Here is a fun action rhyme and game all in one. In this rhyme, you or your child pretends their hand is a box with an animal inside. You or your child can make the sound of an animal and then guess what animal makes that sound. (Don’t worry, the instructions are pretty easy.)
Making animal noises is a fun way for children to play with the sounds in language and to practice making different sounds. Even wee little ones that are not saying very many words yet can make the sound of a dog barking or a cat meowing. Practicing making sounds helps get your child ready to talk in words.
Here is a box. (hold out fist)
Put on the lid. (put hand on top of fist)
I wonder whatever inside is hid? (make an animal noise)
It must be a ..... (say the name of the animal), without a doubt!
Open the box and let it out (open up hands)
You can repeat this rhyme with all sorts of animals or even other sounds like cars. Let your child take a turn making a noise and letting you guess what is inside the "box". Playing guessing games like this is also a fun way to help your child make predictions about things. Practicing this kind of thinking helps your child get ready to read because predicting what will come next in a story is an important skill for reading comprehension. Have fun!
