Be Prepared: This activity is for an infant who can sit independently or with support. One possible source of animal puppets is the Get Ready Kids Bigmouth Farm Puppet Set, which includes a pig, cow, duck, and horse, each with embroidered eyes. The activity plan below uses a pig and a cow.

Sit across from the infant and place the puppets behind you, out of the infant’s view.

Explain that two farm animals are going to visit today. Slowly introduce one of the puppets from behind your back. Keep the puppet closer to you than to the infant and use your voice, not a puppet voice, to say the name of the animal. Encourage the infant to listen to the sound made by the animal. Point to your ear when you say ”listen.” Make the sound of the animal and then repeat the sound as you move the puppet’s head. Example: “This is a pig. The pig is our friend. A pig says ‘oink, oink. Oink, oink.’”

Put the puppet on the floor next to you or behind you. Slowly introduce the other puppet, using the same approach. Example: “Here is another animal friend. This is a cow. The cow is our friend. A cow says ‘moo, moo. Moo, moo.’”

Then slowly present the two puppets together, one on each of your hands. Move the head of each puppet as the puppets take turns making their sound. “Oink, oink. Moo, moo. Oink, oink. Moo, moo.” Use your voice to make a distinctive animal sound. Example: a faster, higher-pitched “oink, oink,” and a drawn out “moo, moo” with a lower voice.

Describe the infant’s reaction to the animal sounds. You may wish to invite the infant to join you in making an animal sound and/or saying the name of the animal. If the infant reaches for a puppet, hold the puppet in your open hand so the infant can touch or grasp it. Avoid putting the puppet in the infant’s hand.

If the infant remains interested in the puppets, you may wish to play a Peekaboo game by hiding a puppet briefly behind your back and saying the animal’s sound when it appears. You also might make up a short story about one or both puppets that includes the infant’s name. Example: “Once upon a time Mason had a farm! Mason had a pig on his farm! Mason’s pig says ‘oink, oink!”’

Conclude the activity with a brief description of what happened, including the infant’s actions and the sounds made by the two animal puppets.

Be Prepared: This activity is for an infant who can readily grasp and manipulate a small object. One possible source of animal puppets is the Get Ready Kids Bigmouth Farm Puppet Set, which includes a pig, cow, duck, and horse, each with embroidered eyes. Place the puppets in the cloth bag.

Sit across from the infant with the bag of animal puppets next to you. Explain that some farm animals are going to visit today. Slowly remove one of the puppets from the bag and show it to the infant. Keep the puppet closer to you than to the infant and use your voice, not a puppet voice, to say the name of the animal. Encourage the infant to listen to the sound made by the animal. Point to your ear when you say ”listen.” Make the sound of the animal and then repeat the sound as you move the puppet’s head. Example: “This is a duck. The duck is our friend. A duck says ‘quack, quack. Quack, quack.’”

Put the puppet on the floor next to you. Slowly introduce a second puppet, using the same approach. Example: “Here is another animal friend. This is a cow. The cow is our friend. A cow says ‘moo, moo. Moo, moo.’”

Then present the two just-introduced puppets together, one on each of your hands. Move the head of each puppet as the puppets take turns making their sound. “Quack, quack. Moo, moo. Quack, quack. Moo, moo.” Use your voice to make a distinctive animal sound. Example: a faster ‘quack, quack,’ and slower ‘moo, moo.’ Describe the infant’s reaction to the animal sounds. Remind the infant we are listening to sounds. Point again to your ear when you emphasize listen.

You may wish to invite the infant to join you in making an animal sound and/or saying the name of the animal. If the infant reaches for a puppet, hold the puppet in your open hand so the infant can touch or grasp it. Avoid putting the puppet in the infant’s hand.

Put the two puppets on the floor to your side. Introduce two more animal puppets from your bag, one at a time, using the approach described above. Include the use of both puppets at the same time, so the infant has the experience of hearing two different animal sounds back to back.

If the infant remains interested in the puppets, engage the infant in pretending to feed one or more of the animal puppets. Encourage the infant to hold the puppet or hold the bowl. The puppet’s head can be put close to the bowl in pretend eating. Make the animal’s sound during or at the end of the feeding. Example: “Moo, moo” (in animal voice). “Our cow puppet liked the food! Our cow is saying ‘moo, moo’” (in your voice).

Conclude the activity with a brief description of what happened, including the infant’s actions and the sounds made by the four animal puppets. Remind the infant that we listened to sounds. Point to your ear when you say “listen.”