Mum says/Dad says

What you need

• Your child A space indoors or outdoors
• Yourself

Benefits

This experience is practical and hands-on and will encourage your child to respond to simple instructions.

The experience

This is a fun game of Simon says, but instead, it’s ‘Mum/Dad says’!

When Mum/Dad says “Mum/Dad says touch your nose,” then the child/children must touch their nose. But, if Mum/Dad simply says, “jump,” without first saying “Mum/Dad says...” your child/children must not jump. Add ‘please’ and ‘thank you’ to promote good manners.

For babies and young toddlers, keep the instructions simple and just go with an instruction rather than the mum/dad says. This is a great way to practice body parts, e.g. ‘Point to your nose’ ‘Touch your head’ ‘Where are your toes?’ When introducing this activity, use mime and gesture to support language development.

For older children, try giving multiple part instructions like: ‘Daddy says - jump, sit down and clap your hands.’ Want to give it a twist? Encourage your child to take a turn, giving you the instructions instead.