Turn-taking is MORE Than Just Sharing!
We all want to teach our kids how to share, but did you know that sharing is different than “turn-taking”? A child can demonstrate turn-taking while playing a game with a peer or adult and also during simple conversations by making comments, asking questions, and answering questions.
If your child is beginning to demonstrate the skill of joint attention (see my previous blog post on joint attention), then he/she should also be beginning to demonstrate what we call “turn-taking” during play. This skill is significant for your child’s speech and language develop. It is more than just “sharing” a toy. It is a skill that will aid in your child’s ability to be an effective communicator.
What activities are best to practice turn-taking??? - Any activity that allows you and your child to go back and forth and each take a turn.
Get a toy car or a ball and a slide. The slide can be in your backyard or a piece of cardboard propped up on a chair. Help prompt your child to say, “Ready, set, go!,” then let go of the car or ball to go down the slide. Go get the toy and hand it to your child as you say, “Your turn.”. Let him/her let the toy go this time and you catch it as it comes down. Then say, “My turn” as you take the car to the top of the slide.
Other items that can be used for turn-taking: pop-up toys, stacking building blocks, putting shapes in a shapes sorter, fishing for puzzle pieces, etc.
Some of my favorite games to work on turn-taking are Pop Up Pirate, Caribou (there are a couple different versions of this game), and putting items in a wooden mailbox (gotta thank Melissa & Doug for that one).
Even taking-turns during tickle activities and rolling a ball back and forth help teach turn-taking.
Important Tips:
When you are playing with your child, try to keep the objects you are playing with out of your child’s reach. This discourages your child from controlling the play environment and helps you control the turn-taking activity.
CUES!! Give your child cues to help them understand turn-taking. This can be a visual cue (you patting your chest when it is your turn), a tactile cue (you taking your child’s hand to pat their chest), or a verbal cue (“It’s your turn!”).
