Free Toddler Activities
To Play & Sign with Your Baby

There are lots of other free toddler activities that you can do with your baby that are not only fun but also provide natural opportunities for learning.

As previously stated, signing with your baby is an enjoyable activity that promotes early communication and language development. Adding games and other playful activities into your signing routine helps strengthen your bond with each other while also reinforcing signs that are being taught.

The following are just a few free toddler activities that we find useful. Most of these games incorporate the use of common signs. If you would like to learn some activities that go beyond signing, we discovered a website called Clever Toddler Activities that contains many of the best free toddler activities for little ones from ages 1 to 3 on the web.

Free Toddler Activities Incorporating Sign Language Vocabulary

Color Surprise - Tie the ends of several play silks or fabric squares of varying common colors (red, orange, yellow, green, blue, purple, pink) together into a colorful chain. Stuff the fabric chain into a empty tissue box, leaving a small end of the fabric peeking out of the top for your toddler to see. As your toddler starts to pull the chain of colors out, act surprised and delighted. As a new color square is pulled from the box, say the name of the color while also showing your child the sign for the color.

Picnic Fun/We're on a Picnic - Set up a picnic with your toddler. Serve food items for signs you have already learned or are working on like, MILK, APPLE, BANANA, CRACKER, WATER. Say to your child, "We're on on a picnic and I'm going to EAT..." make the sign for EAT then sign one of the items you are going to eat. Next, say, "We're on a picnic and you're going to EAT? Depending on the age of your child, you can either pick an item to sign and hand it to your child or, if your toddler is old enough, ask him or her what they're going to eat, then sign the name of that food item with him or her. Continue until all the items are signed. For a less messy game, use can also use play food.

Tickle for "MORE" - The following is used to teach and encourage the sign for "MORE." Gently tickle baby, stop. Then ask if baby wants more, while signing "MORE." Wait a second or two - tickle again, repeat process.

Where is baby "HURT" - Put a few bandages on a doll then ask/sign "WHERE" is baby "HURT?" Point to the first bandage, sign "HURT" at the location and say, for example, "Oh, baby is hurt on the tummy...baby has a tummy ache." Repeat at the other locations. You can also put the bandages on yourself or on your child.

Hide & Seek - Show baby a diaper then cover it with a blanket. Sign "WHERE" is the "DIAPER." Let baby uncover the item or, if baby is still too young to do so, uncover the item saying, "there's the DIAPER!" Repeat with any other item for signs you are working on that can be hidden under the blanket. You can also cover your face with the blanket and ask, "Where's mommy?"or "Where's daddy?"

Choose A Pet - Put a bunch of stuffed animals for signs you and your child know or are working on in a large basket. Ask you child to pull an animal from the basket. Sign the animal that is pulled out. Repeat as each animal is revealed.

Find Me - Place stuffed animals and/or pictures of animals on the floor. Make an animal sign and ask your child to point at or find the correct animal. You can also make this game a treasure hunt by hiding the animals in "plain sight" for your child to easily find. Ask, "where's the [animal name]... can you find the [animal]?" Be sure to say and sign when you ask.

Move Like the Animals - Show your baby an animal. Talk about how the animal moves and ask your baby if s/he can move like the animal. Example: How does a BIRD move - flaps wings. Encourage baby to move around the room according to the animal you're signing.

Do you have any fun and free toddler activities you use with your baby? Check out our invitation below to share your thoughts and ideas with other visitors to this site!

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