Teddy Talk

The basic idea

Teddy wants to brush her teeth! Teddy is running upstairs to get dressed! I think Teddy might be sad too – do you think he’d like a cuddle? Soft toys can be a great way to make stressful situations fun, or talk about feelings.

Over to you, wee one

Start with Teddy ‘watching’ and copying what your child does, whether it’s playing with blocks or jumping around the room. By letting your wee one lead the play, it builds your child’s confidence AND means they’ll pay more attention when Teddy ‘speaks’ to them.

Cheeky bonuses

• Explore emotions with movement, voice etc.
• Copying/mirroring supports bonding
• Reduce stress and make difficult situations more fun

Variations

• Does Teddy ever tell YOU what to do? Follow a couple of ‘silly’ instructions and/or let your wee one say what Teddy says
• Do different soft toys have different ‘jobs’, e.g. hair brushing hippo?

And remember…

Often wee ones will take part in less exciting activities (like tooth brushing) or talk about difficult feelings when you take a playful, relaxed approach.