How to get your toddler to repeat words: 10 gentle games and habits

If you’re wondering how to get your toddler to repeat words, the short answer is to ask less and leave more room. Say a word clearly, say it again in a real moment, then pause and wait with a smile. Toddlers copy what is easy, fun and useful, and they almost never copy on command.

That can feel backward. You want your child to say “apple,” so it seems natural to say, “Say apple!” But for a toddler, that sounds like a test, and most toddlers don’t love tests. Games, pauses and little choices work much better, because they make saying the word your child’s own idea.

Here’s why toddlers don’t repeat on demand, how understanding comes first, ten gentle games, pauses and fill-in-the-blank tricks, songs with gaps, what to do when words come out differently, repeating words in a second language, and what to do if you have a worry.

Why toddlers don’t repeat words on demand

A toddler who won’t say “apple” when you ask is not being stubborn about words. They may be busy, shy, tired or simply not in the mood to perform. And toddlers love being in charge. “Say it!” puts you in charge of their mouth, and many little ones answer that with a big, cheerful silence.

New words also need time. A child often hears a word many, many times before trying it out loud. Some children practice quietly first, whispering the word to a teddy or saying it in the bath when nobody is asking. Then one day the word pops out, in exactly the right moment, as if it had always been there.

So the goal isn’t to get a word out right now. The goal is to make words easy to hear, easy to copy and worth saying. When a word gets your child something they want, a laugh, a snack or a turn in the game, they’ll want to say it again.

Understanding before saying

Most toddlers understand far more words than they say. Before your child says “shoes,” they may bring you their shoes when you ask. Before they say “bath,” they may run to the bathroom when they hear it. That’s real learning, and it counts.

Watch for signs that a word has landed:

• your child looks at the thing when you name it,
• points to it, or brings it to you,
• does the action when you say it, like clapping on “clap,”
• laughs at the right moment in a familiar game.

Each of these means the word is in there. Saying it is the next step, and it comes more easily when your child already knows the word well. If you’re building a word plan, our guide on how to teach vocabulary to toddlers shows how understanding and saying grow together.

Make words easy to copy

Some words are much easier to copy than others. You can make any word a little easier with a few simple habits:

• Keep it short. One word or two is easier to copy than a whole sentence. “Ball!” is easier than “Look at that big ball over there.”
• Put the word at the end. “Here’s your cup.” The last word is the one your child hears best.
• Slow down a little. Say the word clearly, with a small pause before and after it.
• Get down to their level. Face to face, your child can see your mouth make the word.
• Say it more than once. “Ball. A red ball. Throw the ball. Ball!” Same word, different little sentences.
• Add a gesture. A wave with “bye,” arms up with “up,” a shrug with “where?”

Sounds are often easier than words, and they count. “Moo,” “vroom,” “uh-oh,” “yum” and “wow” are short, fun and full of feeling. Many toddlers copy sounds like these first, and then move on to words.

Words with easy sounds are a good start too. “Ball,” “more,” “up,” “mama,” “bye” and “go” use sounds that little mouths can make early on. Our guide to action words for toddlers has many short, easy words like these.

Ten gentle games for repeating words

Each of these games takes a few minutes and gives your child lots of chances to say a word, without anyone asking them to:

1. Animal sounds. Hold up a toy cow: “The cow says… moo!” Soon your child says “moo” before you do.
2. Uh-oh drop. Drop a toy on purpose: “Uh-oh!” Drop it again. Toddlers find this hilarious, and “uh-oh” is one of the easiest words to copy.
3. Ready, set, go. Line up a toy car: “Ready, set…” and wait. When your child says “go,” or even just looks at you, the car zooms.
4. Peekaboo names. Hide behind a blanket: “Where’s… Daddy?” Pause, then pop out: “Peekaboo!” Your child may start filling in the name.
5. Phone call. Use a toy phone or a banana: “Hello! Hello, Grandma!” Then hand it over. “Hello” and “bye” are perfect phone words.
6. Bubbles. Blow a few bubbles, then stop and hold the wand: “More?” Wait. Any try at “more” or “bubbles” gets more bubbles.
7. Feed the teddy. Put out pretend food: “Teddy is hungry! What does Teddy want?” Your child picks a food, and you name it as Teddy eats.
8. Silly voices. Say a word in a squeaky voice, then a deep voice, then a whisper. Pass it back and forth like a ball.
9. Silly mistakes. For older toddlers: hold up a cat and say, “Look, a dog!” Most children can’t resist correcting you: “Cat!”
10. Stop and go. Walk, march or push a toy car: “Go, go, go… stop!” Then let your child be the one who says “go” and “stop.”

Play one game at a time and stop while it’s still fun. Five happy minutes a day add up, and our post on five minutes a day of English shows how to fit them in.

Pauses, choices and fill-in-the-blank

Three small tricks give your child room to talk, and they work all day long.

The pause. After you say something your child knows well, stop and wait. Count to five in your head, with an expectant smile. Many grown-ups fill silence too fast. A few seconds of waiting tells your child, “Your turn.”

