Family words for toddlers: how to teach mom, dad, grandma and more in English

Family words for toddlers begin with the people your child sees every day: “mommy,” “daddy,” “baby,” and whoever reads the bedtime story. Pick two or three people, say their names often in real moments, and add grandma, grandpa, cousins and the dog as your child is ready.

Family words are some of the warmest first words in any language. Your child already loves these people, so they want to call them, find them and talk about them. In bilingual homes there’s a bonus: grandma may be “abuela,” and that’s perfectly fine.

Here are family words in English and Spanish, a family photo game, simple things to say on video calls with family far away, ideas for ages 2, 3 and 4, and a few common mistakes to skip.

Family words for toddlers: why they come first

Family words work because the people are right there, again and again. Daddy comes home every evening. Grandma calls every Sunday. The baby wakes everyone up at six. Each of those moments is a chance to say the word, and toddlers learn best from moments that repeat.

They also work because they get results. When your child calls “Mommy!” and mommy comes, that word has done its job. A word that works is a word your child wants to use again.

Family words also make a handy starting point for other English. Once your child knows “daddy,” you can say “Daddy’s shoes,” “Where’s Daddy?”, “Daddy is cooking” and “Bye-bye, Daddy!” One familiar name can carry actions, places, feelings and little phrases. If you’re building a first list, add a few family names to the everyday words in our guide to first English words for toddlers.

Mom, dad and the people at home

Start with the people who live with your child or see them almost every day. For most toddlers, that’s a short list:

• mommy, mom or mama. Many toddlers in the US say “mommy” or “mama” first. “Mom” usually comes later.
• daddy, dad or dada. The same pattern: “daddy” and “dada” are easier for little mouths than “dad.”
• baby. The new baby at home, the babies in books, and sometimes your child talking about themselves.
• brother and sister. “Where’s your brother?” “Your sister is home!”
• grandma and grandpa, if they live with you or visit often.
• your child’s own name. “Where’s Sofía? There you are!” Hearing their own name in English is part of the fun.

Families come in many shapes: one parent, two moms or two dads, grandparents raising a grandchild, stepfamilies, a house full of cousins. Teach the words for your family, the real people your child loves and calls for. If your child has a stepdad called “Mike” or two moms called “Mama” and “Mommy,” those are the right family words for your home.

Say each word in a real moment, with the person right there:

• At the door: “Daddy’s home! Hi, Daddy!”
• At breakfast: “Here’s your cup. And here’s Mommy’s cup.”
• With the baby: “Shh. The baby is sleeping.”
• At bedtime: “Night-night, Grandma. Grandma loves you.”

Short sentences, the same words, every day. That’s all it takes to start.

Grandparents, aunts, uncles and cousins

Once the people at home feel easy, widen the circle. The next family members in English for kids are usually grandma, grandpa, aunt, uncle and cousin. You don’t need them all at once. Start with the people your child actually sees or talks to.

• grandma and grandpa. Use the name each grandparent already answers to: Grandma, Nana, Grandpa Joe, Abuelita, Lito. A nickname is still a family word.
• aunt and uncle. Toddlers learn these as part of a name first: “Aunt Rosa,” “Uncle Luis.” Many bilingual families say “Tía Rosa” and “Tío Luis” even in English sentences, and that works well.
• cousin. At 2, a cousin is just “Mateo,” the big kid with the ball. The word “cousin” makes more sense around 3 or 4: “Your cousin Mateo is coming!”
• godmother and godfather. In many Latino families, madrina and padrino are part of the inner circle. Use whichever word your family uses every day.
• family. A big, cozy word for everyone together: “This is our family.” “Family dinner!”

Visits are the best teaching moments. Before the visit, tell your child who is coming: “Grandpa is coming today! Grandpa!” When the doorbell rings, ask, “Who’s at the door?” and wait a moment before you answer together.

Big family parties can be a lot for a small child. Instead of naming twenty relatives, pick two or three and name them often: “There’s Tía Carmen. Let’s say hi to Tía Carmen.” The rest of the family will still be there next time.

Pets, friends and other favorite people

To a toddler, the family includes more than the people on the family tree. The dog who sleeps by the bed and the friend next door count too, and they make great family words for kids because they’re so easy to love.

