How to Teach Vocabulary to a 1-Year-Old | First Words Through Talk, Play, Reading and Daily Routines

How to teach vocabulary to a 1-year-old is mostly about building language into ordinary life. At around one year of age, vocabulary teaching should not look like a school lesson. It should look like responsive conversation, pointing, naming, imitation, shared attention, songs, simple books, gestures, play and repeated words attached to real people, objects and actions. The adult’s job is not to make a one-year-old memorise a list. It is to make language useful, meaningful and enjoyable enough that words begin to connect with the child’s world.

Parents searching for vocabulary for a 1-year-old, first words for a 12-month-old, how to teach a baby new words or how to help a one-year-old talk will find many word-count claims online. Treat those numbers cautiously. Development varies, and professional milestone resources are designed as broad guideposts, not tests of intelligence or a daily vocabulary quota. The more useful question is whether the child is participating in communication: looking, listening, responding, gesturing, taking turns, connecting familiar words with familiar experiences and gradually producing sounds or words of their own.

This guide turns the wider eduKate vocabulary system into an age-appropriate one-year-old method. The core principles remain—clear meaning, repeated encounters, retrieval and use—but the delivery is completely different from school-age instruction. A one-year-old learns through relationships and action. The strongest “lesson plan” is a day filled with adults who notice what the child is attending to, name it, respond, pause, repeat, expand and let communication travel back and forth.

The Short Answer: How to Teach Vocabulary to a 1-Year-Old

• Follow what the child is looking at or doing, then name it.
• Use short, natural phrases tied to the immediate situation.
• Repeat important words across meals, bath time, dressing, play and walks.
• Pair words with gestures, facial expression, objects and actions.
• Pause so the child has a turn to look, point, vocalise or respond.
• Read simple picture books and talk about the pictures instead of racing through the text.
• Use songs, routines and predictable phrases that make words easier to anticipate.
• Expand the child’s communication: if the child points to a ball, say “ball,” “red ball,” or “roll ball.”
• Use the languages your family speaks comfortably and richly.
• Do not turn first words into pressure, drilling or comparison with another child.

The central pattern is simple: notice → name → respond → pause → repeat → expand.

1. What Vocabulary Learning Looks Like Around One Year

At one year, language is larger than spoken vocabulary. Communication includes looking, pointing, reaching, giving, showing, waving, imitating, vocalising, responding to familiar phrases and taking turns. These behaviours matter because words are learned inside shared attention and social exchange.

The American Speech-Language-Hearing Association’s communication milestones for birth to one year include behaviours such as responding to simple words and phrases, imitating gestures and sounds, and saying one or two familiar words during the later part of the first year. The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention lists one-year communication milestones such as waving bye-bye, using a special name for a parent and understanding “no.” These are broad milestones that most children reach by an age range; they are not a script for what every child must do on a birthday.

See ASHA: Communication Milestones—Birth to 1 Year and CDC: Milestones by 1 Year for the source guidance and its cautions.

2. Teach the Word the Child Is Ready to Notice

Adults often choose words from a list. One-year-olds often learn best when the word is attached to what already has their attention. If the child is staring at a dog, that is a powerful moment for “dog.” If the child drops a spoon, “drop” or “spoon” has a visible referent. If the child reaches to be picked up, “up” has immediate purpose.

This is sometimes called following the child’s lead. It does not mean the adult never introduces new things. It means language is more likely to connect when adult and child are attending to the same event.

Instead of testing—“What is this? What is this? What is this?”—comment. “Dog. Big dog. Dog walking.” Then pause. The child may look, smile, point, make a sound or do nothing visible. All of those moments can still be part of language learning.

3. Use Short Phrases, Not Artificial Baby Talk

A one-year-old benefits from clear, simple language, but adults do not need to reduce communication to isolated nouns. Short phrases show how words work together: “more milk,” “Daddy home,” “wash hands,” “blue cup,” “dog running,” “open box.”

Keep sentences short enough that the important word is easy to hear. Natural intonation helps. Repetition helps. But the phrase should still sound like real language. If the family uses more than one language, use natural phrases in those languages too.

ASHA encourages caregivers to talk about daily activities and to speak with children in the languages adults are most comfortable using. Rich language input does not require every sentence to be simplified beyond recognition.

