Reddit mentions: The best children vocabulary & spelling books

Mom of a severely speech delayed toddler here.

It's never a bad idea to bring up concerns you have with your child's doctor. If you're concerned, schedule an appointment and ask for input from the medical types.

In addition, if you're in the US there's a national program called Early Intervention whose sole mission is to locate children under age 3 who are developmentally delayed, evaluate them, and provide therapy or other needed services so they're as caught-up as possible before starting school. Evaluations are free of charge and most services are also at no cost. You don't need a doctor's referral. Google (your state) Early Intervention for contact info.
(Whoops, just saw you're in Ireland so the above doesn't apply, but I'm going to leave it there in case it can help anyone else!)

That all said,
2 words (mama & dada) at 14 months is in the range of normal. The fact that he understands so much is also fantastic and points to him being developmentally appropriate. I don't recommend you freak out. :)

Narrating everything is perfect.
Definitely keep answering him when he talks. One thing my kid's speech therapist really encourages us to do is to have conversations with him even if it's all in babble. Baring his teeth and going "nar nar nar nar nar" means something - I have no idea what, but something - to my son these days so when he says that to me I say it right back and we have a pretty funny conversation about nar nar nar nar nar. It reinforces the back & forth of a regular conversation and gives the child confidence that they're participating the right way.
We use a lot of picture books like these with my 2yo both in therapy & at home. We either say the word while pointing to a picture or ask him "where's the ball?" and wait for him to point it out.
Really, just keep talking to him, and talking to other people while he's around!

First things first. The child will be undergoing a huge transition and ya'll ought to have some therapy/counseling for her all set up and ready to go when she comes into your home. It will help all of you get started on a good note.

Because she has been told things that are not true about her dad, she will be very confused and will likely act out as she settles in.

I have seen a lot of great advice on here for adoptive/foster parents and you guys would benefit from reading some material geared towards that parenting group as well. One thing I have heard a lot of for adoptive parents of older children (I know you're not adopting, I just think the principle applies here) is to meet your child's every need.

No, really. Meet her every. Need. If you have family over visiting and she asks for a glass of water, you or your SO should be the ones getting up and doing it, even if family offers. If she needs help on the potty, falls down and hurts herself, needs her hair brushed, whatever it is. During the transition process it is critical for her to bond positively with you guys and for her to learn that you guys are a source of trust and security.

As for getting her up to speed on things like colors and numbers, fortunately there's plenty of books out there to help! My son LOVES these:

http://www.amazon.com/First-100-Words-Roger-Priddy/dp/0312510780

http://www.amazon.com/Numbers-Colors-Shapes-Roger-Priddy/dp/0312510810/ref=pd_bxgy_b_img_y

http://www.amazon.com/First-100-Animals-Roger-Priddy/dp/0312510799/ref=pd_sim_b_5?ie=UTF8&refRID=0NMAK9FW4ZKEBP3GCB05

Sorry I don't know how to make shorter links on Reddit. They might be too young for your "Stepdaughter", but my son learned all of his colors shapes and numbers by reading these books. he is 2 1/2.

He also has shape toys. I like "melissa and doug" toys. This one is my son's favorite:

http://www.amazon.com/Melissa-Doug-Wooden-Shape-Sorting/dp/B000GKATU0

Because of this clock puzzle, my son knows what a fucking rhombus and octagon is.

We don't sit him down and drill him. We invite him to play with these toys and materials and simply talk about them as we go along. Children are sponges, and they learn all on their own. They simply need the invitation, and a patient adult willing to open up this world to them.

edit

on that note, we take what we learn in the books and reinforce it in every day life.

"Wow, is that your YELLOW ball?"

"Look honey, do you see that silly cartoon cat? He is PINK! That's so funny, isn't it! Why is that silly kitty cat PINK? Cats aren't pink, are they?"

"Okay when the light is red, that means daddy has to stop! Let's wait for the light to turn green! Keep watching, tell me when it turns GREEN! Green means we can GO!"

Etc etc. Most of this stuff will come naturally to you as you get into the groove. You find all kinds of opportunities to reinforce concepts as you go about your day.

I loved looking at picture books and asking my son to point at different things, colors, etc. It gives good insight into what they understand without them needing to talk. The My First books (like this: First 100 Words) were great for this - labeled pictures with no story.

I absolutely loved doing sign language with my son. I highly recommend the Baby Signing Time videos - I think you can find them on YouTube. They also have a preschool series called Signing Time. Songs are cute and help kids with vocabulary and early reading, in addition to learning sign language.

One of my favorite memories was when my son, about 1yo at the time, heard a garbage truck early on the morning. He was obsessed with garbage trucks, and he sat up and started excitedly signing truck in bed. I thought it was so cool that at such an early age, he could 1) identify what he heard, 2) communicate what it was to me, and 3) express how excited he was.

Bright Baby books are my son's favorite!

