How play impacts language learning in toddlers

Over time that the conversational nature of symbolic play proved to be predictive of more advanced language growth. A new study from The Australian National University (ANU) has found that symbolic play in toddlers, which involves use of the imagination, is more beneficial to language development than functional play like puzzles, blocks or drawing. The study of 54 infants tracked early language development in relation to the style of play toddlers engaged in with their parents. Lead researcher Dr Sara Quinn of the ANU Research School of Psychology said the key difference came down to the way parents interacted with their kids. "Symbolic play involves imagination, like pretending a banana is a telephone," Dr Quinn said. "We noticed during this type of play parents asked the children more questions, they also shared attention more often and for longer durations. "What was really interesting was that not only did parents ask more questions of their children, but they actually ended up in conversations more frequently.