Activities to Teach Children to Say “No”

blog Ayesha Anjum August 23, 2021

Teaching children to “No” is to get them ready for the outside world. So, in this blog we will list activities to teach children to say “no”. Teaching kids to say “no” is very crucial in today’s world. It helps to build confidence in them to say “no” to things. Especially, which they are not comfortable doing. Further, it also helps you to follow what your child wants instead of taking a guess. So, let’s look into some activities you can do.

Activities to Teach Children to Say “No”:

Activity 1:

This game is to be played with toddlers and young kids. You will need a bubble wand and other toys available at home. Now, sit on a mat with your toddler. Then, start blowing bubbles with him/her. Additionally, talk along while you blow. Say, “You like bubbles”, “Bubbles are big”, “Oh Bubble popped” and so on. Then, stop blowing the bubble and keep it aside. If your toddler is pointing to bubbles, pick up another toy instead. Ask him “Do you want the car?”. Now, if your kid keeps pointing at the bubble. Make him say “No, Car”. Ask again, “Do you want the car”. Make him repeat “no”. Finally, guide him/her to say “no, car” and “yes, bubbles”.

Activity 2:

Here is another game to play with your child. To do this activity you need some toys such as a car, doll, bus, puppet and so on. Now, sit with your child. First, show your child “a car” and ask “Is this a bus?”. Then, if your child says “car”, prompt him/her to say “No, it is a car”. Next, show another toy and ask “Is this ….?”. Make sure to say the wrong name. This will create a chance for your child to say “No, it is a …”.

Activity 3:

This activity is for adolescents and children who can read and speak. To do this activity, simply make a worksheet with yes, no questions. Next, ask your child to read and answer. Or you can play orally too. For example, ask “Is the earth a square?”, teach your child to respond by saying “No”. Next, you can ask “Is the sky pink?” and so on. You can either play this game by speaking or using a worksheet.

Click here to download a worksheet: https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/YesNo-and-TrueFalse-Task-Cards-

Activity 4:

We can use this activity for young children. This is a fun game to play at home. To do this, you need a bowl of something that smells strong like a pod of garlic. Take another bowl with some rose petals or sweet-smelling candy. Sit with your kid at the table. Now, let your child smell the garlic and ask “Does it smell sweet”. Encourage him to answer “No”. Then make him smell the rose petal and ask “Does it smell bad”. Encourage him to answer “No”.

Activity 5:

This last activity is for non-verbal children. To do this game, teach your child “thumbs-up” hand gestures for “Yes” and “thumbs-down” for “No”. Play this game during the day when you interact with your child. If your child points to some object, pick out another object instead. If your child cries, guide them to make the hand gesture “Thumbs-down” for “No”. Continue to do this activity until your kid can consistently respond to yes/ no with a hand gesture.

If you wish to know more about Speech-Language Therapy, kindly contact us at info@1specialplace.com

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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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