Teddy Says Hello

What you need

• a soft toy or a sock puppet

How to do it

1. Have a soft toy pop up from behind a cushion and say 'hello!' to your toddler.
2. Make it wave with its paw.
3. Let it disappear and say 'bye-bye!' as it goes.
4. Pop it up again, and if your toddler waves at it, have it wave straight back.

Why it matters

A toy is the least intimidating thing a toddler can greet, and one that always waves back teaches them that a hello gets an answer.

What they're learning

Waving hello and bye

A toy arriving and leaving gives a greeting a reason to happen, again and again.

Getting a response

A wave that's always answered is the one worth repeating.

Pretending

A toy that says hello is the start of pretend play, and a lot of language comes with it.

What to look for

Watch for them waving at the toy before it's said anything.

A tip

Have the toy answer every wave, however small. That's what makes it worth their while.

More like this

Which Book Tonight? from 12 months · 10-15 min Matching Picture Cards from 26 months · 20-35 min Under the Cushion from 18 months · 5 min Hand Me the Duck from 16 months · 5 min