10/11/2025
Choices are a great way to support your child’s vocabulary development.
WHY do we offer choices?
• Offering choices develops your children’s understanding of new words.
• Choices provide opportunities for expressive language (verbally or non-verbally).
• Choices allow adults to model words repeatedly – your child needs to hear words repeated many times before they are able to use them.
• Choices allow your child to have a voice and therefore reduces frustration.
HOW to use the choices strategy?
• Hold an item in each hand at face level- this way, your child can see your face and the item at the same time.
• Use simple language by saying your child’s name first to gain to their attention, bring the item you are naming forward as you say it (e.g. “Tim… apple? (bringing item forward) or pear? (bringing item forward)” then pause. We recommend counting to 5 seconds to given them an opportunity to make a choice
• Your child can make a choice by looking at the item, pointing, making a sound, taking the item, saying the name of the item.
• You could offer the item twice, but make sure you wait
• When your child has the object that they have chosen, name the object again (e.g. “apple” / “small apple” “Tim wants the apple”/ “you like apple”) depending on your child’s language level
When starting this activity offer something they like and something they don’t like e.g ‘apple’ and ‘tissue/sock’
