Bye-Bye Everything

from 20 months · 5 min · Everyday helper

What you need

At tidy-up time, wave each toy into the box: 'bye-bye car'.
Do the same at the door when someone leaves: 'bye-bye Daddy'.
Wave and wait after you say it, leaving a gap for them.
When they say a word, add theirs to a name: they say 'bye', you say 'bye-bye car'.

Hello and bye happen a dozen times a day without anyone arranging them, and both come with a wave that makes the words easy to hook onto.

Two words together: 'Bye-bye car' is a name plus a word, which is one of the earliest pairs to arrive.
Words for people: Saying who is going is more interesting to a toddler than saying what is happening.
A steady routine: It happens at every leaving and every tidy-up, so the practice mounts up without effort.

Watch for them starting the wave themselves as someone reaches for their coat.

Wave at objects too, not just people. 'Bye-bye bath' at the plug is as good a practice as anything.

Easier: stick to 'bye-bye' plus one familiar name

Harder: wave at things as well as people: the bath water, the light, the telly