• pets, by name and by word. “Luna is a dog. Luna is hungry!” Say both the name and the animal word, so your child learns that Luna is a dog and also has a name.
• friend. “Ana is your friend.” “Let’s play with your friend.” This word gets more useful every month, especially once preschool starts.
• neighbor. “Hi, neighbor!” Great for the person who waves from the next porch.
• teacher and babysitter. “Miss Lupe is your teacher.” Use the name your child will hear every day.

Pair these people with tiny phrases your child can use with them: “hi,” “bye-bye,” “hug, please,” “can I play?” Our guide to English phrases for toddlers has many more tiny phrases like these.

A family photo game

Photos let your child practice family words even when the people aren’t in the room. This simple game takes about five minutes and works from age 2.

1. Pick three to five photos. Printed photos are easiest for small hands, but a phone works too. Choose clear pictures with one person in each, smiling at the camera.
2. Hear it. Show one photo and say the name slowly, two or three times: “This is Grandma. Grandma. Hi, Grandma!”
3. Touch it. Lay two photos side by side and ask, “Where’s Grandpa?” Your child points or touches. Cheer when they find him: “Yes! There’s Grandpa!”
4. Name it. Hold up one photo, smile and ask, “Who’s this?” Wait a few seconds. If your child says the name, celebrate. If not, say it warmly yourself and move on.
5. Add a little story. “Grandpa is laughing. Grandma has a dog. Daddy is at the beach.” One sentence per photo is plenty.

Quit while it’s still fun and bring out the same photos tomorrow. When those names feel easy, swap in one new face.

A few ways to keep the game fresh:

• Peekaboo family. Cover a photo with your hand, then pull it away: “Peekaboo… it’s Tío Luis!”
• The fridge wall. Tape photos low on the fridge, at your child’s eye level. Every time you open the fridge, ask, “Where’s Mommy?”
• Who’s missing? For 3- and 4-year-olds: lay out three photos, ask your child to cover their eyes, slip one under a pillow and ask, “Who’s missing?”
• Little family book. Glue one photo on each page of a small notebook and read it together like a picture book: “Here’s Mommy. Here’s the dog. Here’s… you!”

Family words in English and Spanish

In a Spanish-speaking home, your child may already know many family words in Spanish. That’s a great head start: the people are the same, only the words change. Here are family members in Spanish for kids next to their English names, with a little sentence to try for each one.

A few fun differences to notice. Spanish has “primo” for a boy and “prima” for a girl, but English uses one word, “cousin,” for both. In Spanish, “tíos” can mean aunts and uncles together and “abuelos” can mean grandma and grandpa together, while English says “aunts and uncles” and “grandparents.” That’s a note for you, not a lesson for your child, so you know why the two languages don’t always match word for word.

Play “two names, one person” with a photo: “Abuela… Grandma! Same abuela, two words.” Our 100 first words in English and Spanish puts many more everyday words side by side.

Talking with family far away

Many families in the US have grandparents, aunts and cousins in another city or another country. Video calls with abuela can be one of the sweetest language moments of the week, as long as you keep them short and simple. Toddlers wiggle, wander off and come back, and that’s fine.

Before the call

Get your child ready with a photo and a question: “Who are we calling? Abuela! Let’s say hi to Abuela.” Practice a big wave together. A little warm-up helps your child connect the face on the screen with the name.

During the call

Keep a few tiny phrases ready. These are easy to say and easy to act out:

• “Hi, Grandma!” with a big wave
• “Look!” while your child holds up a toy
• “This is my…” (“This is my car,” “This is my dog”)
• “Can you see me?” with a silly face close to the screen
• “I love you” and a blown kiss
• “Bye-bye!” with another big wave

Show-and-tell works better than questions. A toddler may freeze at “What did you do today?” but light up when they get to show grandpa their new shoes. Let your child lead with toys and treasures, and name each one together: “Look, Grandpa, a truck! A big red truck!”

If abuela speaks Spanish, talk with her in Spanish. That relationship matters more than any English word. You can still add a little English for fun: “Can you say hi in English? Hi, Abuela!” Many grandparents are proud to catch a grandchild’s new words in both languages. For keeping both languages warm at home, see our guide on how to raise a bilingual child.

After the call

Say goodbye again with the photo: “Bye-bye, Abuelo. Abuelo loves you.” Later that day, bring up the call: “We talked to Grandma! Grandma saw your truck.” Talking about the call afterward helps the words stay.

Family words at 2, 3 and 4

Use these ages loosely, and follow your child rather than the calendar.

