Following Directions Game (Simon) at Home

A game as simple as "Simon says touch your nose" is quietly building one of the most important skills your child will ever use — listening, holding an instruction in mind, and acting on it.

In short

Following Directions (the Simon Says game) helps your child practise listening, remembering and acting on spoken instructions — a skill that underpins speech, school readiness and everyday cooperation. Start with one simple step ("touch your head"), play in short, joyful bursts, and slowly build to longer or two-part directions as your child succeeds. Keep it playful, celebrate every try, and you'll see real-life carry-over at mealtimes, dressing and tidy-up.

How to play it at home

Start where your child succeeds

• Begin with single, clear actions: "touch your nose", "clap your hands", "jump".
• Use your child's eye level, a warm voice, and one instruction at a time.
• Let them be Simon too — giving you directions builds language and turn-taking.

Build difficulty gently

• Add a position word: "put your hands up", "hands behind you".
• Move to two-step directions once one step is easy: "clap your hands and stamp your feet".
• Introduce the classic rule — only follow when you say "Simon says" — for older children, to stretch attention and impulse control.

Make it stick

• Play in 5–10 minute bursts, several times a day, not one long session.
• Use real-life moments: "Simon says put your cup on the table", "Simon says find your shoes".
• If your child struggles, drop back a level, add a gesture or visual cue, and celebrate the attempt — never the mistake.

Why it helps

Following directions draws on receptive language (understanding words), auditory memory (holding the instruction) and attention. Playing it daily strengthens all three at once, in a low-pressure, joyful way — which is exactly how young children learn best. If your child finds even single-step directions hard, it can be an early clue worth a closer look — not a worry, just a signal to observe.

The Pinnacle way

A clinical AbilityScore® and any diagnosis are formed only at a Pinnacle Blooms Network centre, under the care of a qualified clinician — never from a home game alone. Our speech therapy team uses structured, play-based steps like the Following Directions Game (Simon) to build listening and language, and to track your child's progress against their own baseline.

Trusted sources

Aligned with guidance from the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association (ASHA) on receptive language and following directions, and with developmental milestone resources from the CDC and the American Academy of Pediatrics.

Next step — if you'd like to know exactly where to start for your child's stage, book a developmental assessment with our team or reach us on WhatsApp: +91 91001 81181.

This is general information, not a diagnosis — individual assessment and diagnosis require an appropriately qualified healthcare professional.