Teddy Jumps
What you need
- a couple of favourite soft toys
How to do it
- Make a toy do something obvious: jump, sit down, go to sleep.
- Say what it did in two words: 'teddy jumps', 'teddy sleeps'.
- Do it again and wait, without asking them anything.
- Add a word to whatever they say and carry on playing.
Why it matters
A toy doing something gives you a name and an action in the same moment, which is the exact shape of an early two-word phrase.
What they're learning
- Two words together
- Who plus what they're doing is one of the first structures to appear.
- Words for actions
- Doing words are harder to learn than names, and a toy makes them visible.
- Pretending
- A toy that jumps and sleeps is the start of pretend play, which carries a lot of language with it.
What to look for
Watch for them making the toy do something and then telling you about it.
A tip
Comment on what's happening rather than asking about it. Questions get short answers; comments get conversations.
Make it easier or harder
Easier: use one toy and two actions until both are familiar
Harder: let them choose what the toy does next
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