Teaching Children to Follow Directions

Following directions is a part of our everyday lives. In today’s blog, we will discuss few activities for teaching children to follow directions. Is your child finding it difficult to follow your commands or directions at school? Here are a few activities to do at home.

“Remember to consult a Speech-Language Therapist, if your child is unable to do these activities”.

Activities for Teaching Children to Follow Directions

1. Mommy Says:

This is a fun auditory direction following the game. This game can be played by your child and you and also with a group of children. To do this game,

• First, get the kids to form a circle.
• Second, start by saying simple commands, “Mommy says, lift your hand up”.
• Thirdly, say “Mommy says, lift hand up and touch your nose”.
• Fourth, slowly increase the speed of the commands.
• Lastly, reward your child for playing along.

2. Listen and Draw:

As the name of the game goes, listen and draw is an interactive activity. To play this game,

• Take a piece of paper or a whiteboard.
• Now, give small directions to your child to begin the drawing.
• You can say, “draw a circle”, “now, another circle below” and so on.
• You can also help your child to begin this game.
• Move on to more complex scenes, such as “draw a circle with eyes” and so on.

3. Get the Doll Ready Game:

This game is my favorite Speech Therapy game. In this game, you can teach speech, language, and following directions for everyday life. Here is how to play,

• Take a doll or a teddy bear.
• Then, say “Lets’ get the doll ready for the day”.
• Instruct your child from a distance, “Wake up the doll”.
• Now, give step-wise directions, “Brush her teeth”, “Shower her” and so on.
• You can start with simple steps and move on to more difficult steps.
• Encourage your child to follow your steps by listening to you.

4. Obstacle Course Game:

Obstacle course games are great for motor skills and following directions. Set up an obstacle race game inside your home or in the garden. Encourage your child to follow your direction with visual cues. You can set up the obstacles with tables, chairs, pillows, and boxes available at home. You can play this with a group of children too.

5. Picture Direction Activity:

This is an easy do-it-yourself activity that can be done anywhere. All you need for this game is a picture book with some pictures in it. Now give your child simple commands to follow. You can say “Touch the blue cup”, “Touch the blue cup then the red pen” and so on. Continue to increase the complexity of the steps you give. Reward your child during the game.

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Ayesha Anjum

Speech-Language Pathologist at 1SpecialPlace

I am a certified and trained professional adept in conducting assessment and intervention for persons with communication disorders. I also enjoy writing blogs.

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