I had a fun interview with Yvonne at NBC CT today, sharing some of my newest PAL Award winners and how they can promote language development. Here are the winners that I featured today:

“Roll ‘n Play” by Thinkfun–their first toddler game that teaches little ones to take turns and follow directions. After the child rolls the fleece cube and sees what color lands on top, he chooses a card of the corresponding color to point to his belly button, play patty cake, or touch something red. Little ones can feel part of the game play at last. Here is my full review.

“Find-It Games-On the Farm” is shaped like a silo with over 40 objects to find as you twist the cylinder to see if you can call out “pitch fork,” “tractor” or “combine.” See if your kids can also give the function of the object found to add to the language learning. Here is my full review.

“My Own Laundry” by Step2 can fit on your kitchen table as your child 2 and up busies herself doing the laundry. You can never start too early! Kids learn language by imitating the activities of adults in their lives, learning the sequence of activities, and the dialogue that goes along with it. Here is my full review.

“Garden Salad” by Hape provides the bowl, salad tongs and all the fixin’s for a yummy salad. You can even splash some oil and vinegar on top and add a twist of pepper. The felt lettuce leaves and wooden veggies provide a nice sensory experience for kids too. Here is my full review.

“Arranging Game My Animal Friends” by HABA can be a 2 dimensional puzzle or stand the pieces up for a 3 dimensional language experience. It is a speech pathologist’s dream product with 7 of the 17 pieces having faces on them to promote conversation. Kids can build houses, bridges or steps. Here is my full review.

“Rollors” by Maranda Enterprises is a wonderful game for intergenerational play. A cross between bocce, bowling and horseshoes, this game has an element of skill as well as chance so many ages can play together. Here is my full review.

“My Take Along Pet Clinic” by Playmobil sports 100 props including an x-ray machine, cats, dogs, bunnies hamsters and casts for any broken bones. The waiting room, office, overnight pet boarding and examination room have all the props to make many great stories. Here is my full review.