Early Intervention Imitation Play Activities – Symbolic Sounds & Early Gestures

Early Communication Activities for Early Intervention

Support symbolic sounds, early gestures, and imitation through play with these engaging Early Communication Activities for Early Intervention. Designed for toddlers and young children who are not yet using words consistently, this play-based resource helps therapists and caregivers encourage the foundations of early communication in fun, meaningful ways.

Perfect for Early Intervention Speech and Language Therapy sessions, these flexible activities encourage child-led play while providing countless opportunities to model symbolic sounds, exclamatory words, gestures, and early communication skills.

⭐ Why therapists love this resource

• Encourages symbolic sounds, gestures, and imitation through play
• Designed specifically for Early Intervention
• Open-ended activities that follow the child’s lead
• Supports caregiver coaching and home practice
• Encourages joint attention, turn-taking, and shared engagement
• Suitable for individual and small-group therapy
• Reusable across multiple sessions and children
• Easy to adapt to each child’s interests and communication level

⭐ What’s included?

This resource includes:

• 40 printable cookies
• Printable monster mouths
• Baking sheets
• Oven
• Cookie jar
• Reference list with over 60 suggested symbolic sounds and gesture ideas
• 10 play-based activity ideas
• Therapist information handouts
• Caregiver-friendly handouts
• Suggested strategies to support early communication during play

The activities are intentionally flexible and open-ended, allowing you to follow each child’s interests while naturally modelling communication throughout play.

⭐ Skills supported

This resource provides opportunities to encourage and model:

• Symbolic sounds
• Exclamatory words
• Early gestures
• Imitation skills
• Joint attention
• Turn-taking
• Shared engagement
• Early communication
• Play skills

Examples of symbolic sounds include:

• “Mmm”
• “Nom nom”
• “Uh-oh”
• “Pop”
• “Beep beep”
• “Yay!”

These early communication skills provide important foundations for later language development.

⭐ Perfect for:

• Speech and Language Therapists
• Speech-Language Pathologists (SLPs)
• Early Intervention providers
• Preschool settings
• Caregiver coaching sessions
• Toddlers and young children developing early communication
• Individual therapy
• Small-group intervention
• Home practice and carryover

⭐ Designed for caregiver coaching

This resource is ideal for supporting caregivers to build communication opportunities during everyday play.

The caregiver-friendly handouts and suggested strategies make it easy to:

• Demonstrate play-based language facilitation techniques
• Encourage home practice
• Support carryover between therapy sessions
• Build caregiver confidence
• Follow the child’s lead while modelling communication naturally

⭐ Flexible, motivating, and reusable

Unlike highly structured activities, these materials are designed to be used in many different ways depending on each child’s interests and stage of communication development.

Whether you’re encouraging first gestures, introducing symbolic sounds, or developing early imitation skills, this resource can be adapted to suit a wide range of therapy goals while keeping sessions fun, engaging, and meaningful.

⭐ Additional Information

This resource was created by a qualified and certified paediatric Speech and Language Therapist based in the UK.

The information, strategies, and activities included within this resource are based on current knowledge, evidence-informed practice, and clinical experience at the time of writing. While every effort has been made to ensure the content is accurate and up to date, research and best practice recommendations continue to evolve over time.

This resource is intended to provide practical ideas and support for therapists, educators, and caregivers. It is not intended to replace direct Speech and Language Therapy assessment, intervention, diagnosis, or professional advice.

Practitioners should always use their professional judgement when selecting, adapting, and implementing activities to meet the individual needs of the children they support. Not all strategies or activities will be suitable for every child or setting.

This resource may be reviewed and updated periodically to reflect new evidence, feedback, and best practice recommendations. Be sure to follow The SLT Scrapbook on social media, email, and other platforms to be notified when updates become available.

Additional Product Information

• Digital download only
• PDF format
• No physical product will be shipped
• Suitable for Early Intervention, preschool, clinic, and home settings
• Therapist and caregiver versions included

Build the foundations of communication through playful, engaging activities that encourage symbolic sounds, gestures, imitation, and meaningful interaction.