Teaching your toddler simple one step instructions
Helping your child learn to follow simple everyday directions will make both of your lives easier. We’re talking about commands like “get your shoes,” “time to go,” and “brush your teeth.”
Most babies begin to understand and follow their first directions around nine months old, typically before they say their first word. Your child will likely learn to follow directions within the context of regular routines first, since they’ll be able to anticipate what you’re going to ask them to do.
I’m going to show you how speech therapists teach toddlers to follow these everyday one step instructions.
Tips for teaching your toddler simple one step instructions
Tip 1 - Start with “Give Me”
It can be challenging at times to get your child to give something up. At first, try practicing with an object or toy that only you can make work. Bubbles are a great example of a toy that children need help opening and operating.
You might ask your child “Give me” in reference to the bubbles in their hand. Use gestures as needed to help your child understand your request, such as motioning for them to place the bubbles in your hand. When they give the bubbles to you, you open the container and blow bubbles, and your child experiences something that they like. Toys with buttons or wind-ups that activate sounds or actions are great options too.
Another idea is to put a toy or a snack in a bag or clear Tupperware so that your child needs assistance getting it out. Hand them the sealed container, then say “give me” when they are unable to open it.
Remember, it’s important to keep practice positive and fun to improve participation and keep your child engaged with you.
Tip 2 - Practice next during your routine for leaving the house
A routine direction that many children learn early on is “Get your shoes” or “Put your shoes on.” Children can often anticipate this direction because you likely have a routine that you perform while getting ready to go to the park, like gathering your keys and bag. This is a great direction to practice because there’s a functional reason for why you do it.
When you ask your child to follow a direction that has a clear purpose, they are much more likely to comply than if you ask them to do something random. At this stage, it’s okay to provide your child with help - like showing them that you're grabbing your things, or pointing toward the door to indicate that it’s time to leave.
Be sure to say the direction the same way every time so they can become familiar with the precise words you are using.
Tip 3 - Practice with routine one step directions during an activity that your child enjoys
Now I want you to think about the routines you do with your child every day. Pick one that your child especially enjoys, and have them help out. Give them the same job to do every day, and use the same direction each time.
For example, if your child likes helping you feed the dog every morning, you might have them “Get the bowl” every time. If your child loves snack time, you might practice “Sit at the table” every day. You may have to show your child exactly what to do at first, but over time, your child should be able to follow these directions on their own within the context of your routine.
One more tip — try to pick routines that allow extra time for your toddler to help, knowing that it may take a bit longer than if you were to do it by yourself. It’s hard to allow your toddler this learning time if you are running late to work, so pick routines that are less time-sensitive.
Download our activity guide for practicing with simple one step instructions at home ↓
At home activity for practicing with simple everyday commands: Daily chores
Materials:
Nothing outside of daily life. Specific materials depend on what directions you choose to focus on.
Set-up:
Everyday directions mean things you say every day to your child or when your child is around. Choose 1 or 2 of these to actively practice with your child. These may be things like:
Throw diaper in the trash
Put in (put laundry in hamper, put clean clothes in drawer, put toys in bin)
Throw it away
Turn on/off light
Think about what you say frequently and during what activity. We want these to make sense within your daily routine. It doesn't make sense to ask your child to throw away a diaper, while you’re outside on the swings. But if you stop the swings to change his diaper or sibling’s diaper, NOW it would make sense to ask them to throw it away.
Note: Be purposeful in choosing what to work on. I purposely didn’t practice with things like my keys or my cell phone, even those are so fun and motivating, because I didn’t want to build the association that those are toys or things for my child, as they would inevitably then be throw in into a random box or bin while my child “helped” when I wasn’t looking 😀 That’s just a personal example, find what works for you and your family 😊
What to do:
After you’ve chosen your 1 or 2 directions to focus on… pick one activity to practice that skill on, every single time you do it (or as much as possible). If you choose “put in”, and pair it with laundry, then be prepared to have your child “help” you with the laundry each day. Or if you choose “throw away” paired with throwing out a dirty diaper, be prepared to have them throw out the diaper after all (or most) changes.
Make sure you share these tasks with other caregivers, so that your child is getting consistent practice.
Set up the situation. If your child is helping with “put in” for laundry, then have that laundry hamper ready when the dryer is done and then call your child over. Or if it’s throwing things away, make sure the trash can is accessible.
What to say:
When the situation you’ve picked arises,
Verbally tell your child the direction “throw it away”... then pause, count to 3 or 5 in your head
After counting to 3, repeat it “throw it away.”
If they haven’t done it yet, take their hands and do it together with them, while again saying “throw it away.”
You can also build in the routine by calling their attention to what you’re doing… with an extra emphasis on the direction part of your narration. Examples such as: “eeeew this diaper is so stinky! So much pee pee! THROW IT AWAY, ew yuck!” or “Nice warm clean clothes. Yay. Clean clothes go IN the hamper. Let’s PUT IN the hamper”
When the task is done, give specific praise. “You/we did it. We put all the clothes IN the hamper! Thanks for helping me”
Then the next time that situation arises, practice it again. Over time, your child will need less repetitions, and less practice doing it with you.
Download the PDF activity guide for daily chores + 2 more activities ↓
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Created In Collaboration By:
Stephanie Keffer, MS CCC-SLP
Stephanie Burgener-Vader, MA CCC-SLP
Melissa Sartori, MS CCC-SLP
Yvette Faire-Bostick, MS CCC-SLP
© 2020-2022. Stephanie Keffer, MS CCC-SLP. All Rights Reserved.
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