Give "go play" and pull child back to you by back
of shirt. Do several times. It usually builds a smile and a lot of times when you don't grab the shirt the child
will back up to you to do so.
"I'm gonna eat your toes!" take child's foot toward
your mouth with pretend chomp with sounds-- every kid i work with likes this one. Doesn't seem to make a difference
in child has rec. language or not--just the anticipation. after first or second time of trying to pull away with
laughter, child usually gives you other foot.
Say "do this" and make roar sound. When child does,
act terrified and fall off chair. May take a few do thises but most kids love the idea of making you react.
Instructor head into child stomach, tickly burrowing of head--real
laughter zone.
Wind up your hand like its a toy til your wrist hurts (almost)--use
cranking sound effects-then let it go and flap your hand wildly over the table and child in flip flop motion.
Fall asleep and snore loudly on child's lap then wake up suddenly
for the school bell--ding ding ding.
Do emotions like mad---rrrrrr---sad--real sappy boo hoo hoo
and drip water on face for tears (all very fake) happy----with the happy song and dance. Sad has been number one
requested for the last three years--I guess I got the drama right.
Say give me five or high five but lose your hand in your sleeve--have
child help you find then lose other hand, etc.
Poland spring water bottle above child's head---tilt ever so
slightly in anticipatory way--drop droplet. Most kids dig this big time. Fair play however is allowing them to
get you and they are usually less reserved about the amount they drop!
Lean over til child leans on your back then pick them up, hanging
behind you, "where is (child)?" "(Child's name)--where aaaarrrreeee you?"
Wear a hooded sweatshirt with a draw string and make your head
disappear as you tighten string. ask child to help to get you out.
Bubble gum--4 out of 5 dentists recommend chewing sugarless
gum between trials....just kidding but a big bubble with a big pop is a big reinforcer for most.
Hand grenade deliverance of primary reinforcers. instead of
giving an M&M, pretend to send it thru the air with a whistling sound til it gets to child's mouth then explodes
(ie you make exploding sound)
Smell feet w/ dramatic p.u. and pass out on floor. most children
will procede to put their feet in he proximity of your nose real soon.
Put child on table for some break dancing. Lay child's stomach
on table w/head toward you and feet away. put left hand by feet and right by head to generate a pretty good right
moving spin.
Make child fly on your feet. then say "it's Barney's turn"
and make Barney fly on feet, then child again, etc. (bonus--intro to turn taking)
Pick up telephone--it's for you, (child)--add in dialog.
Say "raise arms" then tickle.
Have child push your nose and have your tongue come out--pull
left ear, tongue goes right and vice versa
Make Barney, buzz or woody doll do trials
Look for the "tickles" where'd they go oh tickles,
come out, wait there they are then find the tickle spot
Turn table to side with legs toward you hide until child stands
up to find you then either roar or act scared
Disco
"I hope i don't drop you..." with child in arms then
pretty low to floor with whew! thank goodness
The table is a tent when you put a blanket over it, crawl underneath
in chase mode or hiding
Swing cardboard in front of child to create wind.
Put socks on child's hands then say do this and clap or other
wacky commands
Oh you want a (food) in your ear? Nooooooo. In your nose? Noooo.
On your head? Nooooo. Oh, in your mouth!
Put child on lap "mr. froggy's sitting on a rock, along
comes instructor and the froggy goes kerplop!" throw child on couch or beanbag chair.
Thumb wrestle
Sing Barry Manilow songs "Copa cabana" brings out
the dancing side in us all...(C'mon, admit it)
Give raspberry's to the belly and or fake tickly kissed to the
ticklish part of the neck.
Hair Torture- lay child down and gently sweep your hair over
their face with "oh, no" or whatever thing to let them know it is coming.
Pillow fights
Put child on lap, facing away from you, for motorcycle ride.
use your fists as handle bars and rev up. go around curves by leaning child left or right with all important motorcycle
sounds. Then crash!!
