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The Talking Journey
One clear path from first words to full conversations: 6 bands, 17 word kits, each with 3 hand-picked toys and exactly what to say while you play. Work through them in order, at your child's own pace — there is no falling behind here, only moving forward.
Where do we start?
Read the “you're here if” signs under each band below and start wherever they sound like your child today — bands are about stages, not ages. Not sure? Start at Band 1: revisiting easy wins builds confidence, and you'll move up quickly. You can also read the parent guide for a fuller picture.
Two ways to travel
Two ways to grow your child's talking
Same milestones, same speech-pathologist goals — you simply choose how you get there. Follow the toys, follow Julia's books, or blend both. There's no wrong turn.
The Toy Way
Play the goals with toys
Pick a toy your child already loves. Each one comes with exactly what to say and do — Bronze, Silver and Gold goals from a speech pathologist. Buy the toy, and the play does the teaching.
Julia's Way
Weave the goals into everyday life
Prefer no new toys? Julia's Woodland Friends storybooks and parent handouts show you how to build the same goals into the routines you already have — mealtimes, bath time, the walk to the park.
Foundation Language
🌱 Band 1: Emerging Communicators
The very beginning of talking — powerful little words your child can feel with their whole body: more, go, in, out, up, down, all gone. This band is all about discovering that words work.
You're here if…
- ✓ Your child communicates mostly with sounds, pointing or pulling you by the hand
- ✓ They say a handful of words (or none yet) — every child starts here, and starting is the win
- ✓ They understand more than they say (very normal!)
Julia's storybooks for this band — all 10 arriving September 2026
One cosy Woodland Friends book per concept — $5 each, or the whole band (plus the workbook) for $29. Join the waitlist in the shop.
MORE
The most powerful first word a child can learn
3 toys insideGO
Ready... set... the word that makes things move
3 toys insideSTOP
Go's best friend — and a child's first taste of control
3 toys insideIN & OUT
The first location words — learned through little hands
3 toys insideUP & DOWN
Build it up... crash it down — the words toddlers feel
3 toys insideALL GONE
The mealtime word that talks about things that disappear
3 toys insideFoundation Language
📦 Band 2: Early Communicators
Single words are flowing and little combinations are starting: open the box, my turn, I want that. This band turns words into everyday requests — the moment talking starts to feel useful all day long.
You're here if…
- ✓ Your child uses lots of single words and is starting to put two together
- ✓ They can ask for the things they want with words more often than not
- ✓ They love making things happen — opening, posting, taking turns, demanding more
12 Woodland Friends storybooks — one per concept — arriving October 2026
OPEN & SHUT
Every flap, lid and door is a language lesson
3 toys insideMY TURN
The phrase that unlocks games, friendships and conversation
3 toys insideI WANT...
From grabbing to asking — the three-word request
3 toys insideBuilding Language
🧩 Band 3: Developing Communicators
Phrases are growing into little sentences — and the world is getting describing words: big, wet, heavy, loud, happy. Plus the first sequencing words, first and then, that will one day hold whole stories together.
You're here if…
- ✓ Your child combines two or three words easily and adds new words every week
- ✓ They notice and comment on the world — big dog! more juice! — all day long
- ✓ They can follow two-step instructions like “get your shoes and bring them here”
18 Woodland Friends storybooks — one per concept — arriving November 2026
DESCRIBE IT
Big, tiny, spotty, fast — the words that make sentences colorful
3 toys insideFIRST & THEN
The little sequencing words that will one day hold whole stories together
3 toys insideBuilding Language
💬 Band 4: Consolidating Communicators
Sentences are getting sturdy, and the first big question words arrive — what and where — along with comparing words like fast and slow. Your child is becoming a real conversation partner.
You're here if…
- ✓ Your child speaks in three-to-four word sentences most of the time
- ✓ They ask “what’s that?” and “where’s daddy?” — or you can feel those questions coming
- ✓ They compare things during play: fast car, slow snail, my one is bigger
24 Woodland Friends storybooks — one per concept — arriving December 2026
WHERE?
The first question word — and the start of curiosity out loud
3 toys insideFAST & SLOW
Opposites your child can drive — comparing words with wheels on
3 toys insideExpanding Language
🗣️ Band 5: Expanding Communicators
Language stretches in every direction: questions flow both ways, time words like before and after appear, and your child starts telling you what happened — the beginnings of real storytelling.
You're here if…
- ✓ Your child chats in full sentences and answers who, what and where questions
- ✓ They love telling you things — what they did, what they saw, what happened
- ✓ They are starting to use time words: after lunch, before bed, yesterday (even when it wasn’t!)
26 Woodland Friends storybooks — one per concept — arriving January 2027
ASK & ANSWER
Who, what, where — conversation is questions flowing both ways
3 toys insideTELL THE STORY
First... then... the end — retelling is a superpower for school
3 toys insideExtending Language
📖 Band 6: Reasoning Communicators
The finish line of the journey: why and because, what if, pretending whole scenes and holding real conversations. This is language for thinking out loud — the language of friendships and school.
You're here if…
- ✓ Your child asks why — a lot! — and enjoys explaining things back to you
- ✓ They love pretend play with characters, voices and little storylines
- ✓ They can recall their day, make predictions, and argue their case at bedtime
34 Woodland Friends storybooks — one per concept — arriving February 2027
WHY & BECAUSE
The reasoning words — language for thinking out loud
3 toys insideLET'S PRETEND
The final kit: whole conversations inside make-believe worlds
3 toys insideThe finish line: Graduation
Finish Band 6 and your child graduates the Talking Journey — chatting, questioning and storytelling their way through the day. There's a little celebration waiting.
Peek at the finish lineA gentle note for worried parents
Children move through these bands at wonderfully different speeds — fast through one, slow through another, sometimes camping in a band for months. That's all normal. This journey is a menu of playful ideas, not a test. If you ever feel unsure about your child's communication, the parent guide explains when it's worth checking in with a speech pathologist near you — asking early is always a great parenting move, never an overreaction.