Ring Ring, Hello

What you need

• a toy phone or a banana

How to do it

1. Hold a toy phone to your ear and say 'ring ring! Hello Grandma!'
2. Have a short pretend chat and say what you're doing today.
3. Hand them the phone and ask 'do you want to talk to Grandma?'
4. Take turns calling different people: Grandad, a cousin, the dog.

Why it matters

Pretending to call someone they love is copying something they see you do every day, with a person they know on the other end.

What they're learning

Pretend play

A banana becoming a phone is the start of make-believe.

Talking

Hello, bye bye and a few words in between.

Family names

Choosing who to call means saying a name.

What to look for

Watch for them putting the phone to their ear and pausing, as if listening.

A tip

Keep real phones out of the game so it stays pretend, and check a toy phone's battery cover is screwed shut.

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