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Books That Teach Verbs (From a speech therapist)
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items Most toddler books are full of nouns like dog, ball, cup, tree. That's why so many late talkers get stuck labeling objects but can't build sentences. Sentences need verbs. These are the books I reach for when a toddler knows 20 nouns and zero action ...
Ten action verbs: turn, bend, wave, kick, stomp, arch, thump, raise, wriggle, clap, each modeled by an animal and then mirrored by the child. Your toddler hears the verb and does it in the same breath, which is how motor-based verbs lock in fastest.
From Head to Toe by Eric Carle
The whole book is one long verb chain: press, tap, blow, tilt, shake, clap with your child as the actor on every page. Verbs children perform stick faster than verbs they only hear.
Press Here by Hervé Tullet
Tap, rub, shake, wiggle, clap, blow, six verbs your toddler executes, each with a visible payoff on the next page. The cause-and-effect wiring (I shake → leaves fall) is exactly how action words become "make it happen" words.
Tap the Magic Tree by Christie Matheson
"Push" gets repeated across nearly every spread, with shake, rub, and tickle layered in. The comedy keeps attention high, and high attention is what moves verbs from heard to used.
Don't Push the Button! by Bill Cotter
The verb "jump" appears on nearly every page, with a different animal doing it each time, frog, rabbit, cat, fox. Same verb + different agents is how toddlers generalize "jump" from one context to all contexts.
Jump! by Scott M. Fischer
Bow, stomp, trot, twirl, prance, promenade, each dance verb paired with Boynton's rhythm, which is basically a built-in repetition drill. Good for toddlers who respond better to song than speech.
Barnyard Dance by Sandra Boynton
Wash, scrub, brush, exercise, rock, the full bedtime routine as verbs, in sequence. If your toddler already lives the routine, the book gives them the words for what they're already doing, which is the fastest path to first verbs.
The Going To Bed Book by Sandra Boynton
"Hop" becomes the beat of the whole book through sheer repetition. When a child is stuck on nouns, high-frequency exposure to a single verb is what breaks the pattern.
"Hop on Pop" by Dr. Seuss
Go, stop, up, down, in, out, over, under, the workhorse verbs and spatial words toddlers need for early two-word combinations like "dog go" or "up, Mama." One book, most of the early verb vocabulary checklist.
Go, Dog. Go! by P.D. Eastman
One verb, sneeze, built up across the whole story with escalating anticipation. Single-verb obsession is exactly what a noun-stuck toddler needs.
Chu's Day by Neil Gaiman
"Spinning" is repeated on every page while animals try to distract her. The raised, tactile web lets your toddler trace the verb while hearing it, the same multi-sensory principle as signing a word while saying it.
The Very Busy Spider by Eric Carle
Stand, sit, wiggle, flap, blow, stomp, the book directs your child to do each action. Commands a toddler executes become verbs they produce, usually in that order.
Can You Make a Scary Face? by Jan Thomas