Words & communication

Puppet conversation

Use two simple hand puppets or soft toys to explore a pretend conversation in any communication style.

10 minutes

What you'll need

Two washable hand puppets or large soft toys

Before you start

Child can share attention to a brief story, object or spoken game in their preferred way

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

How to play

  1. Give each person one puppet or toy, or let the adult hold both.
  2. Start with a greeting and one question about the puppet's day.
  3. Follow the child's topic, gesture, communication aid or request for the adult to narrate.
Make it easier

The adult voices one puppet while the child responds by speaking, pointing, moving a toy, using a communication aid or asking the adult to narrate.

Standard

Use two simple hand puppets or soft toys to explore a pretend conversation in any communication style.

Extend it

Give the puppets different ideas and work out how they can understand each other.

What you might notice

Notice how the child uses any preferred communication to shape the exchange.

Keep it safe

Check that every material is intact, age-appropriate and non-toxic. Stay nearby, keep movement at floor level, and let the child stop, simplify or change the activity.

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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