8 Toys That Encourage Talking

Let toys do the talking. This chatterbox bird repeats back what you say to him (just press his wing to record your voice). The interaction will help your baby develop her language skills, while Pete's multi-textured and patterned body engages her tactile senses. For ages 6 months and up.

Fish out of water. This rocking, talking bowl recites the alphabet, numbers, and shapes as Baby takes the plastic sea creatures out and places them back again, strengthening her hand-eye coordination. Make the experience even more educational by helping your little one identify the objects (starfish, crab, fish) and their colors (red, yellow, orange). For ages 6 months to 36 months.

Make storytime interactive. The pages of this playful book respond to your toddler's touch with words, sounds, and music to help expand their vocabulary by more than 100 words. It also helps teach fine motor skills and the alphabet. And with four different modes of play, it's a toy your tot won't tire of anytime soon. For ages 18 months and up.

Phone a friend. Toddlers practice their conversational skills—hello, how are you, nice talking to you, goodbye—with Scout, the fictitious canine friend on the other end of this play phone. Its 15 activities, including voicemails and sing-along songs, help teach social skills and counting too. For ages 18 months and up.

Let them jump into learning. Your little one can jump around and play interactive memory games to get to know colors, numbers, and animal sounds. The double-sided Jump 'N' Play floor mat features sound effects and a piano keyboard, so kids work on both their motor skills and reasoning. For ages 2 years and up.

Encourage their creativity. The brightly colored Mushroom Garden has four different modes (music, colors, numbers, and games) that help toddlers develop hand-eye coordination, logical thinking, pattern recognition, and problem-solving skills. In game mode, for example, the mushrooms light up in a series of patterns that progressively challenge your little one's memory. Music mode turns the mushrooms into piano keys. For ages 12 months and up. 

Keep your kiddo guessing. As your child is learning new words, this game will teach her everything from animals and automobiles to clothing and home vocabulary. Beginners match tokens to pictures in the charts, while older kids can work on reading comprehension with the backsides of cards, which feature words instead of images for the same objects. For ages 3 to 6 years. 

Learn about others. This modern classic has two pages, each with a different lesson. One teaches tots about people in the community (firefighters, police officers, teachers), while the other labels emotions and their corresponding facial expressions. Need a challenge? There's a quiz mode too. For ages 18 months to 5 years.