Produces Few Meaningful Words
Child produces a small vocabulary (typically 5-10 words) of meaningful spontaneous words referring to known people, objects, or actions. Examples include 'mama' / 'ママ', 'booboo' / 'ブーブー' (car), 'wanwan' / 'ワンワン' (dog), and similar early-vocabulary items. Distinct from first_words (1-3 word onset, 10-18mo) — represents broader vocabulary range. JP MHLW 1.5-year checkup: 「ママ、ブーブーなど意味のあることばをいくつか話しますか。」
What the research says
Referenced across 1 developmental framework: jp_mhlw
Full quotes, source languages, and document links coming soon as we finish the source-evidence indexing pass.
Prerequisites
Foundational skill — no prerequisites indexed.
What mastery looks like
Does not yet exhibit produces few meaningful words.
Beginning to show produces few meaningful words with support or in limited contexts.
Demonstrates produces few meaningful words reliably in familiar contexts.
Exhibits produces few meaningful words consistently across contexts.
Produces Few Meaningful Words is automatic and integrated into routine behavior.
Activities for this (12)
Body part naming with gentle touch
Parent names body parts as they gently touch them — nose, toes, belly, ears. Toddler often starts to name back. Mixes touch, gaze, and language exposure. Agent coaches the parent to keep it playful and responsive to the child's own touches.
Singing together
Parent and toddler sing familiar songs with actions. By this age many children can fill in the missing word if the parent pauses. Agent coaches the parent to slow down and leave space. Observations track the child's vocal and gestural participation.
Kitchen Word Hunt
A fun scavenger hunt using everyday kitchen items to encourage your child to say single words
Kitchen Treasure Hunt
A fun, interactive game where you and your child explore common kitchen items together, encouraging them to try saying simple words.
The Naming Walk
Parent and child walk around the house (or sit together with a basket of objects) while the guide prompts the parent to point at and name familiar things, listening for whether the child labels them spontaneously, imitates, or attempts word approximations. Captures expressive language emergence alongside pointing and social referencing.
Cars and Their Sounds
Parent points out different colored cars during a walk or drive and imitates their sounds, encouraging toddler to associate objects with their characteristic noises. The agent coaches the parent to observe sound imitation attempts, color recognition, and social engagement during this everyday learning opportunity.
Reading Buddies
Parent incorporates a stuffed animal as a 'reading buddy' during bedtime story time, creating an imaginative storytelling experience. The agent coaches the parent to observe picture pointing, narrative engagement, and language expression as the child interacts with the story through the stuffed animal narrator.
My Feelings
Parent labels emotions during bedtime routines, helping toddler expand emotional vocabulary and develop emotional intelligence. The agent coaches the parent to observe emotional recognition, vocabulary use, and reciprocal emotional expression during intimate moments.
Voice Recording Playback
Parent records toddler's vocalizations and plays them back, creating a fun loop of listening and reacting. The agent coaches the parent to observe object naming, phrase comprehension, and joyful social engagement as the child hears their own voice, building language skills and a sense of humor.
Family Album Stories
Parent looks through family photos with toddler, telling stories about family members and the child's own babyhood. The agent coaches the parent to observe emotional recognition, family connection, and narrative engagement as the child develops social-emotional awareness through shared storytelling.
Make Animal Sounds
This helps continue your baby's language development. Begin by showing your baby pictures of a few animals and naming them. Show her one picture at a time and make the onomatopoeia of each of the animals. For example, say that the dog goes “woof woof.” O
Animal sounds II
This helps learn to follow verbal instructions and the different sounds that animals make. Begin by placing three similar dishes face down on a table or the floor. Beneath each one place a toy that represents an animal, for example a dog, a cow or a cat. Ask your baby to call for the first
Formal assessments
No matching assessment items indexed yet.