Raising children is a challenge filled with love, laughter, joy, and many challenges. One aspect of childrearing that is most difficult is developing your child’s language and communication skills. Words that make sense to them in their growing repertoire of words, often get confused with other meanings or interpretations.
These moments are priceless. Little thinkers are doing their best to describe situations and the world around them with a limited vocabulary. Sometimes, what comes out of their mouths isn’t quite on par with the same words we would use, but it makes perfect sense to them. Cherish these moments as their creativity in trying to communicate is pure joy to behold.
Words That Kids Get Wrong
Listening to our kids learn to speak is very exciting. It’s one of the best parts of being around small children. Sometimes, there are times when our little ones get things a little mixed up. We often find ourselves not correcting them because what they say is just so darned adorable.
Kidadl researched some of the most common and hilarious mealtime mixed-up words that little ones say.
- One of the classics; the word for spaghetti – ‘pasgetti’ or even ‘scabetti’!
- Don’t be alarmed if your child calls pancakes, ‘pigcakes.’
- Ever heard of a ‘cucumbumber’? We refer to this vegetable as a cucumber.
- You child may cry when you want to put ‘strawbabies’ on her ice cream.
- Don’t be surprised if your child asks to grill a ‘burgler’ along with his hotdog.
- ‘Ice queen’ is sometimes substituted for that creamy frozen desert adults call ice cream.
When Kids Try to Make Sense

Kokoro Kids put together a list of funny things kids say that certainly make sense to them. For instance, one child couldn’t quite vocalize all the sounds in his daddy’s job of being a policeman. He just called him a ‘peace man’.
One three-year-old couldn’t quite say crocodile, He just called the animal a ‘snappydile.’ Totally makes sense.
A remote control is a fascinating and fun object that captures children’s attention. Sometimes, that word is a little difficult to annunciate. One child adapted that big word to a simple, ‘mote and batrol.’
Babies in mom’s tummy can be a confusing concept for young children. One four-year-old asked her mom, “Mommy, doesn’t the baby in your tummy get dirty when you eat?” Another thoughtful child asked his mom why the baby doesn’t come out when she poops!
Embarrassing but Funny

Certain letters are a challenge for articulating as a young child. It is quite common for toddlers to add an ‘F’ sound for the ‘Tr’ blend. You may hear a toddler scream out the obscenity *UCK as a truck goes by. Try not to laugh too hard. The letter D is also difficult at first and since F is much easier, you can only imagine how ‘duck’ translates to a two-year-old.
One day, you may get a note from your child’s teacher about the need to teach your child anatomy. One boy came from home talking about his beard of testicles. His hands were spread out and dangling under his chin. He was pretending to be an octopus.
On the other hand, this anatomy can cause some confusion. One boy innocently asked his parents why his little balls hurt when he squeezed them because they weren’t even attached to his body!
If your child watches spy cartoons, you may want to educate them on how people dress in other countries. One boy screamed out, “Look, mom, a ninja!” when he saw a woman walk by in Muslim garb.
One parent asked their child to get dressed because they were having company. Their guests arrived, and the child came out completely naked except for a pair of socks. When mom accused him of being naked, he responded very matter-of-factly, “I’m not naked, I’m wearing socks.”
Funny Kid Quotes

The Huffington Post put together a great list of the funny phrases that kids say.
One three-year-old walked into the bathroom when her dad was using the toilet. She yelled at him, “Daddy, put that thing back in your pants!”
A soccer coach was trying to instruct his 4-year-old athletes on the best way to kick a soccer ball. He told them to kick the ball with your shoelaces when trying to score a goal. One observant child pointed out, “We are in preschool. There’s only belcro (Velcro) walking around here.”
A two-and-a-half-year-old was playing with a wall of her dolls stacked around her under the kitchen table. Her toy giraffe proved to be problematic and kept falling on top of her. Finally, she got very irritated and screamed at it, “I’m not food, giraffe, I’m not food. I’m not food!”
Kids will say the darndest things. They will constantly be a source of joy and humor as they seek to pronounce and refine their language skills. Don’t be surprised when words come out backward or substituted with words that are easier to say. If your kid tells you that your calculator is really a ‘calucate now,’ smile and remember that precious moments like these don’t last forever.