People Games
慞eople Games� can be used as an approach to support the development of your child抯 shared attention, play, communication and interaction skills.
What are they?
- They involve two people (e.g. you and your child) and are carried out without using toys or objects
- They are informal and relaxed.
- They are based around what your child likes
- Each particular game has the same steps each time so that the child learns the routine of the game.
- If the routine stays the same this helps build your child抯 anticipation and understanding of what will happen next.
- You can support your child to communicate if they want 憁ore� or to 憇top�.
How to do them:
- Find a calm space with few distractions. Put away and turn off screens and other noisy distractions.
- Notice what your child is doing and join in by turning it into a game.
- It may be that your child is seeking certain sensory sensations e.g. jumping, spinning, rocking, making loud sounds. You could base your game around the particular sensation they are seeking. This could be joining in with sensory seeking actions or sounds e.g. jumping, spinning, rocking, making loud sounds.
- Start the game and if they like the action, repeat it.
- Once your child understands the routine of the people game, pause to give an opportunity to request 憁ore� or 憇top�.
- If your child is non-speaking, look for different cues for 憁ore� or 憇top�. For example, for 憁ore� they might be smiling or looking, and for 憇top� they might stop looking or turn away.
The following games are suitable for children whatever their language level:
10 ideas for making your interactions fun
Games 9 and 10 listed below are for children who can understand sentences.
- Tickle games. Count down to tickle time (e.g. �3, 2, 1卼ickle� 搑eady steady go�)
- Peek a boo. Hide behind your hands or put a blanket over your child抯 head, before pulling it off and saying 揚eekaboo�.
- Chasing: Say, �1, 2, 3卌hase me� then encourage your child to run off and you chase them. End the game by giving your child a squeeze and saying, 揷aught you�.
- Spinning: Say, 搑eady, steady, spin�. Spin them around twice before you stop and say 搒top�.
- Jumping: You could sing a familiar song as you jump together and stop when the song finishes.
- Piggyback ride: You could give them a piggyback and sing a song as you carry them around e.g. 損iggy, piggy, where shall we go? Bedroom�. bathroom etc�, 損iggy, piggy, how fast shall we go? �.. slow 協ast�, 損iggy, piggy, who shall we see? Daddy卐tc.
- Hide and seek: Take turns to hide and find each other. Use countdowns, repetitive phrases like 揑抦 coming to find you�, 揻ound you!�. Have three people to play to help your child understand the rules and routine of the game.
- Sing action songs that lead to a 慺un surprise�.
- For example:
- Round and round the garden� which leads to tickling.
- Pop goes the Weasel � lifting child up every time you say 憄op
- What抯 the time Mr Wolf?
- One person stands facing the wall, they are the wolf.
- Everyone else, stands at the other end of the room.
- Everyone says, 慦hat抯 the time Mr. Wolf�.
- The wolf needs to say what time it is e.g., 慖t抯 3 o抍lock�
- Everyone else, takes that number of steps e.g., 3 o抍lock= 3 steps.
- This is repeated until everyone gets closer.
- Then� either, the wolf can say, 慽t抯 dinner time� and chase someone in the group and they become the wolf or someone is close enough to tap the wolf without being caught and the person who is the wolf stays as the wolf for the next game.
- I Spy.
- Take turns with your child to give clues about a thing you are thinking of (such as a particular object in the room) e.g. 揑 spy卻omething that is red�.
- Make it easier by reducing the number of objects to choose from. For example, you could just put a few objects from around the room on a table in front of you.
- Base the game around your child抯 interests e.g. base the game around sea creatures if that is what your child like.
- Make the clues as easy or hard as you want depending on your child抯 level of understanding.
Remember:
- All people games should have a key exciting moment for your child to start to anticipate. For example, a tickle, a hug, bouncing.
- Repeat the games frequently to help your child understand the routine of the game.
- Once your child is familiar with the game PAUSE and WAIT for them to communicate with you (i.e. that they want more). Then give them the 慺un� element.
- Your child might communicate with you using words, but may also use sounds, gestures or facial expressions. This is your child抯 turn in the interaction, which is an essential part of them developing communication skills.
To see examples of adults doing People Games, there are helpful videos on YouTube. Here are videos from the and from a speech and language therapist at the Down Syndrome Resource Foundation. Although the video example is for a child with Downs Syndrome, the advice and strategy would be used in exactly the same way for an autistic child.
Last updated03 Apr 2025