.

This leaflet only gives general information. You must always discuss the individual treatment of your child with the appropriate member of staff. Do not rely on this leaflet alone for information about your child’s treatment.

This information can be made available in other languages and formats if requested.