Using structured play to build joint attention and imitation in early intervention

For many speech-language pathologists working with toddlers and preschoolers, the words "structured play" bring up images of carefully planned activities that look almost like games but carry a clear therapeutic purpose. In early intervention, structured play is the bridge between everyday interactions and intentional skill-building. It gives the clinician a way to target foundational social communication skills — particularly joint attention and imitation — while still keeping the session playful and motivating for the child.

Joint attention and imitation sit at the very start of the communication journey. Before a child can label objects, follow directions, or engage in conversation, they need to share focus with another person and to copy what they see and hear. These two capacities are deeply connected. When a child watches a parent blow bubbles and then tries to do the same, they are practising both the shared gaze and the motor mimicry that language later depends on.

In sessions across Australia, from busy Sydney clinics to remote telehealth appointments in the Pilbara, clinicians increasingly design play routines that deliberately scaffold these early skills. The approach works because it meets the child at their developmental level, while gently stretching what they are able to do. Below is a practical look at how structured play can be shaped to target joint attention and imitation, with ideas you can use in the clinic, in a child care centre, or in the family lounge room.

What structured play means in early intervention

Structured play is not the same as free play, even though both have a role in a therapy program. Free play allows a child to lead, explore, and choose. Structured play introduces a predictable framework — a clear sequence of actions, repeated language, and a defined goal — that gives the child just enough support to attempt something new. Think of it as a scaffold around the child's curiosity rather than a script they must follow.

In practice, structured play sessions might involve the same toy introduced in the same way each week, with the adult modelling a small set of actions. For example, a clinician might sit with a child at a small table and use a farm set in exactly the same order — "open the gate, put the cow in, close the gate" — over several visits. Repetition helps the child anticipate what comes next, which makes it easier for them to look at the adult, take a turn, and eventually copy.

This kind of routine-based play also lines up well with the kinds of activities that families already enjoy. Many Australian households regularly visit playgroups, kindy orientations, or local toy libraries, where the same toys and songs appear week after week. Clinicians can borrow that predictability, weaving familiar toys like stacking cups, pop-up animals, or the much-loved Kmart bubble machine into a structured play plan that feels natural rather than clinical.

Building joint attention through shared routines

Joint attention refers to the shared focus between a child and another person on an object or event. It comes in two main forms: initiating joint attention, where the child points or shows to draw you into their world, and responding to joint attention, where the child follows your gaze or your point to look where you are looking. Both forms are essential building blocks for language, and both can be supported through routine-based interactions.

Structured routines are powerful because they create predictable moments of shared focus. When a child knows that the next step in the routine is the wind-up toy, they naturally look toward the adult, anticipating the surprise. The adult can then use that moment — the brief shared gaze, the smile, the pause — to model a sound, a word, or a gesture. Over time, the routine itself becomes the cue for engagement, rather than the adult needing to prompt each time.

A few practical examples make this clearer:

• A bubble routine where the adult blows, says "ready, set, go," and the child is expected to look before the bubbles appear
• A book routine where each page turn is paired with a gesture that the child anticipates and mirrors
• A song routine with actions, where the child watches the adult and waits for the cue to join in

These moments also fit neatly into everyday Australian family life. A therapist working with a family in Melbourne might suggest using a simple "wheels on the bus" routine at the local playgroup, while a family in rural Queensland can use the same structure during a telehealth session, with the clinician coaching the parent in real time.

Imitation as a foundation for communication

Imitation is the second skill that grows alongside joint attention, and the two often rise together. When a child is engaged in a shared routine and is watching the adult closely, they are more likely to copy what they see and hear. Imitation itself comes in stages — motor imitation of actions, then imitation of sounds, then imitation of words — and each stage requires a slightly different setup.

Structured play lets the clinician design each step carefully. With a very young child or a child who is just beginning to imitate, the adult might model a simple action with a cause-and-effect toy, such as dropping a ball into a container. The child is given time to watch and is rewarded with the satisfying sound the ball makes when it lands. As imitation becomes more reliable, the adult can shift from objects to gestures, and from gestures to sounds, until the child is ready to attempt single words.

