When Language Blooms: The Everyday Magic of Speech and Play

As a speech and language therapist, I spend much of my time thinking about what happens when communication is hard work. I spend hours analysing why words don’t come, why sentences don’t form, why interactions stall. But every now and then, I’m reminded of just how miraculous – and frankly astonishing – language development is when it all goes to plan. This week my 23-month-old granddaughter gave me one of those moments. While deep in imaginative play with a train set and some toy animals, she came out with: “This teddy too big put zebra in.” At first glance it might sound like a jumble of words, but look more closely and you’ll see all the ingredients of early grammar bubbling up beautifully: She’s working with size concepts (“too big”). She’s problem-solving in real time, narrating her play as she works it out. She’s stringing together four-plus words in a sequence that has logic, flow and intent. For a child not yet two years old, this is nothing short of amazing. It’s her brain showing that the building blocks of grammar – subject, size/quality, action, solution – are falling into place through play, not drills or flashcards. Why this matters Language isn’t something analytical language processors learn by rote; it grows out of real experiences, meaningful relationships, and playful problem-solving. When a toddler is surrounded by responsive adults, stories, songs, and conversation, their brain soaks it up and begins weaving words into ideas. What my granddaughter did in that moment was more than just talking – it was thinking out loud, using language to organise the world. The professional and the grandmother collide As a professional, I could break her utterance down into developmental milestones, sentence complexity, semantic categories and syntax. As a grandmother, I just sat in awe. Both parts of me agreed on one thing: this is a small miracle. A reminder We sometimes forget how extraordinary it is that humans learn to talk at all. In less than two years, a child moves from cooing and babbling to making themselves understood with strings of words that capture ideas, jokes, and stories. So when it all comes together like this – a toddler, some animals, and an unprompted sentence that captures a whole scene – I can’t help but celebrate. Language development is a marvel. And every now and then, the children in our lives gift us a moment that reminds us why.