Put a pile of toys or small household items on the table or floor. Using one attribute at a time, sort by shape, size, type of item, color or use. Talk about why one group of things is similar: "These cars all have round wheels. All of these socks are white and long, but this sock is blue and short. Tomatoes, strawberries and cherries are red. Lettuce and grass are green. Forks and spoons are used with plates to eat dinner. Screwdrivers are for fixing things."
Once your child is able to sort items, he can match them. Lay out an alphabet mat on the floor. These mats are available at KB Toys or through Dr. Seuss and Sesame Street book clubs. Point to each letter on the mat and say it out loud, as well as saying the sound each letter makes. Give your child one alphabet letter at a time and ask them to place it on the correct letter on the mat. You may have to prompt or even guide the child to the correct choice at first, but the more they practice this, the better they will be at matching.
Match socks, gloves and shoes when doing laundry. Put pictures and words on each dresser drawer, saying what is in them. Have your child put the correct items in the correct drawers. Be sure to make it fun, laugh, cuddle and clap when they make the attempt, when they are close, and when they actually get the item in the correct drawer.
Read nursery rhymes and Dr. Seuss books out loud, stressing the words that end in the same sounds. Sing children's songs together. Make up silly stories using as many rhyming words as possible.
Name letters with your child, and then say the sounds that the letters make. Give two or three example words with that sound. Ask them to repeat the words and sounds. "This is a 'J.' it makes a 'juh' sound. 'J' is for Jane, and junk and jelly."
Write letters in a tray of damp sand with your finger or a stick. Make words with the letters, sounding out the word as you read. Ask the child to repeat the words and sounds and tell you the names of the letters. Cover the letters over with sand when you are done. Be sure to laugh, clap and have fun when the child attempts to write the letters or tells you the name of one or more of them. Be especially enthusiastic if the child names the letter later in a different context.
Read books together. Demonstrate the correct way to hold a book, and open it from the front. Show your child that books are read right side up, from left to right and front to back.
Point to pictures in the book. Name them for your child the first time, and then ask your child to name them from then on. Be very enthusiastic if your child points out something that was in a book you read together. Remind him or her that it was in her book.
Name things and explain things. Repeat the correct word, but praise your child for attempts to say an unfamiliar word even if it is not as clear as you would like. Children need "baby talk." It is not incomplete or incorrect language, it is the early attempt to make the physical body do and say what it is being told and shown.
Talk to your child as if she is making sense. Assign a meaning, ask if that is what he is saying and act on that meaning if she appears to be happy. Ask , "What do you want? Show me what you want," and let your child guide you to it. "Oh! You want ________. Here you go."
Teach your baby sign language. Gestures are the earliest and easiest to understand form of communication. Learn baby sign and teach it to your child. The more routes of communication your child has, the more quickly he will learn to speak and later, to read and write.