All Gone
What you need
- their cup or bowl
How to do it
- Wait for something to genuinely run out: a drink finished, the last of the snack.
- Tip the cup up so they can see it's empty and say 'milk gone'.
- Pull the plug on the sink or the washing-up bowl and watch it together: 'water gone'.
- Leave a pause each time and add a word to whatever they say back.
Why it matters
Things disappearing is one of the few ideas a toddler can see happening, which makes 'gone' one of the first words they attach to anything at all.
What they're learning
- Two words together
- A thing plus 'gone' is a proper pair, and it's about something they've just watched happen.
- Noticing a change
- Full then empty is a change they can see, which is why the word sticks to it.
- Using it everywhere
- Once 'gone' lands it goes on everything: dinner, bath water, the cat.
What to look for
Watch for them saying it about something you hadn't mentioned.
A tip
Don't hide things to manufacture a moment. Real running-out happens often enough, and it means more.
Make it easier or harder
Easier: stick to 'gone' on its own until it's theirs
Harder: name what's gone: 'juice gone', 'peas gone', 'bubbles gone'
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Everyday helper activities · Activities for 18 month olds · Activities for 2 year olds · Toddler activities with a bowl · Toddler activities with cups