# First Words: Animal Vocabulary for Toddlers

Little Wheels Talk & Listen uses the Tractor and Farm Truck vehicles as gateways to teach animal vocabulary, connecting vehicle interests to the natural world.

## Why Animal Words Matter for Speech Development

Animal vocabulary is valuable because:
- High engagement (children love animals)
- Sound practice (animal sounds are early speech)
- Book connection (many children's books feature animals)
- Real-world relevance (pets, zoos, farms)

## Animal Words by Phoneme Difficulty

### Tier 1 - Easiest (Early Sounds: /m/, /b/, /p/, /w/)
- **moo** - /m/ sound, cow sound
- **baa** - /b/ sound, sheep sound
- **bow-wow** - /b/ and /w/ sounds, dog sound
- **pig** - /p/ sound, farm animal
- **woof** - /w/ sound, dog sound

### Tier 2 - Building (Sounds: /d/, /n/, /h/, /t/)
- **dog** - /d/ sound, common pet
- **duck** - /d/ sound, farm/pond animal
- **hen** - /h/ sound, chicken
- **horse** - /h/ sound, farm animal
- **neigh** - /n/ sound, horse sound
- **tweet** - /t/ sound, bird sound

### Tier 3 - Expanding (Sounds: /k/, /g/, /f/)
- **cat** - /k/ sound, common pet
- **cow** - /k/ sound, farm animal
- **goat** - /g/ sound, farm animal
- **fish** - /f/ sound, pet/pond animal
- **frog** - /f/ sound, pond animal

### Tier 4 - Advanced (Complex Sounds)
- **sheep** - /ʃ/ sound, farm animal
- **chick** - /tʃ/ sound, baby chicken
- **squirrel** - /skw/ blend, outdoor animal
- **rabbit** - /r/ sound, pet/farm animal

## How Talk & Listen Teaches Animal Words

Farm vehicles deliver animal vocabulary:

1. **Vehicle Card Practice**: Tractor shows farm animals with sounds
2. **Category Gateway**: Animal-themed word deliveries
3. **Phoneme Drill**: Practice all /k/ words including cat, cow, quack

## Animal Vocabulary Features
- 25+ animal words organized by phoneme difficulty
- Animal sounds paired with animal names
- Call-and-response prompts ("Can you say cow?")
- Farm and pet categories
- Animal-themed celebrations

## Why Vehicles + Animals Works

Farm vehicles create natural animal vocabulary context:
- Tractors work on farms with animals
- Farm trucks transport animals
- Children see vehicle + animal connection
- Transfers vehicle interest to animal learning

## Practical Applications
- Book reading ("Point to the cow")
- Zoo/farm visits ("Look at the horse!")
- Pet interactions ("Say hi to the dog")
- Sound imitation ("What does the cow say?")

## Related Resources
- Learn more: littlewheels.app/learn/parent-guides/first-words-animals
- Tractor page: littlewheels.app/vehicles/tractor
- Farm Truck page: littlewheels.app/vehicles/farm-truck
- Talk & Listen app: littlewheels.app/apps/talk-listen

## About Little Wheels
Little Wheels Talk & Listen teaches 300+ first words across 10 vocabulary themes. One-time $4.99 purchase, works 100% offline, no ads or subscriptions.