4. Build Vocabulary Into Routines

Routines are powerful because they repeat. The same objects, actions and phrases return with enough variation to keep meaning real. A vocabulary programme for a one-year-old can therefore be embedded into the day rather than scheduled as a separate class.

During breakfast: cup, spoon, bowl, banana, milk, more, all gone, eat, drink, hot, cold. During dressing: shirt, sock, shoe, arm, foot, on, off, up. During bath time: water, wet, wash, splash, duck, bubbles, in, out. During a walk: car, bus, bird, tree, dog, stop, go, big, noisy.

The goal is not to say every available word. Choose a few useful words and let them recur. Too much narration can become background noise. Leave space for the child to respond.

5. Name It While It Happens

Action words are easier to understand when the action is visible. Say “open” as the box opens, “roll” as the ball rolls, “pour” while water pours, “clap” while clapping, “sit” as the child sits, “wave” while waving.

This creates a direct connection among sound, action and outcome. Later the same word can be used before the action—“Open?”—or after it—“You opened it!” The child begins to meet the word across slightly different moments.

Verbs matter because vocabulary is not only a catalogue of things. Verbs help children understand what people and objects do, and they later support combinations of words.

6. Pair Words With Gestures

Gestures make meaning visible. Wave while saying “bye-bye.” Hold out a hand while saying “give.” Point while saying “look.” Raise your arms while saying “up.” Shake your head with “no.”

Gestures are not a failure to speak. They are part of communication and can support the mapping between a word and its function. ASHA includes gestures such as pointing, waving and showing objects among early communication milestones.

When the child uses a gesture, answer it with language. If the child points to water, say “water,” “want water?” or “more water.” This respects the child’s communication while adding a verbal form.

7. Pause: Vocabulary Is a Two-Way Process

Adults can fill every silence because they are eager to teach. But communication requires turns. Say something, then wait. Look expectantly. The child may respond with eyes, hands, sounds, body movement or a word.

The pause matters because it gives the child time to process and participate. It also helps adults notice what the child actually understood or wanted to communicate. A conversation with a one-year-old may contain very few spoken words from the child, but it can still be richly reciprocal.

Think of the rhythm as serve and return: adult communicates, child responds in some form, adult responds to that response. Vocabulary grows inside this rhythm.

8. Imitate the Child Before Asking the Child to Imitate You

If the child says “ba,” copies a sound, bangs two blocks or makes an animal noise, imitate it. This shows that their communication has effect. Then add a small expansion: “ba—ball,” “moo—cow,” “bang—bang blocks.”

Adults often focus on making the child copy adult speech. Mutual imitation is more conversational. It can increase attention and turn-taking because the child experiences the adult as responsive, not only instructional.

ASHA recommends responding to babies’ sounds and imitating sounds they make. The principle is relational: communication is something people do with each other.

9. Expand Instead of Correcting Harshly

A one-year-old may produce an approximation rather than an adult pronunciation. If “dah” consistently refers to dog, the adult can respond, “Yes, dog! Big dog.” The child’s attempt is acknowledged and the adult model is supplied naturally.

There is usually no need to demand repeated correction: “No, say dog properly.” Speech sounds develop over time. The vocabulary goal at this age is the connection among intention, word and referent, supported by clear adult models.

ASHA’s general communication guidance advises adults not to interrupt young children simply to correct speech sounds; adults can model the sound correctly in their own response.

10. Read Picture Books as Conversations

A one-year-old does not need to sit silently while an adult reads every printed sentence. Shared reading can be interactive. Point to a picture. Name it. Make a sound. Let the child turn the page. Follow what interests them.

If the page shows a duck, say “duck,” “yellow duck,” “duck swims,” or “quack.” If the child touches the ball instead, talk about the ball. You can return to the duck later. The purpose is not literary completion; it is shared attention around language.

Choose sturdy books with clear pictures and topics the child enjoys. Repetition is a feature, not a problem. The same book can become richer over time because the child notices new details and anticipates familiar words.

11. Repeated Books Can Build Faster Vocabulary

Adults may become bored with the same book before a child does. Repetition creates predictability. Predictability lets the child anticipate a sound, gesture, picture or word. Anticipation is a form of participation.

On the first readings, the adult may do most of the talking. Later, pause before a familiar sound. Point and wait. Ask “Where’s the dog?” only when the child enjoys the game. Let the child show understanding by looking or pointing even if no spoken answer appears.

