Helping Nonverbal Toddlers Find Their Voice: Expert Strategies From Early Educator Lydia Mackie

Can Outdoor Play Support Nonverbal and Neurodiverse Kids

For this topic we spoke with Lydia Mackie, an early childhood educator with years of experience supporting children’s language development in both classrooms and outdoor learning environments. Her work often centers on children who are not yet verbal, giving her a unique perspective on how parents and teachers can encourage communication before words emerge.

Understanding Nonverbal Development in Toddlers

It’s common for toddlers to vary widely in when they begin speaking, but Mackie stresses that being nonverbal at two or even approaching three deserves careful attention. “I personally really tell people to really pay attention between two and three years old because that’s a really fast period of language development,” she says.

According to the CDC Developmental Milestones, most children should be combining two words by age 2 and using 3–4 word sentences by age 3. If a child isn’t meeting these benchmarks, parents should consult a pediatrician or speech-language pathologist (SLP).

How Nature Unlocks Language for Nonverbal Kids

Mackie found that nonverbal children often respond best outside the traditional classroom. “I noticed that behavior was a lot better when I was outdoors and that children were just eager to get outside to learn,” she explains.

The outdoors provides natural prompts that encourage children to communicate, even without words. A child may point to a worm, gesture at a flower, or make a sound when they see a bird. Mackie builds on those cues: “Instead of saying, ‘That’s a worm,’ you can say, ‘The worm is moving slowly. Where do you think he’s going?’”

Research shows this approach works. A review in Children highlights how outdoor play encourages richer communication, reasoning, and ecological inquiry. Having this type of early age exposure serves as a method of mental stimulation which is crucial during the earliest stages of development.

Practical Strategies for Parents of Nonverbal Toddlers

Use Self-Talk and Parallel Talk
“Self talk is when you describe the things that you’re doing… parallel talk is when you narrate what a child is doing,” Mackie explains.

For a nonverbal child stacking rocks, a parent might say: “You’re putting the rock on top. I’m putting a rock underneath.”

Model Language Without Pressure
Mackie stresses keeping the tone playful. “It’s not a test,” she reminds parents. Narrating daily actions — pouring water, smelling flowers, spotting birds — offers consistent exposure to words without forcing the child to respond.

Lean on Sensory Play
Many nonverbal children engage more when their senses are activated. “Pouring water is language,” Mackie emphasizes. “You can say, ‘I’m pouring fast, you’re pouring slow,’ and compare what happens. Sensory play grounds children while embedding descriptive vocabulary.

Encourage Gestures and Sounds
Nonverbal doesn’t mean silent. Pointing, clapping, and vocalizing are all communication steps. Parents can reinforce these efforts by expanding them into words: when a child points at a flower, say “Yes, that’s a yellow flower. The flower is soft.”

When to Seek Support

If a toddler remains nonverbal by age 2, or shows little progress toward speech by age 3, experts recommend seeking professional input. The American Speech-Language-Hearing Association provides milestone charts, and early intervention programs can offer evaluation and therapy. Mackie encourages parents not to delay: “You can see new words emerge in one week… it happens really quickly, but it’s a huge change that happens over time.”