Language at the Splash Pad

The splash pad is more than just a place to cool off from the heat—it’s a fantastic opportunity to support your child’s language development in a natural, playful environment. Whether your child is just starting to talk or already telling stories, water play offers endless moments to build vocabulary, social skills, and expressive language.

Narrate, Expand, Enrich

While soaking up the sun, there are endless opportunities to promote new vocabulary for your child. As your child plays, try narrating their actions. This can be as simple as saying, “You’re making a big splash!” or, “You jumped over the puddles!” Narration provides your child with rich, meaningful language embedded right into their play. Modeling a variety of words and sentence structures helps expose your child to the many ways we use language. Another simple strategy is to expand on your child’s utterances. For example, if your child says, “I’m playing,” you can respond with, “Yes! You’re playing in the cold, blue water!” This reinforces their idea while introducing new vocabulary and more complex sentence forms. By incorporating language into natural play, you're helping your child build communication skills in a way that feels fun and connected.

Joining in on the Fun

The splash pad is a great opportunity to connect with other families and kids who are enjoying a day out in the water. Inviting another child to play is one way to promote social language skills. You may ask your child, “How would you invite another person to play?” Giving your child the opportunity to express how they would engage with others allows for broader conversations on social interactions. This can also open up the opportunity for the child to say, “I’m not sure.” In this case, parents of siblings can provide ideas on how to approach the situation. Phrases like, “Can I play too?” or “This looks like fun, can I join?” are the first steps in getting to know and play with others. If you have more than one child, siblings can practice inviting each other to play, which can build confidence before reaching out to others.

Reflecting with open-ended questions

After a day of fun, we encourage you to ask your child what they thought. Asking your child to share their thoughts, feelings, and ideas continues the conversation about social language and allows for reflection for everyone. Your child may share what games they enjoyed or what new friends they made. They may share what games they did not like or disagreements they had with others. Encouraging your child to share their thoughts, feelings, and experiences helps them process social situations, build emotional vocabulary, and prepare for future interactions.

Stay Safe, Stay Cool, and Have Fun!

As always, have fun at the splash pad! Head on over to the splash pad and remember to: wear your sunscreen, stay hydrated, and be sure to watch your kids when they’re around water. Happy Summer!

Growing with you, 

Grow With Words Team