Repeated reading also changes the adult’s language. One day you name “dog.” Another day you add “brown dog,” “dog running,” “dog sleeping.” The conceptual network grows without turning the book into a quiz.

12. Songs and Rhymes Make Words Predictable

Songs and nursery rhymes repeat sound patterns, actions and vocabulary. A child can participate by moving before speaking. Songs about body parts, animals, vehicles, greetings or daily routines make words memorable because rhythm and action support them.

Pause at a predictable point and let the child fill the turn with a gesture or sound. Repeat favourite songs often. Use the same target word outside the song so it does not remain tied to one musical sequence.

13. Teach Names for Important People

Names and social words are powerful because they connect to relationships. Use family names, familiar caregiver names and words such as mummy, daddy, grandma, baby, friend, hello and bye in real situations.

Photo books can help. Look at a familiar person and name them. Avoid pressuring the child to perform for relatives. The goal is repeated connection between person, face, voice and word.

14. Teach Body Words During Care

Body parts are naturally available during dressing, bathing and play. “Foot in.” “Wash hands.” “Where’s your nose?” Touch your own nose, then the child’s if welcome. Songs can add repetition.

At first, comprehension may appear as looking or touching. Spoken production can come later. Treat understanding as meaningful progress rather than demanding that every known word be said.

15. Teach Food Words During Meals

Meals combine objects, actions, choices and needs. Words such as cup, spoon, water, milk, banana, bread, more, finished, eat, drink, hot and cold have immediate meaning.

Offer genuine choices where appropriate: “Banana or pear?” Show both. If the child reaches, name the selection: “Banana. You chose banana.” The child learns that language can organise decisions.

Do not withhold food in order to force a word. Communication should be supported, not turned into a gate for basic needs.

16. Teach Location Words With Movement

Early relational words can be embedded in play: in, out, up, down, on, off, here, there. Put a block in a cup and say “in.” Take it out and say “out.” Lift a toy up and bring it down.

These words are harder to point to than nouns because they describe relationships. Repeated movement makes the relationship visible.

17. Use Animal Sounds as a Bridge, Not a Replacement

Animal sounds are playful and easy to imitate. “Cow—moo,” “dog—woof,” “cat—meow.” The sound can attract attention and invite participation. Pair it with the actual animal word so the child hears both.

ASHA includes teaching animal sounds among practical suggestions for the first year. The larger principle is that meaningful sound play can support turn-taking, imitation and word association.

18. Use Toy Play to Teach Actions and Relationships

A small set of toys can generate many words. A ball can roll, bounce, stop, go, fall, go in a box and come out. Blocks can stack, fall, go up, go down, become big or small towers. A toy car can go, stop, turn, crash, hide and appear.

Follow the child’s play rather than directing every move. Comment on what is already happening. If the child repeats an action, repeat the language. Repeated action plus repeated word creates many natural pairings.

19. Outdoors Is a Vocabulary Laboratory

Walks provide changing but concrete language: tree, leaf, bird, dog, car, bus, rain, sun, wet, big, fast, stop, go. Name what the child notices. If a loud truck passes, “truck—loud!” has immediate sensory meaning.

Do not turn the walk into continuous narration. Notice the child’s gaze. Share attention. Repeat a few words across many walks. The world provides built-in variation: different dogs are still dogs; different cars share a category.

20. Category Learning Begins With Varied Examples

If a child sees only the family’s small white dog labelled “dog,” the initial concept may be narrow. Meeting large dogs, brown dogs, pictures of dogs and toy dogs helps the category broaden.

The adult does not need to explain category theory. Simply name varied examples accurately. The child’s brain does the statistical work of finding what is shared across encounters.

21. Do Not Quiz More Than You Converse

Questions such as “Where is the ball?” can be useful and playful. But if every interaction becomes a test, the adult stops providing rich language. Comments supply vocabulary too.

A useful balance is to comment more than you quiz. “There’s the ball. Red ball. Roll ball.” Later: “Where’s the ball?” If the child looks or points, respond warmly and continue the interaction.

The purpose is communication, not proving what the child knows on demand.

22. Let Comprehension Come Before Production

Children often understand words before they say them. A one-year-old may look toward the door when hearing “Daddy’s home,” reach for shoes when hearing “shoes,” or pause when hearing “no” before having a large spoken vocabulary.

