Which One?

What you need

• two kinds of cereal or soft fruit they like, cut small
• a plate

How to do it

1. Hold up one option in each hand, far enough apart to tell them apart.
2. Ask 'which one?' and then stop talking.
3. Wait while they look between the two. This takes longer than feels comfortable.
4. When they point, reach or lean towards one, name it and give them that one.

Why it matters

Two things held apart turn a vague want into a specific one, and a specific want is much easier to point at than to explain.

What they're learning

Asking with a gesture

Choosing between two is the easiest kind of asking. There are only two answers and both are right there.

Making a choice

Having a say in a small thing is how a toddler learns their preferences count.

Listening and looking

Looking between two options and settling on one is real thinking, done at speed.

What to look for

Watch for them settling on one rather than swiping at both. That's a decision, not a grab.

A tip

Give them the one they chose even if it wasn't the one you'd have picked. The point only works if it works. Cut fruit small for them: strawberries into small pieces, and grapes and other round fruit into quarters lengthways.

More like this

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