How To: Use the Play-By-Play Strategy in Everyday Moments

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Your existing daily routines with your baby offer limitless opportunities for giving play-by-plays!

You can give a play-by-play of the objects, actions, feelings, thoughts, and emotions that are happening around your baby. Here are a few examples:

Use lots of different kinds of words to narrate what you and your baby experience.
- You could talk about objects and say, “Your blanket feels so soft!”
- You could describe actions and say, “We’re walking to the kitchen.”
- Try talking about feelings and say, “Brrr, it’s cold outside!”
- You could also talk about thoughts and emotions by saying, “I think you’re feeling grumpy.”
Use familiar words and phrases during routines and add new words to grow your baby’s vocabulary.
- You could say, “Let’s wipe your face.” Use routine phrases like this often – repetition helps your baby learn! You can even add new words by naming parts of your baby’s face as you go. You could say, “Let’s wipe your nose, your little cheeks, and your chin!"
- You could say, “You’re reaching for your rattle.” Add actions and describe how things sound or feel. You could say, “Shake, shake, shake! That’s a noisy rattle.”