Do not assume a word is unknown simply because the child does not say it. Observe responses. Receptive vocabulary and expressive vocabulary develop in relation but are not identical.

This is one reason word-count comparisons can mislead families. Communication is multidimensional.

23. Use Choices to Create Meaningful Word Opportunities

Choices can make words functional. Hold up two toys: “ball or car?” If the child reaches for the car, answer, “Car. You want car.” If they vocalise, treat the response as communication and supply the word.

Avoid using choices as traps. Both choices should be acceptable. The adult is creating a reason for language, not demanding perfect speech.

24. Repeat Without Sounding Like a Drill

Natural repetition changes slightly. “Ball. Red ball. Roll the ball. Ball went under. Get the ball.” The target word appears several times, but each use maps onto a slightly different event.

This is stronger than chanting “ball, ball, ball” without context. The child hears the stable word inside varied meaningful frames.

25. Expand One Step Beyond the Child’s Message

If the child says or approximates one word, the adult can model a slightly richer phrase. “Ball” becomes “big ball.” “Dog” becomes “dog running.” “More” becomes “more banana.”

The expansion should be small enough to remain connected to the child’s intention. Long adult sentences may be linguistically rich but less useful as immediate models.

26. Use Daily Photo Talk

Photos of familiar people, pets and places can create repeated vocabulary without requiring new toys or special materials. “Grandma.” “Park.” “Dog.” “Daddy sleeping.” “Baby eating.”

Keep the interaction responsive. If the child repeatedly points to one photo, stay there. Repetition driven by interest is valuable.

27. Screens Are Not the Main Vocabulary Teacher at One

At this age, people provide something screens cannot fully replicate: immediate response to the child’s gaze, gesture, sound and interest. If media is used, shared use with an adult can create more interaction than passive viewing.

For language-building time, prioritise talking, reading, singing, moving and playing together. The words become tied to real relationships and real objects.

28. Multilingual Families Should Use Their Strong Languages

Families sometimes worry that using more than one language will confuse a young child. ASHA’s guidance explicitly encourages caregivers to talk to children in the languages they are most comfortable using and notes that multilingual exposure does not cause speech or language problems.

A child may distribute words across languages, so counting only one language can give an incomplete picture of communication. Keep input rich, natural and socially meaningful. Family members do not need to force themselves into a language in which they can say less.

29. Choose a Small Core of High-Utility Family Words

A one-year-old does not need a fixed curriculum, but adults can make repetition easier by choosing a small core of words that naturally recur. Select words from several functions rather than ten object labels. For example: mummy, cup, ball, dog, more, up, open, eat, wet, bye. This gives the child people, things, actions, descriptions and social language.

Use the words because they matter in the child’s day. If there is no dog in the child’s world but there is a lift used four times daily, “lift,” “door,” “open,” “close,” “up” and “down” may be more powerful. Utility is personal at this age.

After a few weeks, some words will become familiar while others remain weak. Do not test them formally. Simply allow stable words to keep appearing naturally and make a few new useful words more noticeable. This creates a gentle rotating vocabulary without a worksheet.

30. Turn One Object Into a Language Sequence

You do not need many toys. One ball can support a surprisingly rich sequence. Begin with the label: “ball.” Add a property: “red ball.” Add an action: “roll ball.” Add a direction: “ball goes down.” Add location: “ball in box.” Add disappearance: “Where’s ball?” Add return: “There it is!”

The child may participate by watching, reaching, laughing, rolling, pointing or vocalising. Each response gives the adult a new place to attach language. The lesson is not planned as a lecture; it emerges from the shared activity.

The same pattern works with a cup, spoon, toy animal, shoe or book. This is efficient because new words are anchored to an object the child already understands.

31. A One-Year-Old Vocabulary Day

Morning: name familiar people and dressing actions. “Mummy. Shirt on. Socks. Shoes.”

Breakfast: use food and request words. “Cup. Milk. More banana. All gone.”

Play: follow the child’s object. “Ball. Roll. Go! Stop. Under chair.”

Walk: name what attracts attention. “Dog. Big dog. Bus. Bird up.”

Bath: repeat body and action words. “Water. Wash hands. Wet hair. Duck in.”

Book: revisit five or six familiar picture words. Pause for pointing or looking.

Bedtime: use predictable social language. “Book finished. Light off. Night-night.”

