Animal Sound Sing-Along Session

4-5 toy animals or animal picture cards your toddler recognizes

Optional: a board book with animal pictures

Gather 4-5 toy animals or animal picture cards — cows, pigs, ducks, dogs, and cats are classic choices.

Sit on the floor together with the animals spread out where your toddler can see and grab them.

Start singing "Old MacDonald Had a Farm" and hold up the first animal for your toddler to see.

Pause before the animal sound and wait for your toddler to fill in the "Moo!" or "Baa!" Give them a few seconds.

Let your toddler pick the next animal from the pile for the next verse. This gives them control over the song.

Make the animal sounds with exaggerated enthusiasm — try a loud moo, a whispered moo, a silly moo.

After the song ends, let your toddler hold each animal and practice its sound one more time.

If your toddler can't say the animal sound yet, say it yourself and watch for their attempt to imitate. Any approximation is worth celebrating.

This song is a powerhouse for vocabulary. Each verse teaches an animal name and its associated sound, which counts as early word learning.

Let your toddler request the same animal multiple times. Repetition is how toddlers learn, and insisting on "more cow" is expressive language in action.

Try adding silly animals that don't normally go on a farm — what sound does a dinosaur make? A fish? Your toddler will love the absurdity.

This works beautifully in the car using just your voices. No props needed once your toddler knows the animals.