Talking Spoon Quiz Show

A family quiz in which knowing the answer is not enough — you have to raise your hand, wait to be picked, and hold the talking spoon before you speak.

  1. Set up a “quiz show”: the host (adult) holds a wooden spoon as the microphone; contestants sit facing the host.
  2. Explain the two rules: hand up, mouth closed when you know the answer, and only the person holding the spoon may talk.
  3. Ask easy questions the child is bursting to answer: “What sound does a cow make?” “What colour is a banana?”
  4. Wait 2–3 seconds after hands go up, then pass the spoon to one contestant to answer.
  5. If someone shouts out, simply say “I can’t hear answers without the spoon” and ask a new question — no telling off.
  6. After 8–10 questions, the child becomes the host and you play a contestant who sometimes forgets and blurts out.

Variation: add a “thinking time” rule — everyone silently counts to three on their fingers before any hand may go up.

Requirements

  • Space: A sofa or a few chairs facing the host
  • Surface: Not applicable — a seated game
  • Materials: A wooden spoon or toy microphone; optional picture cards for questions
  • Participants: 1 adult + 1 child minimum; best with 2–4 contestants (soft toys can fill the seats)
  • Supervision: Full — the adult hosts first

Rationale & Objective

Blurting out a known answer is one of the strongest verbal impulses a 5-year-old has, and “raises hand instead of shouting out” is one of the first self-control demands of school. This game isolates that single skill and makes the waiting visible. The spoon works as an external mediator in the sense used by Tools of the Mind: a concrete object that reminds the child whose turn it is to talk, in the same way that curriculum hands a “lips” card to the speaker and an “ear” card to the listener during buddy reading (Bodrova & Leong, 2007; Diamond et al., 2007). Raising a hand gives the impulse somewhere to go — a replacement action is far easier for young children than simply “don’t.” Diamond (2013) counts resisting the urge to blurt out as an everyday example of inhibitory control, and Head Start’s ELOF expects children nearing kindergarten to control impulses with growing independence.

Progress Indicators

  • Early: shouts answers out before the question is finished; grabs for the spoon; needs a reminder almost every question
  • Developing: raises a hand but calls the answer at the same time, or whispers it loudly; waits when reminded by a look or a finger on the lips
  • Proficient: raises a hand silently and waits to be handed the spoon on most questions; stays quiet while someone else answers
  • Advanced: waits through thinking time even when sure of the answer; copes with not being picked; as host, notices and gently reminds blurters

Safety Notes

  • Emotional caution: not being picked is hard — make sure every contestant gets regular turns, and with one child let the soft toys “answer” wrongly so the child can help
  • Keep questions easy; the challenge is the waiting, not the knowledge, and hard questions turn it into a test
  • Never shame blurting — it is the normal starting point at this age; calmly restate the rule and move on
  • Frequent calling out alone is typical for five; if it comes with marked difficulty waiting, stopping, and staying safe across most settings, discuss it with the pediatrician or teacher

Hints

  • Playfulness: use a game-show voice, a theme tune, and applause. Give contestants funny names and let soft toys take seats
  • Sustain interest: change the quiz theme — animals, family facts, a favourite book, “guess the sound” — or let the child write the questions with drawings
  • Common mistake: always choosing the child the instant their hand goes up, so no waiting is practised. Pause for a few seconds and sometimes pick someone else first
  • No equipment: any object can be the talking piece — a pebble, a sock, a toy; in the car, use “thumbs up and wait for your name”
  • Cross-domain: questions can rehearse counting, letter sounds, or story recall (numeracy, literacy); listening to others’ answers builds conversational turn-taking (social skills)
  • Progression: one child with a quick pick → a short wait before being picked → more contestants → silent thinking time → child hosts → carry the hand-up habit into mealtime conversation

Sources

  • Bodrova & Leong (2007). Tools of the Mind — The Vygotskian Approach to Early Childhood Education (2nd ed.)
  • Diamond, Barnett, Thomas & Munro (2007). Preschool program improves cognitive control. Science, 318(5855)
  • Diamond, A. (2013). Executive Functions. Annual Review of Psychology, 64, 135–168
  • Head Start ELOF — Approaches to Learning, Cognitive Self-Regulation (control of impulses)
  • NAEYC — Developmentally Appropriate Practice (supporting self-regulation in group conversation)