This is not a compulsory schedule. It shows how vocabulary can accumulate through ordinary routines without creating a formal lesson.

32. A Fourteen-Day Vocabulary Rhythm

Families who like structure can use a simple two-week rhythm without turning it into a target sheet. During days one to three, notice five familiar words already embedded in routines. Say them clearly and naturally. During days four to six, add one action or property to each: “cup” becomes “drink cup” or “blue cup”; “dog” becomes “dog running.”

During days seven to nine, look for the same words in a book, photo or outdoor setting. This gives the child a second context. During days ten to twelve, use playful anticipation: pause before “go,” hold the shoe before “on,” or wait at the door before “open.” The child can respond with a look, gesture, movement or sound.

During days thirteen and fourteen, simply observe. Which words seem familiar? Which prompts produce a response? Which activities create the most shared attention? Use that information to choose the next small set. The cycle is about adult responsiveness, not scoring the child.

A rhythm like this creates repetition, variation and transfer—three mechanisms that matter throughout vocabulary learning—while remaining appropriate for a one-year-old.

33. Recognise Communication Before Spoken Words

A child who hands you a closed container may be asking for help. A child who looks at the door after hearing a family member’s name may understand the word. A child who raises both arms may mean “up.” These are communicative achievements even when no spoken word appears.

Answer the message with language: “Help open,” “Daddy?” “Up—you want up.” By translating the child’s intention into words, the adult gives a verbal model that is attached to a successful communicative event.

This matters because pressure to speak can make adults overlook the many ways the child is already participating. Vocabulary teaching is stronger when it grows from those successful exchanges.

34. A Seven-Day First-Word Theme Without Drilling

Pick a small theme that already exists in the child’s life. Suppose the theme is “things that move.” Across one week, notice car, bus, ball, stroller and people walking. Use actions such as go, stop, roll, push and walk. Read a vehicle book. Sing a movement song. Watch real buses on a walk.

The words repeat across different contexts. The child is not expected to produce them all. The adult is creating a dense, meaningful language environment around a coherent set of experiences.

35. What to Do When the Child Points but Does Not Say the Word

Respond to the point as communication. Name the object. “Water. You want water.” If appropriate, pause briefly to allow a sound or attempt, but do not create a standoff.

Pointing can show shared attention and intention. Spoken production may develop later. The adult’s repeated language supplies the verbal model while preserving the success of communication.

36. What to Do When the Child Says the Same Word for Many Things

Early words can be broad. A child may use “ball” for round objects or “dog” for several animals. Adults can refine the category by modelling the correct labels without turning every attempt into an error.

“You see the cat. Cat. Meow.” Over time, varied examples help the child separate categories. The wrong overextension is often evidence that the child is actively building a rule.

37. What to Do When the Child Loves One Word

Use the favourite word as a bridge. If the child loves “car,” add colours, sizes, actions and locations: red car, big car, car goes, car stops, car in, car out. Then connect to related categories: bus, truck, wheel, road.

Interest increases attention. Vocabulary teaching can expand outward from what already works.

38. Words to Prioritise at One Year

There is no universal required list, but useful categories include:

• important people and names;
• foods and drinks;
• favourite toys and objects;
• body parts;
• common animals;
• actions such as go, come, eat, drink, open, close, wash and roll;
• social words such as hi, bye, more, help and all done;
• descriptors such as hot, cold, big, wet and soft;
• location and movement words such as in, out, up, down, on and off.

Prioritise words the child can use to understand routines, share attention and communicate needs or interests.

39. Keep Teaching Safe: Do Not Make Language a Gate

It can be tempting to hold a desired object and wait until the child says its name. A short, playful pause can create an opportunity to communicate, but essential needs and emotional security should not depend on a perfect verbal response. If a child clearly communicates through gesture, gaze or sound, acknowledge the message and model the word.

Likewise, do not turn family gatherings into repeated performances: “Say this for Grandma. Say it again. Show everyone.” Some children enjoy imitation; others may withdraw under pressure. The goal is to increase meaningful communication, not public compliance.

A strong language environment is generous with models and patient about production. It gives the child many chances to hear useful language and many acceptable ways to take a turn.

