Learning with Mr. or Mrs. Potato Head

By: Kathryn Jackson, M.S., CCC-SLP

As a therapist, seeing toys for more than what they appear comes with the territory. One of my favorite childhood toys that is readily available for parents to get for their child is Mr. or Mrs. Potato Head.

With this toy, I’ve found over 50 ways to use it to help a child reach developmental milestones through play.

Here are my favorites.

Body Part Identification

Learning body parts is a developmental milestone most children begin to learn at a young age and continue throughout their schooling.

You can:

• Label body parts as children put them on Mr. or Mrs. Potato Head

• Label each Mr. or Mrs. Potato Head Head body part, and then point to them on yourself and your child

• Ask children what each body part is by holding up two pieces and allowing them to choose with one to pick and answer

Hold up two pieces

Name both options, asking your child “do you want ___ or ___?” (example: “do you want mouth or nose?")

• When your child reaches for a piece, name it once more before giving it to them

• This helps associate the name of the body part to the object itself.

More/All done

Ask children if they want “more” pieces:

• Give the kid one or two pieces and hold the rest 

• “Do you want more” (you can also use American Sign Language for “more” when asking, and encourage them to sign or say “more!”)

• At the end of the activity, narrate and/or use American Sign Language “all done!”, encouraging your child to, too! 

Colors/Numbers

• Provide choices the same way as above but include colors! 

  • Example: “Do you want red shoes or blue shoes?

• Label colors as children are putting pieces on to Mr. or Mrs. Potato Head

• Count and discuss how many pieces you have on/off Mr. or Mrs. Potato Head, or how many of each piece there are!

  • Example: “He has two ears” 

Direction Following

• Ask your child to put specific pieces on

• One step directions: “Put the shoes on”

• Multi-step directions:

  • Two steps: “Put the shoes and eyes on”.

  • Two-step sequential: “Put the shoes on, (before/after) you put the eyes on”.

  • Multi-step: “First, put the shoes on, then the eyes, and the mouth last”.

  • Use colors in directions: “Put the blue shoes on” or “Put the blue shoes on, then the black eyes, and the red mouth last”.

Pretend Play

• Make multiple Mr. or Mrs. Potato Heads and use them to “talk” to each other

• Use miscellaneous Mr. or Mrs. Potato Head accessories (purse, fire extinguisher, guitar) and pretend play/discuss what each Mr. or Mrs. Potato Head is doing

• Play peek-a-boo with Mr. or Mrs. Potato Head

• Say “hi” and “bye” to Mr. or Mrs. Potato Head

• Play hide and seek with Mr. or Mrs. Potato Head

These ideas are not limited to a Mr. & Mrs. Potato head, you can use these ideas and methods on any toy with a body (Barbie, G.I. Joe, PJ Masks, etc.)!