At 2

Focus on the people your child sees every day: mommy, daddy, baby and maybe one or two grandparents or a pet. Most of the work is listening and pointing. Say the names in the same moments every day, play “Where’s Daddy?” with photos, and celebrate any wave, point or “mama.” Our guide to English for 2-year-olds has more games for this age.

At 3

Many three-year-olds enjoy a wider circle: grandma, grandpa, brother, sister, friend and the names of aunts and uncles. This is a great age for “my” and “your”: “my mommy,” “your sister,” “my friend.” Try simple questions like “Where’s your brother?” and “Who’s coming today?”, and play the photo game with three or four faces.

At 4

This is where family words for preschoolers get interesting: four-year-olds love figuring out how the family fits together. Try “Grandma is Mommy’s mom!” and watch their face. Add “cousin,” “aunt” and “uncle” as words, and play with “whose”: “Whose shoes? Daddy’s shoes!” Draw a simple family picture together, with everyone in it, including the dog, and name each person as you draw.

Small signs it’s working

• Your child runs to the door when they hear “Daddy’s home!”
• They point to the right face when you ask, “Where’s Grandma?”
• They wave at the screen when abuela’s video call starts.
• They call the dog by name or say “my mommy” on their own.
• They bring you a photo and ask, “Who’s that?”

Any question about how your child is talking, in either language, is a good one to bring to your child’s pediatrician.

Common mistakes (and what to do instead)

• Starting with the whole family tree. A chart with every relative on it is fun for grown-ups, but a toddler does better with three people. Start with the faces your child sees most, and add one new person at a time.
• Switching names your child already uses. If your child calls grandma “Abuela,” there’s no need to change it. Names are names, and “Abuela is here!” is a perfectly good English sentence.
• Turning photos into a quiz. “Who’s this? Who’s this? Who’s this?” quickly feels like a test. Mix in stories and silly voices: “Here’s Grandpa. Grandpa says, ‘Hello, little one!’”
• Saving family words for visits. If grandma only comes up when she’s at the door, her name gets little practice. Mention her on ordinary days too: “Grandma gave you this cup.” “Let’s draw a picture for Grandma.”
• Correcting every mix-up. Many toddlers mix up “he” and “she” or call every grown-up “mama” for a while. Repeat it back the right way, gently: “Yes, she’s your sister!”

Where Tatako fits

The short spoken lessons start where family words start: “mommy” is right at the beginning, next to “hello.” From there, the 369 first words and phrases go on to colors, animals and what the teacher says at preschool, in about five minutes a day with nothing to read.

The lesson rhythm is the same one you use in the family photo game. Your child hears each word three times, with a pause to say it out loud. Next come two pictures, and your little one touches the one they hear. Finally the picture comes back without the word, and your child gets to say it first. Afterward, a grown-up spends about two minutes marking how each word went (New, Repeat more, Understands or Can say), and the next lesson brings the shaky words back first.

There’s also a Spanish guide voice with short prompts like “Mira” and quick translations, which you can turn off once you don’t need it. “Mommy” comes from the lessons; grandma, the cousins and the dog come from your own photos at home, and the two work nicely together. Learn more on the Tatako home page.

Questions parents ask

Should my toddler say abuela or grandma?

Either is fine. Many bilingual families use “abuela” and “abuelo” as names, even in English, and that’s perfectly natural. You can still teach the English words in photos and books: “Abuela is your grandma.”

How do I teach family words for relatives we rarely see?

Use photos and video calls. Put a photo where your child can see it every day, say the name often, and talk about the person before and after each call: “We’re calling Tío Luis! Tío Luis loves you.” Short, regular calls help more than long, rare ones.

What is the easiest family game for a 2-year-old?

“Where’s Mommy?” with two photos is a great start. Lay them side by side, ask where one person is, and let your child point. Keep it to a few minutes and stop while it’s still fun.

Should we say mom or mommy?

For a toddler, “mommy” and “daddy” are usually easier to say and very common in the US. Many children switch to “mom” and “dad” on their own later. Use the words that feel natural in your home.

How do family words help with other English words?

Family names are easy anchors for new words. “Daddy is cooking” teaches an action, “Grandma’s glasses” teaches a thing, and “Mommy is happy” teaches a feeling. Your child already cares about these people, so they pay attention.

Family words are small, but they hold the people your child loves most. Start with two or three names, say them in the same moments every day and let photos and video calls bring the rest of the family closer. And when you want a short, calm English lesson to go with the photos, start a Tatako lesson together.