Choices. Instead of “What do you want?”, offer two options: “Milk or water?” “Red cup or blue cup?” The answer is right there in your question, so your child only needs to copy one word. And they get what they chose, which makes the word worth saying.

Fill in the blank. Say a familiar phrase and leave off the last word: “One, two, three… go!” “Ready, set…” “Night-night, Teddy. Night-night…” When your child knows the pattern, the last word is easy to add.

Count every try as a win. A point, a sound or half a word is your child taking a turn. Answer with the full word, warmly: “Water! Here’s your water.” That way your child hears the word one more time, right when it matters.

Songs and rhymes with gaps

Songs are some of the best ways to get a toddler talking, because they repeat the same words in the same order every time. Once a song is familiar, you can leave a gap.

Sing a song your child knows well and stop just before the last word of a line. Wait, with a big, curious face. Your child may fill in the word, a sound or even just the tune. Old favorites like “Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star” and “Old MacDonald” work well, and the animal sounds in “Old MacDonald” are especially easy to fill in.

Rhymes with actions are great too. When a rhyme has a clap or a jump in the same spot every time, your child knows exactly when the word is coming, and they can join in with the movement first and the word later.

Keep songs short and sing them often. The tenth time is usually when the gaps start getting filled.

When they say it differently

Toddlers often say words in their own way. “Ba” for ball, “wawa” for water, “nana” for banana. That’s not a wrong word. It’s your child’s first try at the real one, and it means they’re listening carefully.

The best answer is to say the word back clearly and warmly, without asking your child to repeat it: “Yes, water! You want water.” Your child hears the full word right after their own version, which is the gentlest way to learn it. Asking “Say it right” or “No, it’s water” can make a child stop trying.

Some sounds take longer than others. Sounds like r, l and th are hard for many young children and often come later. If your child says “wabbit” for rabbit, smile and say “Yes, a rabbit!” and move on with the game.

Repeating words in a second language

In bilingual homes, repeating can look a little different. Many children understand English words well before they say them, especially if Spanish is the language they hear most. Some go quiet in English for a while, listening and soaking it in, which is often called the silent period. Our guide to the silent period in bilingual children explains what it looks like.

Your child may also answer in Spanish when you speak English. That’s a good sign: it means they understood. Answer naturally, adding the English word: “Sí, agua. Water! Here’s your water.” There’s no need to ask them to say it in English.

The same gentle tricks work in both languages. Pauses, choices and songs with gaps are just as useful in English as in Spanish. Pick a few English games your child already loves, play them often, and let English feel like play, not homework.

If you have a worry

Every child talks at their own pace, and the games in this guide are for everyday fun, not for checking anything. If you have any worry about how your child talks or understands, talk to your pediatrician. You don’t need to wait for a certain birthday or a certain number of words.

Bring a few notes with you: which words your child says, which words they understand and how they let you know what they want. Your pediatrician knows your child and can tell you whether anything needs a closer look. Asking is always a good idea, and it often brings peace of mind.

Where Tatako fits

Tatako’s short spoken lessons are built around the same pause you use in the games above. Your child hears each word three times, with a pause after it 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 name it first. Nobody says “Say it!” The pause is simply there, waiting.

Afterward, a grown-up spends about two minutes marking how each word went: New, Repeat more, Understands or Can say. “Understands” is its own mark, so the words your child knows but doesn’t say yet count as progress too. The next lesson brings the shaky words back first, and you choose how many old and new words go into each lesson.

The 369 first words and phrases come in 72 lessons of about five minutes each, with nothing to read. There’s also a Spanish guide voice that explains what to do, which you can turn off once you don’t need it. Lessons run in the browser, and you sign in with Google. Learn more on the Tatako home page.

Questions parents ask

Why won’t my toddler repeat words when I ask?

“Say it!” feels like a test, and many toddlers answer tests with silence. Your child may also need to hear a word many more times first. Try pauses, choices and games instead, where saying the word is your child’s own idea.

Should I correct how my toddler says a word?

Not directly. Say the word back clearly and warmly, without asking them to repeat it: “Yes, a banana!” Your child hears the full word right after their own try, which is the gentlest way to learn it.

Is it okay to give a toddler a choice between two words?

Yes, it’s one of the best tricks there is. “Milk or water?” puts the word right in your question, so your child only needs to copy it. And they get what they chose, so the word is worth saying.

How do I get my toddler to repeat English words?

Use the same gentle tricks you use in any language: short words, pauses, choices, songs with gaps and fun games. If your child answers in Spanish, add the English word and keep going. Make English feel like play, not a test.

When should I talk to our pediatrician about talking?

Any time you have a worry. You don’t need to wait for a certain age. Bring a few notes about which words your child says and understands, and ask. Your pediatrician can tell you whether anything needs a closer look.

Toddlers repeat words when the words are easy, fun and worth saying. Say them clearly, leave a pause, offer a choice and count every try as a win. And when you want a short, calm English lesson with the pause already built in, start a Tatako lesson together.