Guide to Toddler Language Development Toys and Resources on a Shoestring

In today's economy, many families are strapped when it comes to having money for more than the basic essentials of living. Not having the money to buy developmentally appropriate toys and learning resources does not have to compromise your child developmentally. There are many resources in communities families can access to support the language development in their toddler.

Public Library Resources

Talking and reading to your toddler are two of the most effective strategies for supporting language development. Applying for a public library card may be one of the best things you can do for your toddler if you do not have the resources to buy new books, games and other resources. Public libraries provide families with access to a myriad of children's books that can be checked out and taken home for reading and talking about over and over again. When it is time to return them, you can check out more. Public libraries also offer musical games, songs and stories on CDs and DVDs which can be listened to while visiting the library and checked out for home use. Many libraries have their children's section decorated and supplied with age appropriate toys to play with while visiting. You may find play kitchens and puppets as well as block, puzzles and more. If you live in a larger town, your public library may offer story hour for toddlers and different craft projects and other special events. Check out your public library for language development toys and activities.

Garage Sales

One of the cheapest ways to build a collection of appropriate children's books is to go to local garage sales. Many times you can pick up good quality books for a nickel or dime. There are even times you can get a whole box full of books for a quarter or fifty cents. Developmentally appropriate books for toddlers are those that are made of heavier weight paper and board books. They have lots of bright colored pictures and not much text per page. Good books to look for have pictures of animals, numbers, the alphabet, household objects, toys and foods. These kinds of books are great for teaching vocabulary, colors, shapes etc. Garage sales are also good places to pick up puzzles, blocks and things for pretending or playing make-believe. All of these activities build receptive and expressive language skills and are reasonably priced for people on a budget.

Thrift or Second-hand Stores

Society today is becoming more and more environmentally conscious and people are not throwing out things they have outgrown or grown tired of. This includes developmentally appropriate toys to support language development in toddlers. It seems like the children's sections of thrift stores are typically packed with books and toys that can be purchased for little to nothing. Thrift stores are a good place to pick up dress-up clothes for pretend play. Second hand and thrift stores offer families with meager resources a chance to purchase toys and books for toddler language development that they wouldn't be able to have if they had to pay full price.

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