Every activity you do with your toddler presents an opportunity to name objects to expand his vocabulary. Whether you're at home, the beach or the grocery store, point out objects and talk about them with your toddler. Tell him the name of the object or ask him if he knows what it is. This activity also works well as a game. Give your child clues about the object and have him guess what you're talking about.
Talking with your toddler provides a reference for proper language and helps build her language skills. She hears how adults talk and models her own speech after it. Skip the baby talk when you're interacting with your toddler. If you use a word she doesn't understand, stop and explain to her what it means. Even if she doesn't fully grasp what you are saying, she gets an introduction to the new word so it sounds familiar when she hears it again. Start talking to your toddler as soon as she wakes up and continue throughout the day. Singing also works for exposing her to spoken language.
Pretend play emphasizes language and social skills for toddlers. This activity takes on many forms. A tea party with plastic tea cups is a simple way to encourage language skills. If your toddler isn't sure what to do, lead the way in the beginning and let his imagination take over when he feels comfortable. Dressing up like other characters or acting like animals fits into pretend play. Another option is to use puppets with your child.
Books expose toddlers to a variety of words and language styles. Read to your toddler at least once a day to promote early reading and language skills. Choose books on different topics and from different authors for variety. Wordless books help promote language skills. Toddlers look at the pictures and create their own words for the page to create a story. When you are finished reading a book, talk about what happened and ask your toddler questions about the story. This helps her think about the story and verbalize her thoughts. Make up your own stories to tell your toddler and encourage her to do the same.