For SLPs who are also supporting children developing articulation skills, the imitation hierarchy is the starting point for sound practice. The principles of cueing, modelling, and waiting are much the same whether you are working on early vocal play or specific phonemes. For a deeper look at how these ideas apply to articulation work, this evidence-based practice for articulation guide walks through the planning steps in more detail.

Imitation also feeds into higher-level skills over time, including executive function, self-regulation, and the ability to plan a turn in conversation. When the child has practised copying across many play routines, they begin to generalise that skill into new settings, which is the long-term goal of any early intervention program.

Practical play activities for therapy sessions and the home

The best structured play activities are simple, repeatable, and use materials families already have at home. A small kit of five or six well-chosen toys can sustain weeks of therapy when the activities themselves are varied. The aim is to keep the framework predictable while changing just enough to keep the child curious.

Toy ideas that suit structured play

• A wind-up mouse or hopping frog that disappears into a tunnel, prompting a look, a wait, and a sound
• Stacking cups that the adult models building, knocking over, and rebuilding in the same sequence each time
• A pretend tea set for short turn-taking routines with two cups and a single pretend drink
• A pop-up toy that the child opens and closes, paired with a sound and a gesture each time

Across different settings, the same activity can serve different goals. In a clinic room in Brisbane, the wind-up mouse might be used to practise initiating joint attention with a point. In a family home in Adelaide, the same toy can become a turn-taking game where the child and parent take turns making it move. The structure stays the same, but the goal shifts depending on the child's profile.

Tips for keeping the session child-led within the structure

• Follow the child's pace within the routine rather than rushing to the next step
• Pause after each action and wait, giving the child time to look, attempt, or vocalise
• Use the same words and sounds each time, so the language becomes predictable
• End with a familiar high-energy activity such as bubbles, so the child remembers the session positively

These habits also translate well into working with families receiving NDIS-funded early intervention, where parent coaching is often part of the plan. Parents quickly learn that the routine itself is the therapy, and that their everyday play becomes the practice.

Working within Australian early intervention systems

Australian clinicians are fortunate to work within a system that values early childhood intervention, with the National Disability Insurance Scheme providing funded therapy for many children under six. The Early Childhood Early Intervention approach, in particular, encourages short-term, goal-focused intervention that is family-centred and play-based. Structured play fits this approach well, as it allows therapists to set measurable goals around joint attention and imitation while keeping the child's experience meaningful.

For clinicians working in regional and remote areas, telehealth has become a reliable way to coach parents in structured play routines. A therapist based in Perth might support a family in Broome through weekly video calls, modelling a bubble routine or a stacking cup sequence and watching the parent run the activity in their own kitchen. The same structure works whether the adult is a clinician, a parent, or a kindy educator.

Families also have access to community resources that complement therapy sessions. Toy libraries in suburbs from Parramatta to Hobart lend specialised toys that suit structured play, and many playgroups across the country welcome visitors with additional needs. Linking therapy goals to the playgroup routine helps generalise skills into the community and supports parents to feel confident outside the clinic room.

Goal area	Best structured play materials	Typical session activity	Scaffolding the adult provides
Initiating joint attention	Bubbles, wind-up toy, balloon	Child points or vocalises to request a turn	Pausing, looking expectant, waiting
Responding to joint attention	Torch under a cup, pop-up toy	Following the adult's gaze or point to find the surprise	Pointing, looking, naming
Motor imitation	Stacking cups, toy cars, dolls	Copying a simple action in sequence	Slow modelling, repeated actions
Vocal/sound imitation	Instruments, animal sounds, bubbles	Copying a single sound or syllable	Exaggerated mouth movements, clear models
Turn-taking	Ball rolling, simple board games	Taking a turn with a peer or adult	Visual cue, predictable sequence

A final note for clinicians balancing a heavy caseload — structured play does not need elaborate materials or long sessions to be effective. The strongest gains often come from short, consistent routines repeated across the week, with the adult's attention focused firmly on the child.

If you are looking for more ways to link early play skills with broader language and learning goals, Rachel's earlier write-up on supporting executive-function skills through language therapy is a useful companion read. Browse the printable library at the Let's Talk Speech Therapy shop for visual supports and routine cards that can be folded straight into your next session, and share your own play ideas in the comments to keep the conversation going.