Simple Turn-Taking Games for Preschool Speech Therapy

Turn-taking is a small social routine with a big impact on preschool communication. Children practise waiting, watching, listening, requesting, responding, sharing materials and coping when another person has the next turn. These skills support play with peers, participation in early learning and successful conversations at home.

For speech-language pathologists, the best activities are easy to repeat and flexible enough for different communication profiles. A child may take a turn by speaking, pointing, signing, using an AAC device, handing over an object, making a sound or looking towards a choice. The aim is meaningful participation, rather than perfect verbal responses.

Start With A Clear Turn Routine

Before introducing a game, establish a short routine that happens every time: “My turn”, “Your turn”, “Wait”, and “Finished”. Use the same words, gestures, visual cards or signs across sessions. A small “my turn/your turn” board can make the pattern visible, especially for children who find spoken instructions difficult to process.

Keep the opening predictable. Show the materials, model one turn, then help the child complete a turn with as little prompting as possible. A speech pathologist might say, “I put the block on. Now your turn,” while pointing to the child and moving the turn card. Once the child acts, acknowledge the communication clearly: “You put it on. You had a turn.”

The waiting period should initially be brief. One or two seconds may be enough for a child who is new to turn-taking. Gradually increase the wait, but avoid turning the activity into a test of patience. A child can hold a waiting card, squeeze a fidget, or watch a visual timer while another player acts.

Build A Tower Together

Block building is a reliable choice because every turn creates a visible change. Place a small number of blocks in the middle and take turns adding one block to a tower. Use simple language such as “block”, “up”, “more”, “my turn” and “your turn”. The child can choose a colour, request a piece or indicate where the block should go.

For children working on speech sounds, select repeated words that contain their target, such as “blue”, “big”, “top” or “put”. Keep the language natural and accept an approximation when the main target is participation. If the tower falls, treat it as another communication opportunity: “Oh no! It fell. Build again.”

The game can be adapted for a small group in a Sydney preschool, a family living in regional Queensland or a clinic session in Melbourne. Give each player a colour or name card so the order is obvious. If competition causes distress, remove the idea of winning and make the shared goal “build the tallest tower” or “make a funny animal house”.

Make A Simple Movement Game

Movement games are useful for children who learn best through whole-body activity. Place picture cards around the room showing actions such as jump, stomp, clap, crawl or spin. Each player chooses a card, names or indicates the action, then everyone completes it. The person holding the card gets the turn, while the others practise watching and waiting.

A therapist can model useful phrases: “I choose jump”, “Your turn”, “Do it”, “Stop” and “Again”. Children who use AAC can have these words available on a core board or a temporary activity page. The child does not need to produce a full sentence to take a turn; selecting “jump” or pressing “go” is a valid contribution.

Australian children may enjoy familiar themes such as hopping like a kangaroo, waddling like a penguin or walking like a lizard. Use these ideas thoughtfully and avoid presenting native animals as costumes or caricatures. In a childcare service near Brisbane, the movement game could use pictures from a local park walk; in a cooler Hobart setting, indoor movement cards may be more practical during wet-weather play.

Use Songs, Dice And Sound Effects

A pause-and-go song creates a natural structure for exchanging turns. Sing a familiar song, stop at a predictable point and invite the child to fill in a word, press a switch, make a sound or choose whether to continue. Songs such as “Old MacDonald” provide repeated opportunities for animal sounds, while a made-up chant can target names, actions or early vocabulary.

A large foam dice can add variety without making the game complicated. Each side can show a picture, action or choice. Roll the dice, let the child select or imitate the item, then pass the dice to the next player. If rolling and waiting are too demanding, use a spinner with only two or three choices.

Sound effects are especially motivating for preschoolers developing expressive language. A child can make a car sound, animal noise or drum beat, and the adult copies it before taking a turn. This imitation loop supports attention and reciprocity. It also allows children with limited speech to participate through vocalisations, gestures, switches or body movements.

Practise Turn-Taking Through Pretend Play

Pretend play offers a meaningful reason to communicate. Set up a café, doctor’s surgery, pet clinic, bus stop or grocery shop with a few props. One person orders, another serves, and the roles change. Use visual role cards so children can see who is the customer, shopkeeper or driver.

For a preschooler preparing for “big school”, the game can rehearse everyday routines such as asking for help, waiting at a counter and responding when a peer speaks. In Australia, pretend play might include a tuckshop, a trip on a tram in Melbourne, a ferry ride in Sydney or a visit to a local weekend market. These familiar settings can make the language easier to understand and transfer.

Pretend healthcare play should remain simple and child-led. If a session touches on communication around health information, clinicians can also review reliable professional material, such as this kidney health resource, while keeping the preschool activity focused on requesting, listening and taking turns. The resource itself is not a children’s therapy activity, but it illustrates why clear communication between families and health professionals matters.

Adapt Games For Every Communicator

Turn-taking goals should reflect how each child communicates. Some children may need a visual sequence, a first-then board, extra processing time or a reduced number of players. Others may need help with the social meaning of waiting, rather than help producing words. Observe what makes participation easier and adjust the environment before adding more prompts.

Try these practical adaptations:

• Offer two choices instead of asking an open question.
• Use objects that are easy to grasp, pass or point to.
• Give the child a predictable way to say “no”, “stop” or “finished”.
• Model AAC without requiring immediate imitation.
• Reduce background noise and keep the play space uncluttered.
• Alternate active games with quieter activities.
• Allow a child to watch a few rounds before joining.
• Praise specific communication, such as waiting, looking, reaching or responding.

For children receiving support through the NDIS, document the functional skill being practised rather than simply recording that a game was completed. A note might state that the child waited for two turns, used a gesture to request the dice and passed the item to a peer with one prompt. This information is more useful for families, educators and other members of the support team.

Support Carryover Beyond Therapy

A turn-taking skill becomes valuable when it appears outside the therapy room. Share one short game with families and educators, along with the exact words, visuals and prompts to use. In a long day care service, educators might practise passing a tambourine during group time. At home, a family could take turns adding toppings to toast, choosing a song in the car or rolling a ball across the floor.

Collaboration also helps adults respond consistently. Explain that waiting does not need to mean sitting silently. A child can hold a turn card, watch the action, use an AAC message or engage in a quiet sensory activity. Give the child a clear way to know when the turn is coming and when it has finished.

As children grow, turn-taking supports broader transitions and participation. SLPs working with older children and families may find this transition planning resource useful when considering how communication skills transfer into new settings. Preschool practice is the foundation: communicating a choice, coping with a delay, changing roles and staying connected with another person.

Track progress through small, observable steps. You might record how long the child waits, whether they respond to a peer, how much prompting is required and which communication mode they use. Celebrate increased independence, flexible participation and shared enjoyment as meaningful outcomes.

Choose one game, gather a few familiar materials and practise the same turn routine across several days. A block tower, movement card, song or pretend shop can create dozens of natural communication opportunities when the adult follows the child’s interests and keeps the exchange enjoyable. Downloadable visuals, home-practice ideas and speech therapy materials can help families and educators carry that routine into everyday play.