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Every newly adopted toddler needs fun attachment activities to promote bonding and help them feel more comfortable in their new surroundings and with their new family. Here is a fabulous list from a variety of my favorite websites.

Cherrio Kisses: Place a Cherrio between your lips and allow the baby or toddler to kiss you and take it from your lips. For older children this can be done with graham crackers, Teddy Grahams, Nilla Wafers, etc. This works on eye contact, sharing, and allows physical contact on a limited basis.

Mirror Image: Sit in front of a mirror and make funny faces at the mirror. Try to mimic the ones he/she does.

Bubbles: Blow bubbles (outside) in close proximity and pop them. Work on the letter B for Bubble and P for PPPPOp.

Peek-a-boo with hands, blanket, hood of jacket, from behind a door

This little piggy went to market with fingers or toes. AJ loved the Itzy Bitzy Spider because it went up and down his leg.

Lullaby singing. Cradle your child so that eye contact is maintained while you gently rock child and sing. Be sure to put child’s name and descriptions of the child’s features into the song whenever possible.

Blow raspberries on child’s arm, leg, belly, cheek. This is also a favorite because it involves wrestling and tickling.

“Pop” cheeks. Fill your mouth with air and gently guide your child’s hands to your cheeks to pop out the air and make a sound. Then do the same to the child.

Singing and rhyming couple with movement. Bouncing, dancing, rocking, moving arms or legs, fingers, etc. Simon Says games, although these can be quite hard for a child who does not know English or how to follow directions. I tried this with AJ several times when he was younger and he did not understand the cause and effect, follow the directions that the games required.