Using preschool materials to modify the language of disadvantaged children.
Incidental teaching during free play can reliably shape increasingly complex spontaneous language in preschoolers without extra materials or structured drills.
01Research in Context
What this study did
The team watched preschoolers play with blocks, dolls, and toy cars. When a child showed interest, the teacher casually asked for richer language. First the child had to name the toy. Next the teacher asked for an adjective plus noun (“red car”). Then color plus noun. Finally a full sentence (“I want the red car”).
No drills. No worksheets. Just brief prompts slipped into free play.
What they found
Each new prompt level made kids use that structure on their own. Noun prompts raised single-word labels. Adjective prompts raised two-word combos. Color prompts raised color-noun pairs. Sentence prompts raised full spontaneous sentences.
Gains stayed high after the prompts stopped.
How this fits with other research
Audras-Torrent et al. (2021) extends this idea to children with autism. They let kids feel real objects first, then prompted pretend talk. Both studies show that natural play plus light prompts can build language without table work.
Iwata et al. (1990) used a similar preschool setting but tested say-do match instead of language growth. Both prove that brief teacher attention can shape verbal behavior in free play.
Rosenthal et al. (1980) looks different at first glance. They taught older kids with delays to mand using strict verbal behavior drills. The 1974 study shows the opposite path: incidental play prompts can grow complex speech without explicit mand training. Together they tell us to pick the tool that fits the child’s needs.
Why it matters
You can grow richer language without extra materials or seat work. During free play, wait for interest, then ask for one step above the child’s current level. Fade the prompt as the child masters the form. Keep the play fun and the words will stick.
Want CEUs on This Topic?
The ABA Clubhouse has 60+ free CEUs — live every Wednesday. Ethics, supervision & clinical topics.
Join Free →In free play, ask for one language step above the child’s current level (e.g., if they label “car,” prompt “red car”).
02At a glance
03Original abstract
Although language remediation programs have generally been conducted with the use of special materials in structured group settings, traditional preschool practice emphasizes "incidental teaching" incorporated into children's free play. To determine if incidental teaching practices could be effective in improving children's speech, this study investigated the spontaneous speech of 12 disadvantaged children during free-play periods over eight months of a preschool program. Whenever the children selected a preschool play material, they were prompted and required to ask for it, first by name (noun), then by name plus a word that described the material (adjective-noun combination), then by use of a color adjuctive-noun combination, and finally by requesting the material and describing how they were going to use it (compound sentence). As each requirement was made, the children's general use of that aspect of language markedly increased, but little change was noted in the amount or nature of the children's interactions with teachers or their use of a set of materials to which they had free access. This study demonstrates that preschool free-play periods can be powerful "incidental teaching" periods by capitalizing on moments when children seek new play materials.
Journal of applied behavior analysis, 1974 · doi:10.1901/jaba.1974.7-243