First 100 Words (Bright Baby) https://www.amazon.com/dp/0312495412/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_n-RYAb86G655C

His first one was chewed up during teething (it happens) so I bought a new one to replace it on Amazon (link above.) He often gets it out of his room to "read" instead of watching Moana or Chuggington for the millionth time lol. I love them, too!

They offer a great selection of different themes like numbers, animals, colors and letters. I have bought every book in the collection, but he still prefers the 1st 100 Words book the most. He points at the pictures and says the word or I will ask him, "Where is the car? Can you find the shoes?" He will find the picture. It is really an awesome book! He learned so many words for the real-life items as well. He learned "truck" and "shoes" first lol.

10/10 highly recommend this series

Note: He is turning 2 in June.

Former preschool librarian here! I also like B is for Bear and My First Colors! B is for Bear is great because the pictures are large, on a plain white background, and you can talk about the pictures as a baby, and continue reading and learning from the book as the child begins learning letters! My First Colors! has items grouped by each color on a separate two page spread, allowing the child to easily see what those items have in common. Again, the pictures on a white background allow the child to isolate each picture. In addition to these, I would recommend almost all the Priddy Press books.

http://www.amazon.com/B-Bear-Roger-Priddy/dp/B001DX9CRK/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1348805585&sr=8-1&keywords=B+is+for+Bear

http://www.amazon.com/My-First-Colors-Learn-BOARD/dp/0756671418/ref=sr_1_2?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1348805674&sr=1-2&keywords=My+first+colors

Sorry for the way I did the links; typing on iPad is hard to format!

Ha! I find myself reluctant to tell you - I keep thinking, but I wanted to gift that! AllOfTimeAndSpace should get this book. It is one of my son's all time favorites. He systematically points at each picture with the demand that I say the word, and now we've finally gotten to the point I can ask him to point to stuff - he surprises me every day with how fast his vocabulary is growing!

Like I said. A 1 year old won't remember. Won't really know what's going on. It will be more for you than anything. I little $5 item is fine.

A quick check on amazon has a bunch of stuff. I found a book that would be great. Only $3 something. And it will help your child immensely to read to her/him daily.

http://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/0312510780/ref=mp_s_a_1_8/192-1078523-6739854?qid=1458074671&sr=8-8&pi=AC_SX236_SY340_FMwebp_QL65&keywords=best+gifts+for+1+year+old+girls&dpPl=1&dpID=51dxds64%2ByL&ref=plSrch

[Under $4] (http://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/0312510780/ref=aw_ls__6?colid=2AM7TAQQA7P2I&coliid=I35U7SHGRVNUKV)

[Under $3] (http://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/0307021343/ref=aw_ls__5?colid=2AM7TAQQA7P2I&coliid=I1XA4R3BFFGRLS)

I don't have anything under $2 except for digital, which I CANNOT SEE THE PRICE OF ON MOBILE because Amazon hates me.

These are both books for my niece. I want her to be a reader like me. So far, she LOVES books.

Thanks for the contest!!

Don't forget about books for the toddler years too! They're grabby and will rip paper because they don't know how to manipulate it yet, so you want board books that can stand up to them. Because my daughter, at least, can't stand when we're reading her something that she can't flip through, and teaching gentle touch is a slow process.

Aside from all the kid's books rendered into board book form, I love books that are full of labelled pictures of things, like this. I point at words to teach her them and I can see her vocab expanding as she points at pictures when I call them out to her.

Here are all the local Amazon links I could find:


amazon.com

amazon.co.uk

amazon.ca

amazon.com.au

amazon.in

amazon.com.mx

amazon.de

amazon.it

amazon.es

amazon.com.br

amazon.nl

amazon.co.jp

amazon.fr

Beep bloop. I'm a bot to convert Amazon ebook links to local Amazon sites.
I currently look here: amazon.com, amazon.co.uk, amazon.ca, amazon.com.au, amazon.in, amazon.com.mx, amazon.de, amazon.it, amazon.es, amazon.com.br, amazon.nl, amazon.co.jp, amazon.fr, if you would like your local version of Amazon adding please contact my creator.

Abe Bhai read the article they're comparing 3 Years of UPA 1, UPA 2 and NDA 2. They've clearly written, labelled and made Bar Graphs year wise.

Isse zyada I can only recommend this

For Mommy

For Baby!

Thanks for the contest. :)

those meddling kids

Ezpz mat and silicone bibs with a pocket

Baseball hat: He has really thin hair and pale skin. Since he’s became obsessed with baseball hats, I don’t need to put sunscreen on his head

Balls: little balls, big balls, textured balls, light balls like a beach ball

Inventa sleep sack with vents. We live in Southern California and need a sleep sack so he won’t climb out of the crib, but it gets too hot with many sleep sacks. This one has vents that can be zipped open to allow airflow.

Sorting toys.

Books: some favorites are here, here, and here

Don't cut yourself short, man. Maybe try easier things, like this. Or maybe this.

