Giggle Games

Credit for this topic goes to Marlaine Willborn, a retired speech therapist in Winnipeg, who demonstrated the use of ideas from Giggle Time: Establishing a Social Connection by Susan Aud Somers.

Overview

Play is how children learn. Most adults want to play with their children. Sometimes we can feel that our children don’t want to play with us. Many of us may also feel like we have forgotten the play skills that were once so natural, and need to relearn how to do it.

Giggle games are one way to make playful interactions with your child a regular part of your day. A giggle game is an activity you can do with your child that:

  • gives your child an opportunity to enjoy being with another person
  • has a predictable and flexible structure of turn taking

Enjoyment

Giggle games will be different for every child depending on the sensory experiences they enjoy. Examples include:

  • silly noises
  • fast motions
  • being squeezed
  • jumping

If you’re not sure which sensory experiences your child enjoys, that’s okay. You’ll be able to find what they like through observation and trial and error.

Structure

A giggle game needs to be both predictable and flexible.

Predictability lets your child build a sense of anticipation and know the role they can play.

Flexibility lets you add elements of surprise and challenge to develop your child’s thinking and avoid boredom.

Each giggle game has:

  • an invitation
  • a middle (with the possibility of repetition and variation)
  • an end (providing a sense of closure)

Giggle Game Examples

Balloon Game

Invitation

The parent holds up a balloon, takes a deep breath, smiles and pauses. The child might respond by looking, reaching, smiling, or saying something like “blow!”

Middle

The parent blows up the balloon, one breath at a time and with expressive facial expressions. With each pause, the child has an opportunity to encourage their parent to continue.

End

The parent lets go of the balloon (or the child takes it), the air whooshes out, and the balloon ends up somewhere in the room. The parent might say, “Whoa!” or “I see it!” The child may find the balloon and bring it back for another round. If not, the parent may start the process again, waiting for the child’s response.

Variations

Options for variations include:

  • letting the air blow on the child’s skin to enjoy the sensation and noise
  • inviting the child to help blow
  • pretending you are out of air
  • using large or small balloons
  • letting the child choose the balloon
  • hiding the balloons and finding them together
  • tying the balloon off and batting it around

Sleeping Game

Invitation

The child is lying on the floor. Their play partner lies down next to the child. The child might make eye contact with their play partner or stop moving their body to acknowledge their parent’s presence. The play partner lies next to the child on the floor, strokes the child’s head and loosely covers the child’s head with a blanket, saying “Night, night.”

Middle

The child moves under the blanket. Movement can be a “turn”. The play partner partially closes their eyes and snores with exaggeration, twice. The second snore is very slow. They can also make a babbling sound. Soft babbling can be a turn.

End

The parent says, “Good morning!” They suddenly pull the blanket off of their child. The child laughs.

Humpty Dumpty Game

Invitation

The child sits on an exercise ball. The ball is against a wall and on a mat for safety and stability. The parent holds their child’s hands. The parent quickly bounces their child on the ball and starts saying the rhyme: “Humpty Dumpty sat on a wall…”

Middle

The child makes eye contact or smiles as the rhyme continues. When the parent gets close to the end of the rhyme, they say: “Had a…great…big…” and then pause. The child says, “fall!” Their parent suddenly slides the child onto the mat and squeezes them, providing sensory reinforcement.

End

The child laughs. The parent says, “More?” The child says, “More.” The game repeats.

Variations

Options for variations include:

  • putting the child on a pillow or your lap
  • using different nursery rhymes and corresponding movements

Other Examples

Other possible games include:

  • chase games
  • peeking games
  • blowing bubbles
  • hopscotch
  • spinning chairs
  • catch
  • hiding objects
  • throwing rocks into puddles
  • pouring water
  • painting

Guiding Principles

Non-Verbal Cues

Non-verbal cues are important for you and your child to communicate what you are doing and to invite responses.

The invitation is important because it provides a way for your child to invite you to play the game. For this reason, you should use a non-verbal invitation, especially if your child is primarily non-verbal.

Wait to give your child the opportunity to respond to each invitation or “turn” that you take. You may need to wait long enough that you feel uncomfortable or wonder if your child is noticing you, but it is important to give them time. This is about your child feeling safe, curious and motivated to engage with you, and learning to be a communicator.

Persistence

Don’t give up too quickly. It may take a few invitations or some trial and error before your child is ready to join. Also, even if your child is not in the mood for an activity one day, they may be interested in it later on.

Frequency

Since giggle games are simple, parents can try them at various times throughout the day. If you get the reaction you’re hoping for, wonderful! If you don’t get the reaction you’re hoping for, there will be another chance soon enough. 

When you start a game, be ready to stay in the moment with your child if they do become engaged. They might even stay interested longer than you. If so, let it play out. 10 minutes is an ideal duration for a giggle game.

Variations

Try not to introduce more than one game at a time. Focus on the cues that your child is giving you. It’s good to introduce a variation when they’re still engaged in the game, but it’s also good to respect their response. For example, if blowing the balloon’s air onto their face is too much, go back to what you did before, and introduce a different variation later.

The play routine should have small variations so your child can still anticipate what is coming and connect it with the game they are familiar with and enjoy. If the variation is too large, it might be confusing or cause them to lose interest.

Props

Especially during your first few giggle games, using fewer props is better. The focus should not be on the game or toys, but on you and the child having an enjoyable shared experience.

Further Reading

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