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Naming game

Touch Your Nose

Takes about:
3 minutes to play
Good for:
Baby, Toddler
You’ll need:
just you
Handy for:
nappy changes, bath time, waiting around

“Can you touch your nose? Can you touch your ears? Can you touch your toes?” You ask, they find it, and you cheer. Then you ask for the next one, a little faster, or a little sillier.

It starts with you naming your baby’s nose, toes and tummy, and grows into a game your toddler can win every time. Along the way, they learn the words for every part of themselves.

How to play

  1. Get face to face. Sit opposite each other, or have your baby on your lap or on the changing mat.
  2. Start with one you know they can find. “Where’s your nose?” Touch your own nose as you ask, so they can copy.
  3. Cheer when they find it. “Yes! That’s your nose!” A big smile and a clap make them want another go.
  4. Ask for the next one. Ears, tummy, toes, head, hands. Keep the words the same each time: “Can you touch your…?”
  5. Mix it up. Go faster, go slower, or make it a stretch: “Can you touch your toes? Now reach up high!”
  6. Make a silly mistake. Touch your elbow and say, “This is my nose!” Toddlers love putting you right.

Why it helps

  • The NHS suggests asking children aged 18 to 24 months “Where’s your…?” and having them point to their ear, nose, foot and so on, as a way to help them learn to talk.1
  • For younger babies, the NHS suggests naming and pointing to things you can both see, and chatting about what you’re doing as you feed, change and bathe them. It says naming things helps babies learn words, and in time they’ll start to copy you.1
  • In a study of toddlers learning to talk, children who began pairing a gesture with a word, such as pointing while saying a word, tended to be the first to start putting two words together.2
  • The NHS says repeating words helps children remember them, and that keeping instructions short and simple helps them understand.1

As they grow

  • Baby: You do the touching. During a nappy change or at bath time, gently touch and name each part: “Here’s your nose. Here are your toes.” Wiggle their toes with This Little Pig. Towards their first birthday, ask “Where’s my nose?” and let them grab yours.
  • Toddler: Hand it over. Ask, and let them find it on themselves. Add trickier ones as they learn: elbows, knees, chin, eyebrows, belly button. Then swap, and let them ask you. Older toddlers might enjoy “Touch your nose with your elbow!” or finding teddy’s ears too.

Tips

  • Start easy. Nose, toes and tummy are good first ones. Save elbows and eyebrows for later, so it always feels like they’re winning.
  • Copy first, words later. If they don’t know a part yet, touch your own and let them copy you. Then next time, ask before you show them.
  • Get moving. Toes to touch, sky to reach, a tummy to pat and a head to shake turn it into a stretch, which is handy on a rainy day.
  • Anywhere, any time. It works in a queue, on a bus, in the bath or on the changing mat. No toys needed.
  • Eyes are tricky. Little fingers poke. Try “Can you close your eyes?” or “Where are your eyebrows?” instead.
  • Phone down. You’re the one they’re watching and copying, so there’s nothing to look at on a screen.

About this game

Written with AI assistance. Written by Sam and Erin with help from Claude. We’re parents, not health professionals: if you have any worries about your baby’s development, talk to your health visitor or GP. For more on why games like this matter, see Why play with your baby?

Sources

  1. NHS. Help your baby learn to talk. nhs.uk
  2. Iverson JM, Goldin-Meadow S. Gesture paves the way for language development. Psychological Science. 2005;16(5):367–371. doi.org

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