Although it’s great to talk to your baby in full sentences, this can also make it hard for a baby to separate the name of an item from the noise. So today we played a game that focused on nouns!

I divided common items into four categories:

• Toys: block, rattle, and car
• Food: banana, apple, and lettuce (Note: these were soft toys, not the real version)
• Clothing: shoe, sock, and diaper
• Kitchen: spoon, bowl, and cup

Within each category, I placed them before her and named them. “Where is the rattle?” you can say, before handing over the rattle, saying just “rattle” again as baby touches it.

She had clear favorites, reaching for them. I gave her time to touch (and mouth!) each object, and then named all three in the category again before moving on to the next.

She was really fascinated by the kitchen items, since these are new to her – a nice reminder that solid food isn’t far off!

And ha, she seemed to look at me and say, “A diaper, Mom? Really?” when I presented her with that.

Good thing she didn’t put that one in her mouth! Socks were more interesting.

Breaking down language like this on occasion is great for your baby’s brain, so take a pause and enjoy this little game. What categories of items did you show your little one? Please share in the comments!