{"h1":"Following Directions Game (Simon) at Home","faq":[{"a":"Most toddlers can follow a single simple instruction with a gesture cue from around 18 months, and enjoy basic Simon Says play by 2–3 years. Start with one easy action and add the \"Simon says\" rule only when your child is older and ready for more challenge.","q":"At what age can my child start playing Simon Says?"},{"a":"Not at all — gestures and visual cues are a normal, helpful support while children learn. Keep using them, and gradually fade the gesture as your child succeeds with words alone. If words alone remain very hard over several weeks, a general developmental check can offer reassurance and guidance.","q":"My child only follows directions when I point or gesture. Is that a problem?"},{"a":"Short and frequent works best — 5 to 10 minutes, several times a day, woven into everyday moments. Stopping while your child is still enjoying it keeps the game something they look forward to.","q":"How long should we play for?"}],"lang":"en","slug":"how-can-i-work-on-following-directions-game-simon-with-my-child-at-home","title":"How to Play the Following Directions (Simon) Game at Home","entity":{"key":"tech-1464","kind":"technique_howto","name":"Following Directions Game Simon","slug":"following-directions-game-simon"},"lenses":[{"kind":"stakeholder","label":"Parent","value":"parent"},{"kind":"domain","label":"Communication","value":"communication"},{"kind":"intent","label":"Find Activities","value":"find_activities"},{"kind":"empowerment","label":"Family Empowerment","value":"family_empowerment"}],"parent":null,"related":[{"lang":"en","slug":"how-can-i-work-on-receptive-language-simon-says-with-my-child-at-home","title":"How to Play Receptive Language Simon Says at Home"},{"lang":"en","slug":"how-can-i-work-on-onestep-command-game-simon-with-my-child-at-home","title":"How to Play the OneStep Command Game at Home"},{"lang":"en","slug":"how-can-i-work-on-following-directions-with-my-child-at-home","title":"How to Work on Following Directions with Your Child at Home"},{"lang":"en","slug":"how-can-i-work-on-interactive-game-simon-with-my-child-at-home","title":"How to Play Interactive Game Simon at Home"},{"lang":"en","slug":"how-can-i-work-on-follow-the-directions-with-my-child-at-home","title":"How can I work on Follow the Directions with my child at home?"},{"lang":"en","slug":"how-can-i-work-on-simon-says-with-my-child-at-home","title":"How can I work on Simon Says with my child at home?"}],"summary":"Play Simon Says at home to build your child's listening, memory and ability to follow instructions. Start with single, clear directions, celebrate every try, build to two-step instructions, and use real-life moments. Keep it short and joyful — small daily wins carry over to dressing, mealtimes and school readiness.","answer_md":"*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.*\n\n## In short\nFollowing 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.\n\n## How to play it at home\n**Start where your child succeeds**\n- Begin with single, clear actions: \"touch your nose\", \"clap your hands\", \"jump\".\n- Use your child's eye level, a warm voice, and one instruction at a time.\n- Let *them* be Simon too — giving you directions builds language and turn-taking.\n\n**Build difficulty gently**\n- Add a position word: \"put your hands *up*\", \"hands *behind* you\".\n- Move to two-step directions once one step is easy: \"clap your hands *and* stamp your feet\".\n- Introduce the classic rule — only follow when you say \"Simon says\" — for older children, to stretch attention and impulse control.\n\n**Make it stick**\n- Play in 5–10 minute bursts, several times a day, not one long session.\n- Use real-life moments: \"Simon says put your cup on the table\", \"Simon says find your shoes\".\n- If your child struggles, drop back a level, add a gesture or visual cue, and celebrate the attempt — never the mistake.\n\n## Why it helps\nFollowing 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.\n\n## The Pinnacle way\nA clinical [AbilityScore®](/ask/what-is-the-abilityscore-and-how-is-it-calculated) 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](https://www.pinnacleblooms.org/top-speech-therapy-center-india-proven-improvement-rate) team uses structured, play-based steps like the [Following Directions Game (Simon)](/following-directions-game-simon) to build listening and language, and to track your child's progress against their own baseline.\n\n## Trusted sources\nAligned 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.\n\n**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.\n\nThis is general information, not a diagnosis — individual assessment and diagnosis require an appropriately qualified healthcare professional.","canonical":"https://pinnacleblooms.org/ask/how-can-i-work-on-following-directions-game-simon-with-my-child-at-home","editorial":{"reviewed_at":"2026-06-11T20:12:18.613642+00:00","reviewed_by":null,"developed_by":"SETU Consortium · Pinnacle Blooms Network"},"alternates":[{"href":"https://pinnacleblooms.org/ask/how-can-i-work-on-following-directions-game-simon-with-my-child-at-home","lang":"en","indexable":true}],"dimensions":[],"meta_title":"Simon Says: Following Directions Game at Home","meta_robots":"index, follow, max-image-preview:large","everyday_tip":"Turn everyday routines into mini Simon Says rounds — \"Simon says put your cup on the table\" — so practice happens naturally, several times a day.","published_at":"2026-06-11T06:10:00.131444+00:00","reading_paths":[{"key":"home","items":[{"lang":"en","slug":"how-can-i-work-on-simon-says-with-my-child-at-home","title":"How can I work on Simon Says with my child at home?","reason":"Linked from this answer"},{"lang":"en","slug":"how-can-i-work-on-following-directions-with-my-child-at-home","title":"How to Work on Following Directions with Your Child at Home","reason":"Linked from this answer"},{"lang":"en","slug":"how-can-i-work-on-onestep-command-game-simon-with-my-child-at-home","title":"How to Play the OneStep Command Game at Home","reason":"Linked from this answer"},{"lang":"en","slug":"how-can-i-work-on-follow-the-directions-with-my-child-at-home","title":"How can I work on Follow the Directions with my child at home?","reason":"Linked from this answer"},{"lang":"en","slug":"how-can-i-work-on-interactive-game-simon-with-my-child-at-home","title":"How to Play Interactive Game Simon at Home","reason":"Linked from this answer"},{"lang":"en","slug":"how-can-i-work-on-receptive-language-simon-says-with-my-child-at-home","title":"How to Play Receptive Language Simon Says at Home","reason":"Linked from this answer"}],"label":"At home & in everyday life","total":6}],"what_to_watch":"If your child cannot follow a single simple instruction (like \"touch your nose\") with a gesture cue by around 18 months, or struggles with two-step directions by age 3, observe across a few weeks and arrange a general developmental check — this is a signal to look closer, not a cause for alarm.","authority_links":[{"url":"https://www.asha.org/public/speech/development/Activities-to-Encourage-Speech-and-Language-Development/","label":"ASHA: activities to encourage speech and language"},{"url":"https://www.cdc.gov/child-development","label":"CDC: developmental milestones"},{"url":"https://www.healthychildren.org/English/ages-stages/Pages/default.aspx","label":"AAP HealthyChildren: ages and stages"}],"last_reviewed_at":"2026-06-11T06:10:00.131444+00:00","meta_description":"A warm, step-by-step parent guide to playing the Following Directions (Simon Says) game at home to build your child's listening, memory and language skills","related_materials":[],"related_techniques":[{"title":"Following Directions Game Simon","utilization":81}]}