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Rattle

A toy rattle

The following activities can be done with the rattle given to your child in their Therapy to Go bag.

Targeted skills

  • Sensory awareness: vision, sound, touch
  • Fine motor: grasping, coordination
  • Cognition: cause and effect

First time doing this activity? Find more tips and information.

Reminders

  • Direct your child to pay attention to the rattle throughout the activity.
  • Your child may put the rattle in their mouth. This is OK. But make sure to keep the rattle clean to prevent germs.

Activities

General play

  1. Set the rattle near your child.
  2. Have your child look and listen to the rattle while they play with it.
  3. Once they are able, let your child hold the rattle.

Watch the rattle

  1. Move the rattle slowly in front of your child.
  2. Let them watch and follow the rattle with their eyes while you move it.

Listen to the rattle

  1. Shake the rattle gently near your child. Let them hear it while you shake it.
  2. Help your child shake the rattle so that it makes a sound.
  3. Once they are able, let your child hold the rattle.
Person holding a toy rattle

Peekaboo

  1. Hide the rattle under a blanket.
  2. Take the blanket off the rattle and show the rattle to your child. Show excitement and surprise when exposing the rattle.
  3. Once your child is able, encourage your child to complete the task.

Pretend Play

  1. Have your child hold the rattle to their ear like a phone. Encourage talking on the “phone” with rattle.
  2. Show your child how to use the rattle like a hammer. Encourage banging the rattle against another surface.
Woman pretending toy rattle is a phone

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Reviewed: July 2024