How Modeling Silly Sounds Encourages Verbal Imitation

Language is a complicated skill. It is a wonder anyone of us learns to talk. So many things must fall into place with development before a single word is spoken. The lack of those spoken words… is usually what brings parents to the world of Early Intervention. One teaching strategy I use is to model silly sounds.

“Activities to Encourage Speech and Language Development” from ASHA.org accessed April 28, 2024.

Model Simple Actions Paired with Sounds

Start by getting the child to imitate simple actions, pairing them with sounds. Imitating actions is a skill they may be successful at, which makes it more fun for them. Imitation of actions leads to imitating sounds, which leads to imitating words. Imitating words leads to initiating words independently, which is often IFSP goal.

Make it a fun play activity.

I like to pair an easy-to-imitate sound with an action that is part of our play activity. I want the child to associate that sound with something fun so that they’ll want to experience it again and again and eventually reproduce it.  The sound effects you add should add JOY to the activity. 

Bring Attention to My Face

Once a child engages in a fun activity paired with a fun and easy-to-make sound, I bring the action to my face. This is important. Face-to-face positioning lets a child see what you do with your mouth to make those silly sounds. 

To bring attention to my face, I may …

• point to my face right before I make the “vroom vroom” motor sound with an exaggerated deep voice.
• bring the airplane to my face like it is flying by as I say, “Weeeeee!”
• slap my cheeks dramatically when the block tower falls as I exclaim, “Uh oh!”

Once the action is near my face, I expect the child to start noticing my extreme efforts to gain their attention with my voice or facial expressions and maybe enjoy it and maybe trying to copy me?

Shift to Turn-taking

In addition to making these silly sounds, start modeling and encouraging a turn-taking exchange in play. For example, I tap the drum, then you tap it, then I’ll praise you and tap it again! 

I am setting up the expectation of something like a conversation but with our actions. 

With these two things happening, modeling sounds and nonverbal turn-taking, the environment is ripe for imitation. Each child is different, and it may take time, patience, and experimentation to determine what sounds/ activities motivate them. 

Here are my favorite examples of “silly sounds” to model. 

• “up, up, up” with each block stacked (don’t forget to take turns stacking them up) 
• “uh oh” for when the blocks fall down
• “Tap, tap, tap” when there is banging like blocks or hammering 
• “Weeeee” for a swing or an airplane 
• “round and round” or “zooooom” during coloring
• “Pop, pop, pop” during bubbles
• “Kerplunk” or “bedunk” for dropping things in a bucket
• “Beep beep” for cars 
• Cars can also make deep “vroom” noises or
• “Skeeeeeeerrrrrrr” high-pitched breaking sounds right before the
• “kkkkshsshshshshs” crashing sound that could be paired with clapping hands together 
• “Choo, choo” or “woo, woo” for train, and I like to pair that with motion like pulling the handle whistle. 
• Animal sounds!  Any of them!
• “Chomp, chomp,” for an alligator. I came up with this when I noticed my kids love alligators, but alligators don’t really have a sound. 
• “Hop, hop” for a bunny
• “Ding dong” or “knock knock” for the door in a play house

How about you? What are your favorite strategies when you are modeling silly sounds?