No sir, thank you. I guess my memory is bad because I remember a lot less words from your original posts.

I recommend this: Scholastic Dictionary of Spelling https://www.amazon.com/dp/0439764211/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_i_TRWPDbW5JFEXV

I used it back in grade school to learn spelling, I really recommend it.

$1.61 = Collins Easy Learning Age 7-11

I am pretty sure there is a whole ABC book like this. I’ll try to find it.

Edit: Found it here’s a link: Worst Alphabet Book Ever https://www.amazon.com/Pterodactyl-Worst-Alphabet-Book-Ever/dp/1492674311/ref=mp_s_a_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1549744352&sr=8-1&pi=AC_SX236_SY340_QL65&keywords=worst+alphabet+book

P is for Pterodactyl, hilarious kids' book.

Maybe something like this or this. They're not strictly Science, per se, but they can open up a conversation that leans that way.

A book for you!

There’s a book of these: https://www.amazon.com/Pterodactyl-Worst-Alphabet-Book-Ever/dp/1492674311/

P is for pterodactyl.
https://www.amazon.com/dp/1492674311/ref=cm_sw_r_other_apa_i_-7ZsDbEYV529G

P is for Pterodactyl

https://www.amazon.com/Pterodactyl-Worst-Alphabet-Book-Ever/dp/1492674311

This reminds me of the book P is for Pterodactyl

A is for Aisle

B is for Bdellium

C is for Czar

D is for Djibouti

E is for Ewe

F is not for Photo, Phlegm, Phooey, or Phone

G is for Gnocchi

H is for Heir

I is not for Eye

J is for Jai Alai

K is for Knight

L is not for Elle

M is for Mnemonic

N is not for Knot

O is for Ouija

P is for Pterodactyl

Q is for Quinoa

R is not for Are

S is for Seas

T is for Tsunami

U is not for You

V is for Five

W is for Wren

X is for Xylophone

Y is not for Why

Z is for Zhivago

The book, if you’re interested

Here is the book if anyone wants to purchase it. https://www.amazon.com/Pterodactyl-Worst-Alphabet-Book-Ever/dp/1492674311

​

I am thinking to buy a copy myself.

https://www.amazon.com/dp/1492674311/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_awdb_t1_xNX6BbFJP9RYC

Back in stock:
https://smile.amazon.com/Pterodactyl-Worst-Alphabet-Book-Ever/dp/1492674311

Bought mine!

At that age they are learning to talk so books such as

My First Words (My First Books) https://www.amazon.com/dp/1465428992/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_i_f9l4Bb5MTSHMP

There is a whole series of these: My First Colors, My First Day and Night, etc. I bought these for my younger son as he turned one.

Here

You should ask for this instead.

/r/homenetworking

And maybe this: http://www.amazon.com/Reading-Builders-Sylvan-Workbooks-Language/dp/0375430237/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1451428487&sr=8-1&keywords=1st+grade+reading

https://www.amazon.com/Pterodactyl-Worst-Alphabet-Book-Ever/dp/1492674311

Labor day! Or Labour Day for us Canucks.

A book for my daughter!

By all means, buy used.

A quote from my daughter's current favourite book "Red Hat Green Hat":
"OOPS!"

I bought this book for my nephew: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1492674311/

The funniest thing to me is how many people are upset that they used Ouija boards for O. There is some other stupid reviews as well. [amazon reviews]

My son is flipping obsessed with these books and also this one.

Well there is that... If you don't want to be disappointed I'd suggest checking out https://www.amazon.ca/Pterodactyl-Worst-Alphabet-Book-Ever/dp/1492674311

P Is for Pterodactyl: The Worst Alphabet Book Ever https://www.amazon.com/dp/1492674311/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_83Y6BbFM1KRV0

In case anyone wants a nice link!

Looks like they did P Is for Pterodactyl: The Worst Alphabet Book Ever https://www.amazon.com/dp/1492674311/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_q126Bb4SAZS8R

This reminds me of the children’s book P is for Pterodactyl: The Worst alphabet Book Ever

Reminds me of the "P is for Pterodactyl: The Worst Alphabet Book Ever" that I got for my 7 year old this Christmas.

P Is for Pterodactyl: The Worst Alphabet Book Ever

God damn I want this book but it isn't out yet at least on Amazon

P Is for Pterodactyl: The Worst Alphabet Book Ever

I accidentally ended up ordering two copies of P is for Pteradactyl (The Worst Alphabet Book Ever) and after reading it at my wife she's ready to send them both back. I don't know how you can't appreciate a gem like this book.

I guess you haven't seen the amazing book "P is for Pterodactyl: The worst Alphabet Book Ever!"


https://www.amazon.com/Pterodactyl-Worst-Alphabet-Book-Ever/dp/1492674311

They could have just used P is for Pterodactyl: The Worst Alphabet Book Ever.

Though Q and C being queue and cue is a particularly evil touch.