40. What Not to Do

• Do not pressure the child to repeat every word.
• Do not compare daily word counts with another child.
• Do not withhold basic needs until a word is spoken.
• Do not spend most language time on flashcards disconnected from life.
• Do not correct every speech approximation harshly.
• Do not talk continuously without leaving turns.
• Do not assume silence means no understanding.
• Do not force a family to abandon its strongest home language.
• Do not use milestone charts as a diagnosis.
• Do not make vocabulary a performance for adults.

41. How to Track Progress Without Turning It Into a Test

Notice new forms of communication over weeks, not minutes. Does the child respond to more familiar words? Point to more objects? Copy new sounds? Use gestures intentionally? Bring objects to show you? Use a sound or word consistently for a person or thing? Combine gaze, gesture and sound more deliberately?

A simple family note can record new words or communication behaviours if that is enjoyable and useful, but the record should not become a source of pressure. Development can come in uneven bursts.

42. When Professional Guidance Is Worth Seeking

If you have concerns about hearing, communication, loss of previously acquired skills, or a child not meeting many milestones in the relevant range, discuss the pattern with the child’s healthcare professional and, where appropriate, a qualified speech-language pathologist or audiologist. ASHA and CDC both emphasise that milestone information is not a substitute for screening or assessment.

For current milestone information, use ASHA’s Birth to 1 Year communication milestones and CDC’s 1 Year milestones. These sources also explain what families can do if they are concerned.

43. Frequently Asked Questions

How many words should a 1-year-old know?

Do not use one number as a pass-fail target. Professional milestone guidance describes a range of communication behaviours, not vocabulary size alone. ASHA’s later first-year range includes one or two familiar words among several communication skills, while CDC’s one-year milestones include a special name for a parent, waving and understanding “no.” Individual development varies.

Can I teach flashcards to a 1-year-old?

You can show pictures, but real objects, play, books and responsive interaction usually provide richer language because words are connected to action and shared attention. If picture cards are enjoyable, use them conversationally rather than as drilling.

Should I make my child repeat words?

Invite imitation playfully, but do not make every interaction depend on repetition. Model the word clearly and respond to gestures, sounds and approximations as communication.

Is it okay to use two or more languages?

Yes. ASHA encourages families to use the languages they are most comfortable speaking and notes that multilingual learning does not itself cause speech or language problems. Rich communication in family languages is valuable.

What are good first vocabulary themes?

Use the child’s life: family, food, body parts, toys, animals, vehicles, bath time, dressing, actions and simple social words. Meaning is easier to establish when the referent is present and relevant.

What if my one-year-old understands but says very little?

Understanding and speaking do not develop at exactly the same pace. Observe the whole communication picture, including gestures and responses. If you are concerned, especially about hearing, regression or multiple milestones, discuss it with an appropriate professional rather than relying on online word-count comparisons.

44. The One-Year-Old Vocabulary Operating System

For a one-year-old, vocabulary grows from repeated meaningful encounters inside relationships. The adult notices what matters, names it, responds to the child, pauses for a turn, repeats words in routines and expands communication one small step at a time.

Shared attention → clear word → response → pause → repetition → small expansion.

This system is deliberately different from school-age vocabulary instruction. There is no need for definition memorisation, spelling tests or long word lists. Yet the deeper learning principles are already present. Meaning is grounded in context. Repetition strengthens the connection. Retrieval appears when a familiar phrase produces recognition or anticipation. Transfer appears when “dog” applies to a new dog or “up” works in a new situation.

For the wider theory of how words become stable and usable over time, see Vocabulary Mastery | The Complete System for Learning, Remembering and Using Words. For older learners and formal teaching, see How to Teach Vocabulary Correctly and How to Teach Vocabulary Quickly. At one year, however, the best vocabulary programme is still a responsive human relationship filled with real words about real life.

45. A Parent or Caregiver Checklist

• Did I talk about what my child was actually looking at?
• Did I use a few clear words more than once?
• Did I leave space for my child to respond?
• Did I respond to gestures and sounds as communication?
• Did I read, sing or play with language today?
• Did I use words during routines rather than creating pressure?
• Did I model speech naturally instead of demanding perfect pronunciation?
• Did I include verbs and relational words, not only object labels?
• Did I use my family’s strongest language or languages naturally?
• Did language feel connected to warmth, attention and shared activity?

If most answers are yes, vocabulary teaching is already happening. The work is not to accelerate a one-year-old into school. It is to create a language-rich world in which communication repeatedly succeeds.