What is overextension?

Overextension is when you use one word for more than one thing, and it feels like a fun game!

Imagine you have a toy box full of different toys, cars, balls, blocks, and stuffed animals. You might say, “I love cars!” but then later say, “I love balls!”, but if you're still little, maybe you think “cars” means all the things that go vroom vroom, like bikes or even your brother when he zooms past you.

So, overextension is when a kid uses one word for different things, and it's totally okay, it’s just part of learning!

It's kind of like pretending all the red toys are “red”, but then later thinking that “red” also means your favorite shirt or even the sky on a sunny day. That’s overextension in action, you're connecting one word to more things, and it helps you learn more about the world around you!