The palm as monster. Draw a monster on your palm. Use other
hand to hold wrist of monster palm so it can't get you. However, we all know monster palm is stronger. elicit child's
help to get rid of monster palm.
Have child feed you.
Do "shall we dance" from the king and i with the dance
where you just walk one way, then turn your body and cheeks and walk the other way. I can't rem name of dance
Put tape over your mouth and try to talk--or pretend you're
trying to keep your hand from covering your mouth but can't.
Macarena
I have a secret then raspberries to the ear
"Jump" by Van Halen with a model. My kids and i don't
know if there are explicit lyrics---we just jump when he tells us to.
Line your chairs up next to each other and go for a car ride.
Seatbelts on. Check left and right for traffic, beep the horn, etc.
Achey breaky heart
Roll up tightly in banket and "give come here" don't
do with child who won't delineate diff. between silliness of situation.
Pull child by blanket wrapped around his/her waist in circles
then "nope we gotta go left, no right, left..."
I'm a little tea pot but have water pour out on just tip me
over and pour me out.
Alladin's magic carpet. put child on towel or blanket and pull
them across floor.
Hit child's chest (gently please) with alternating palms so
they can hear the funny difference between making a sound with reverberation
Play kick the can
Water the plants
Imitate child--child says uh and puts hand on table and you
do. After a while child realizes he can run the show in reinforcement.
Elevator rides: pick him up - "First floor!" - higher
- "Second floor" - "Do you want to go to the third floor?" Then, "Oh no, the elevator
is going sideways!"
Chair rides (I didn't invent this, but boy does it work!): "Fasten
your seatbelt! Hold on to the chair!" Begin to lift chair off ground slowly. If child is fearful, go slow,
but keep pushing with an eye on his face - you may be amazed at how quickly he'll ask for more. Warning, this can
result in injury to either of you - only for the strong!
Chair tipping (same warnings!): "Fasten your seatbelt!
Hold on to the chair!" Tip back just a bit at first. Next time a bit more.
Piggy back rides: Go some place fun (imaginary!). Watch out
for the pot-holes in the road!
Spiders with your hand: let him SPLAT!
(Pretend) removing body parts: "I got your nose - I'll
put it in my pocket - want it back?" Mix up your nose and his nose, ears, trade fingers with the cat.
Stuffing stuffed animals down the back of his shirt, up his
pants leg, in his sleeves.
Pick up by the pits for a big spin (don't fall over!)
Also learned from a master - the face pump-up: "Pump me
up!" (mimic two-handed bicycle pump while inflating cheeks). Now you can't talk, but hold his hands and have
him POP! your mouth. Next time, prtend you have a leak and have him plug it.
Hot hands": his hands on yours, he has to pull them away
before you can slap them.
Hand game: hand over hand over hand over hand - flat or on a
pole, as you would do when choosing 'firsts' with a baseball bat.
Crack an egg on his head: no, not a real egg! - one fist on
top, hit it with the palm of your other hand, then both hands 'dribble' down his face - yuk!
Borrow science tricks: baking soda dropped into vinegar makes
a nice fizz!
Musical chairs or silly dancing then FREEZE! when the music
stops.
Borrow magic tricks: pull a candy out of his ear.
Electroshock (simulated please!): use your fists as 'shock pads'
anywhere on his body - or have him do it to you and get very silly.
"Glomulator": draw buttons on paper, have him press
one - it makes you "glom" (make something up!) press another one, you stop, another, you hop. He never
knows quite what will happen.
Silly noises, may accompany pump-up (above)
Blowing or saying silly things into a cup to hear the echo
Tickles
Kisses
Holding his ankles and gently stomping his feet on the floor
Raspberries on his palm
Singing a line of a favorite song
Shaking his chair like an earthquake
Anything that makes him anticipate: crawling a "spider"
up his arm then quickly tickling him under the chin while making sounds thatindicate "I'm coming to get you...."
