6 How Animals “Talk” to Each Other

How Animals “Talk” to Each Other

Age group: 1st grade – 5th grade

Keywords: Communication, Language, Animals, Behavior

Materials needed: Playing cards

This 45-60 minute activity allows children to learn about the diverse and fascinating ways that animals communicate with each other. Children will have the opportunity to create their own nonverbal language.

Before you start the activity, here’s some fun background information for your kids!

Humans may communicate, or talk to each other, with language and specific words, but we also use body language, or movements with the body, to help communicate. Different animals also use their body to talk! In the case of the Blue-footed booby, a special bird, the males have a special dance in order to attract a female. The first show their feet and then spread their wings really big! Here’s a quick video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hgE6GwnzQMU 

Animals also can communicate with special smells that come out of their body. These can be signals to warn of danger or smells for familiarity. Dogs mark their territory by going to the bathroom on things like trees or fire hydrants. This tells other dogs that another dog has already been here.

Similar to humans, dolphins talk with clicking sounds and whistles while each dolphin has its own unique pitch. The different pitches help dolphins understand who is talking! Here’s a quick video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JODHKHzr85U

Animals communicate for many reasons. They may tell each other where to find food. Communication also lets animals find each other. Finally, animals may communicate to let their friends know that there is danger nearby – like an animal that wants to eat them!

Now that you and your children have read about some ways that animals communicate with each other, your children have the opportunity to create their own form of communication!

1. From a standard deck of playing cards, take out the two of clubs, the three of clubs, the two of hearts, and the three of hearts.
2. Tell your child to come up with one “word” that corresponds to clubs and one “word” that corresponds to hearts. For now, they will keep the meaning of their words a secret from you.
   1. Encourage your child to be creative! Their “words” can be any form of expression EXCEPT for verbal communication. If your child is struggling to come up with words, encourage them to use any of the following:
      1. A dance move
      2. A hand signal
      3. A musical note
      4. A series of tongue clicks
3. Once your child has developed one word for clubs and one word for hearts, encourage them to think of a word for two and a word for three.
   1. Note: The “language” used for numbers may be a different form of expression than the “language” for colors. For example, if your child wants to do dance moves for colors and tongue clicks for numbers, that is wonderful!
4. Now it is time to play a game!
   1. Layout the four playing cards between you and your child.
   2. Have your child recite their “words” for a suit (clubs or hearts) and a number (two or three). Together, these two words correspond to one of the four playing cards.
   3. Point to the playing card that you think is correct. You will have to guess at first.
   4. If you are correct, then your child will nod her head up and down. If you are incorrect, she will shake her head from side to side. Remember, there is no speaking in English in this game!
   5. As you perform more rounds, you should crack the code on your child’s language. She has developed her own form of communication!
   6. If you want to make this game more complex, you can add more cards. You can also encourage your child to switch which piece of information is presented first (the suit or the number).

A short video tutorial:

https://youtu.be/M0U8oCpuHYE

Some additional information for the parents:

This fun activity is designed to teach your children different methods of animal communication. From dancing to singing, we have it all!

Throughout the game, remember to remind your children about the importance of animal communication. Humans are not the only ones with a system of language, animals use them too for similar purposes. Introducing your children to different methods of animal communication can help enhance their knowledge of evolution and how languages themselves evolve, as they will be forced to modify their communication if their message is not translated well.

With this basis and knowledge of animal communication, they can expand into other complex topics such as natural selection and survival of the fittest, however, we are starting with the basics!

If your child experiences any trouble during the game, feel free to help them out! Rather than telling them what signals to do, encourage them to be creative. If they have trouble getting their message across, ask them to do it slower or in a different way. We even encourage you guys to participate in the game by becoming the messenger as well, so your child can get a sense of what to do and have fun while they figure out your language!

Have fun and enjoy!