Words & communication

Little delivery mission

Help your child pass or slide one large lightweight toy to a nearby person or floor basket.

5 minutes

What you'll need

One large one-piece toy labelled suitable for children under 3 · Wide adult-held floor basket, optional

Before you start

Can attend to a shared object briefly

Best fit: either · calm energy · low caregiver effort · low mess

How to play

  1. Sit together on a clear floor and name the toy and nearby destination.
  2. Pass or slide the toy together without requiring standing or carrying.
  3. Acknowledge the delivery and swap roles if your child wants.
Make it easier

Pass the toy directly between your hands at floor level.

Standard

Help your child pass or slide one large lightweight toy to a nearby person or floor basket.

Extend it

Offer two nearby floor-level destinations and let your child choose one.

What you might notice

Whether gestures, key words or familiar routines help your child understand.

Keep it safe

Stay within arm's reach on a clear level floor. Use one intact lightweight under-3 toy with no detachable parts, batteries or magnets; keep destinations floor-level, stop mouthing or throwing, and store the toy afterward.

Why it may be useful

This activity creates an easy moment for back-and-forth communication, shared attention and hearing useful words in context.

strong

Applies to caregiver-led language opportunities; it does not predict an individual child's language trajectory.

Jeong et al. (2021) — Parenting interventions to promote early child development in the first three years of life: A global systematic review and meta-analysis

Dowdall et al. (2025) — Home-based shared book reading and developmental outcomes in young children: a systematic review with meta-analyses

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