Toddler Animal Sock Puppets

2 clean socks (any color or pattern)

Markers for drawing faces (optional — plain socks work fine)

Grab two clean socks and slip one on each hand.

Make one puppet "talk" by opening and closing your hand: "Hi! I'm a doggy! Woof woof!"

Have the puppet approach your toddler gently. Let it "sniff" their hand or give a puppet kiss.

Introduce the second puppet with a different voice: "I'm a kitty! Meow!"

Model simple greetings between puppets: "Hi doggy!" "Hi kitty!"

Turn a puppet to your toddler: "Do you want to pet the doggy?"

Let your toddler hold a puppet. Help them make it "talk" by guiding their hand.

Act out a tiny 3-4 event story: The dog is hungry, the cat finds food, they share.

Puppets are magic for toddlers who are hesitant to talk. Something about the puppet being a "character" rather than a direct question to the child takes the pressure off. Kids who won't answer you will answer a puppet.

You don't need fancy store-bought puppets. Socks, paper bags, even a stuffed animal held up and given a voice works just as well.

Use the puppets to model words you want your toddler to learn: "The doggy is hungry. Hungry! Can you say hungry?"

Keep puppet shows short and silly at this age. A 2-minute interaction is plenty. The goal is fun, not performance.