{"h1":"Receptive Language Simon Says at Home","faq":[{"a":"Most children enjoy a simple version from around 2.5 to 3 years, when they can follow basic one-step instructions. Start with familiar actions you model together, and add the 'Simon says' twist only once your child understands the commands easily.","q":"At what age can my child start playing Simon Says?"},{"a":"Not at all. Getting it wrong is part of learning. Gently model the action and cheer their effort. Simon Says at home is teaching and play, never a test. If simple one-step instructions stay hard over many weeks, a chat with a speech therapist can help.","q":"My child gets the actions wrong — is that a problem?"},{"a":"Five to ten joyful minutes is plenty, and short bursts woven into daily routines work beautifully. Consistency and warmth matter far more than long sessions.","q":"How long should we play each day?"}],"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","entity":{"key":"tech-3131","kind":"technique_howto","name":"Receptive Language Simon Says","slug":"receptive-language-simon-says"},"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-activity-following-with-my-child-at-home","title":"How to work on Receptive Language Activity Following 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-receptive-language-skills-with-my-child-at-home","title":"How to Work on Receptive Language Skills at Home"},{"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"},{"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-simon-says-with-my-child-at-home","title":"How can I work on Simon Says with my child at home?"}],"summary":"Simon Says builds receptive language by helping your child listen, understand and follow spoken instructions. Start with one-step commands paired with actions, build up to two-step and describing words, and keep it playful with lots of praise. Play just 5–10 minutes a day, and check in with a speech therapist if simple instructions stay hard.","answer_md":"*A simple game where your child listens, understands and acts — that quiet moment between hearing and doing is receptive language growing.*\n\n## In short\nSimon Says is a wonderful home activity for building **receptive language** — your child's ability to understand and follow spoken instructions. Start slow with one-step commands, use clear words paired with actions, and keep it playful with lots of praise. A few joyful minutes a day matters far more than long sessions.\n\n## How to play it for language growth\n**Start where your child is**\n- Begin with **one-step, familiar actions**: \"Simon says touch your nose,\" \"Simon says clap.\" Pair the words with the action yourself at first so your child can copy and learn.\n- Speak slowly and clearly, and give your child a few seconds to process — understanding takes time before doing.\n\n**Build up gradually**\n- Once one-step commands are easy, add **two-step instructions**: \"Simon says touch your head and jump.\"\n- Introduce position and describing words — \"Simon says put your hand *up*,\" \"Simon says tap the *big* block\" — to stretch vocabulary.\n- Add the classic twist (only act when you say \"Simon says\") only when your child is confidently understanding the commands; this layer is about attention, not language, so don't rush it.\n\n**Keep it warm and winnable**\n- Celebrate every correct response with a smile, a cheer, a high-five.\n- If your child looks unsure, gently model the action — this is teaching, not testing. Never make it about \"getting it wrong\".\n- Five to ten minutes, woven into play, is plenty. Try it during bath time, dressing or in the garden.\n\n## When to check in with a professional\nSimon Says is a play activity, not an assessment. If your child consistently struggles to follow simple one-step instructions that peers manage, seems not to understand familiar words, or you have a quiet worry that's not going away, it's worth a conversation with a [speech therapy](https://www.pinnacleblooms.org/top-speech-therapy-center-india-proven-improvement-rate) professional. Early support is gentle, hopeful and effective.\n\n## The Pinnacle way\nAt Pinnacle Blooms Network, our therapists weave games like [Simon Says](/receptive-language-simon-says) into structured, joyful sessions that grow listening and understanding step by step. A 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 qualified clinician care — never from a home game or an online score. With 25 million+ therapy sessions and 4.95 lakh+ families served, we're here to walk alongside you.\n\n## Trusted sources\nGuided by the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association (ASHA) on receptive language development, and the CDC's developmental milestone guidance for understanding and following instructions.\n\n**Next step —** to understand your child's listening and language strengths, book a developmental check with our team 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-receptive-language-simon-says-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-receptive-language-simon-says-with-my-child-at-home","lang":"en","indexable":true}],"dimensions":[],"meta_title":"Simon Says for Receptive Language at Home","meta_robots":"index, follow, max-image-preview:large","everyday_tip":"Slip a single Simon Says command into daily routines — 'Simon says give me the cup' at meals — and pause a few seconds to let your child process before helping.","published_at":"2026-06-11T06:20:00.190185+00:00","reading_paths":[{"key":"home","items":[{"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","reason":"Linked from this answer"},{"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-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-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-skills-with-my-child-at-home","title":"How to Work on Receptive Language Skills at Home","reason":"Linked from this answer"},{"lang":"en","slug":"how-can-i-work-on-receptive-language-activity-following-with-my-child-at-home","title":"How to work on Receptive Language Activity Following at home","reason":"Linked from this answer"}],"label":"At home & in everyday life","total":6}],"what_to_watch":"Watch whether your child can follow simple one-step instructions like 'touch your nose' without you modelling first. If familiar commands stay confusing across weeks, or your child rarely responds to spoken words, it's worth a gentle developmental check.","authority_links":[{"url":"https://www.asha.org/public/speech/development/","label":"ASHA — Speech and language development"},{"url":"https://www.cdc.gov/child-development","label":"CDC — Developmental milestones"}],"last_reviewed_at":"2026-06-11T06:20:00.190185+00:00","meta_description":"A warm step-by-step guide to playing Simon Says with your child to build listening and understanding — one-step to two-step commands, with everyday tips.","related_materials":[],"related_techniques":[{"title":"Receptive Language Simon Says","utilization":33}]}