Early skills such as gestures (waving, pointing, clapping) and eye contact are important building blocks for social communication. If your child rarely uses gestures or avoids making eye contact with others, you can help your child strengthen these skills through play.

What to Do

Imitate your child’s play and exaggerate your gestures.

If your child is stacking blocks, stack your own right next to theirs and make it playful. Add a big smile, a dramatic “ta-da!” with arms in the air, or a silly wave. If they roll a car, roll yours and add an excited point or clap when it reaches the end.

Children are more likely to notice and copy movements that are big, fun, and connected to what they’re already doing.

When to Do It

The best time is during face-to-face play. This means that you’re at their level, facing each other, and engaged in the same activity.

This could be:

• Sitting on the floor with toys
• Singing action songs like “If You’re Happy and You Know It”
• Playing peek-a-boo or rolling a ball back and forth

Why It Works

When you pair exaggerated gestures with play, you’re teaching your child to notice what others are doing and respond. Over time, this helps them:

• Share experiences with others
• Understand social cues
• Build the foundation for spoken communication

Even if your child doesn’t copy right away, they’re still learning by watching you.

Try This

When playing with your child, clap, then wait. When they copy you, copy them! It’s not just cute. It’s communication in the making.

Remember, every wave, point, or moment of eye contact is a small step toward richer interaction. Keep it playful and remember to be patient. Learning new skills takes time.

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