Let’s chat core words, ya’ll! *This post contains Amazon affiliate links.
When working with preverbal students who are just learning to communicate, it’s not always easy to know where to begin. If you wade through the research, you’ll probably learn that the core vocabulary approach is one of the most effective ways to help early communicators get their messages across!
Check out the end of this post for some helpful research articles to dig deeper into using core vocabulary.
During therapy, one of my favorite ways to implement and practice core words is through play! Check out this list of 20 familiar toys to target core vocabulary words. These ideas are perfect for you if you push into your preschool classrooms during center time.
1. Sensory bins
My favorite fun activity to target core words is through a sensory bin! You can address SO many different core words by using the bins in different ways. Check out this blog post to learn more.
If you want tons of done-for-you activities to use with the bins, check out my Core Word Sensory Bin Sets!
2. Mr. Potato Head
This classic toy is perfect for targeting core words like: “put,” “in,” “out,” “off,” “more,” and “mine.”
3. Play food
Kitchen and play food sets are preschool staples. Look for ways to focus on the words: “eat,” “more,” “like,” “all gone,” “finished,” “good,” and “want.”
4. Pop-up toys
Those pop-up toys that always make me jump can actually be really fun for your littles. I’m talking about toys like Pop Up Pirate, Pop the Pig, and Jack in the Box. I love these for targeting “open,” “close,” “in,” “out,” “push,” and “pull.”
5. Dolls and action figures
Dolls or figurines are great for pretend play. Core words that are easy to target with these include “play,” “go,” “help,” “do,” “you,” and “me.” The possibilities really are endless with these.
6. Cars and trucks
If you are focusing on the words “stop” and “go,” you definitely want to use cars and trucks. They’re also great for the words “again,” “up,” “down,” “here,” and “there.”
7. Balls
I love using balls to work on “my turn,” and “your turn” as well as “away,” “play,” “here,” and “there.”
8. Puzzles
This year a couple of my students are obsessed with puzzles. They’re great for targeting the words “help,” “put,” “in,” “more,” and “finished.”
9. Shape-sorters
Shape-sorters, piggy bank toys, or any type of toy that you place objects inside of it are good for the words “put” and “in.” You can also use them with the words “not” (not there or not that one), “more,” “that,” “all,” and “out.”
10. Blocks
All kids love building big towers with blocks. I love using them to target the words “big,” “little,” “up,” “down,” “make,” and “more.”
11. Musical toys or instruments
If you and your students don’t mind a little noise, musical toys are so great for practicing the words “play,” “stop,” “more,” “on,” and “loud.”
12. Playdough
Are you team love playdough or team hate playdough? I feel like most SLPs are either one or the other. I personally love it for focusing on the words “push,” “pull,” “make,” “roll,” “help,” and “feel.”
13. Farm and zoo animal toys
Several of my students are obsessed with animals. They can list and label all the animals, which is great but not super functional. I use these motivating toys to practice core words like: “eat,” “drink,” “stop,” “go,” “walk,” “big,” and “little.”
You can also practice imitating different animal noises if your student has some verbal abilities.
14. Magnatiles
Magnatiles are a fun building toy that’s a little different from regular blocks. They are magnetic, so the sides can stick together to make 3D objects. My students love them. And I love them to target the words, “make,” “together,” “big,” “down,” “finished,” and “help.”
15. Trains
You can get those cute little magnetic trains on a track that all preschoolers love to build. I use these to practice the words “make,” “stop,” “go,” “fast,” “slow,” and “together.” You can also do fun noises like “choo choo” or whistles.
16. Critter Clinic
Critter clinic, garage toys, or toys with doors and keys are really motivating for my kids. They love finding out what’s inside the doors but often have a hard time getting the doors open without help.
I love this toy to knock on the door and practice “who’s there” or just “who.” We also work on “help,” “turn,” “open,” “close,” “in,” “out,” and “look.”
17. Riding toys
Some kids just need to always be moving. Small riding toys like tricycles or scooter or even giant yoga balls are fun for this. Kids can practice using the words “again,” “help,” “go,” “more,” “turn,” “stop,” “on,” and “off.” They seriously lend themselves to tons of words.
18. Wind up toys
Most young kids love wind-up toys but have a hard time working them on their own. This is great for the words “help,” “more,” “go,” “stop,” and “it.”
19. Latch toys
Similarly to the Critter Clinic, latch toys like the one below can be fun for kids but tricky for them to open by themselves. It’s a good one to practice “open,” “help,” “move,” “turn,” “it,” and “look.” You can also use common kid phrases like “uh oh” or “it’s stuck.”
20. Art supplies
Sometimes you just want to practice some basic words over and over again. Crafts are nice for doing that. You can glue cotton balls “on” a million times. You can also cut things “off,” color “more,” or “need” more stickers. We take the tops “off” markers and “put” them back “on.” The possibilities are endless.
Do you want to know a secret? You can really make nearly any toy work for almost any core word with a little creativity. However, there are some toys that lend themselves better to certain words than to others. That’s where this list comes in. 🙂
To dig a little deeper into the topic of using core words in your therapy sessions, here are a few helpful ASHAwire research articles on the subject:
- Enhancing Vocabulary Selection for Preschoolers Who Require Augmentative and Alternative Communication (AAC) (Fallon, et al. 2001)
- A Few Good Words Using Core Vocabulary to Support Nonverbal Students (Cannon and Edmond 2009)
- Vocabulary Selection in AAC: Application of Core Vocabulary in Atypical Populations (Van Tilborg and Deckers 2016)
If you’re wondering which words to target with your specific student, check out this post by Praactical AAC for two great checklists on how to identify words that can be personalized for them.
Hope that helps! Check out both of the Core Word Sensory Bin Sets for even more help getting started with core words in your speech therapy sessions.
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