Massage
Manipulating her arms and legs so she is "swimming"
or doing a "cheer" for herself
Turning her chair into a "rocket" which lifts off
after a countdown
Singing silly songs while you bounce her on your knee
Singing songs using her name within the song
Having her stuffed animals jump and cheer for her
Using a puppet which nibbles on her toes and fingers
"Chopping" tomatoes on her back
Whispering something silly in her ear
Hanging her upside down and pretending she's a broom
Imitating lines and characters from her favorite movies or cartoons,
i.e. Puumba saying "Hakuna matata" or Donald Duck saying "That was just wonderful"
Having her push an imaginary button to turn on a "kissing
machine"
Playing chase games
Put child between your legs facing away and pretend you are
rowing a boat while singing "row, row, row your boat" gradually increase pace of rowing until it is very
silly
Put a blanket over table and go camping. share time in tent
or go to tickle from varying directions while child is under table and you are outside--really mix it up so child
doesn't know where you are coming from
In drawing especially, use drawing as a reinforcer i.e. child
draws square appropriately and instructor draws character or letters of child's name or makes paper airplane
Long hair can be a plus. be cousin it with glasses over your
hair
For those using crayola washable markers, where is thumbkin
is a lot more fun with smiley faces on your thumbs
SILLY STRING
Bob for apples
Put a tissue on your face and blow it into the air and have
child do same--this actually can be very fun!
Those hair clips that are big now fit neatly on your wrist or
a child's and make great teeth when you are a lion or tiger--they are also fun for "talking" when you
squeeze and release them like a puppet
This sounds cruel, but i have one guy who loves it. i tie his
socks together then give him a "come here"--i stay within catching distance...
Blow up a balloon, start to hand to child then let it go dance
across the room crazily
Make a box and change what you put inside and make it fun to
feel gak or playdoh or rice and beans
Push child's chair back on hind legs (only on carpet with fisher
price chairs or the likes) and then (while holding chair or shirt) pretend you are trying to grab him but can't
"oh no, grab on, hurry...(i am trying to get this one across on paper but it isn't easy)
Attach two soda bottles together with that plastic thing to
make a tornado--throw in food coloring, some sparkles, and even a small plastic cow if you want to get the twister
effect...
Remember when we used to take crayons and color five or six
different colors then cover all with black crayon and take a coin to rub it off? i suggest preparing in advance
for or five sheets and then it is fun to rub off together
Throw child over your shoulder then let him slip down til you
are holding his feet then pretend you can't find him and while you are holding him pretend you arer looking for
him (no, i am not six foot and 200 pounds--i am five two and a hundred pounds but this isn't too hard with little
guys except have a beanbag chair or a bed to throw them on just in case)
Put your shoe on your head and try to act like nothing is wrong
Smoke from your finger tips--that you get from the same store
that sells gum that turns your mouth blue and whoopee cushions
"i got your nose"--grab child's nose and then put
your thumb thru your pointer and ring finger and show child you have his nose
Rob a bank with bonanza music in the backround
Especially on a squishy couch or back to the ole bean bag chair,
sit on child (distribute your weight with your arms to side) and say where's (name)?
Play mad scientist--get bottles of things that look or smell
cool and pour away--i like alka-selzer or those bath tablets
Bob marley (need i say more--reggae is the backbone of having
fun)
Gargle
Be gallagher--splat fruit with a hammer (outside therapy only)
Staple paper together--kids love this, we just forget how cool
it is
High five, down low, no, too slow
Pretend phone calls with a banana--hello, it is for you
Put a ball or pillow in child's shirt in the back and wait for
him to get it
Shaving cream can be really fun into a mountain on table that
car crashes thru or just to touch
Holographic wrapping paper or discs
Make blocks into a birthday cake and sing and blow out candle
blocks
Wax lips or the glasses that have the eyes pop out
Karaoke most cheap stereos like mine come with karaoke spots
now and the mics. are cheap--worth getting
That spot just above the knee that you squeeze and it can't
help but tickle