Wind-up toys are one of my absolute favorite go-to activities when I am working with preschoolers or doing an initial evaluation for a child with little to no communication skills or little to no interest in taking a standardized test. They're perfect for building Core language and they are highly motivating. I got most of my favorites at a quaint little toy store in Portsmouth, but they can be purchased readily on Amazon. I always present them in my small, velvet bag, shaking them inside to promote curiosity. When the child pulls out each toy after I say and sign "one out" I of course label it (ex. mouse, shoes, caterpillar). Typically, once the child has the toy in their hands they try to make it do something. When a child doesn't realize it will do something, I give them a minute to explore it, then ask for my turn. Most often, young children can not wind these toys themselves, or don't turn it enough to truly make something happen. I will say and sign, "Go!" to the toy and then appear disappointed that nothing is happening. This leads to the child needing help. So, I model saying and signing "help", with no expectation of the child copying my model yet. I then wind it up, while saying "turn, turn, turn" and while holding it still, say and sign, "1...2...3...Go!" While the toy is doing whatever it does, I will say and sign the corresponding action word. And, of course, when it runs out of steam I say and sign, "Stop!" This most often leads to the child either handing it back to me wanting to see it again, or reaching for the bag to see what's next. I then prompt the child to say and/or sign "more". We repeat this routine for each toy in the bag, each time looking for the child to increase participation and communication. As I repeat this activity in future sessions, I can up the ante of communication expectations. I look for more spontaneous utterances without my model, or I might model and expect longer utterances to request (ex. help me, help please, want more, more please, I want more).
Check out my video where I demonstrate!!!
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