# When can children learn to wink? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [November 28, 2004, 1:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-can-children-learn-to-wink/276940 "2004-11-28T01:58:29Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 9\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![lee](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lee/32/7455_2.png) [@lee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lee)\ **Post date:** [November 28, 2004, 1:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-can-children-learn-to-wink/276940/1 "2004-11-28T01:58:29Z")
My daughter tries, but all she does so far is blink. ---
**Author:** ![clairobscur](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/839c29/32.png) [@clairobscur](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/clairobscur)\ **Post date:** [November 28, 2004, 2:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-can-children-learn-to-wink/276940/2 "2004-11-28T02:01:22Z")
I’m unable to wink with the left eye, and with the right one, it’s a very forced wink. So, maybe she’ll never learn. ---
**Author:** ![clairobscur](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/839c29/32.png) [@clairobscur](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/clairobscur)\ **Post date:** [November 28, 2004, 2:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-can-children-learn-to-wink/276940/3 "2004-11-28T02:02:33Z")
Actually, it’s the contrary. I can’t wink with the _right_ eye. Not that it makes a difference. ---
**Author:** ![Scruloose](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e68b1a/32.png) [@Scruloose](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Scruloose)\ **Post date:** [November 28, 2004, 2:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-can-children-learn-to-wink/276940/4 "2004-11-28T02:15:23Z")
My 4 year old son has been able wink for about a year now. I’d guess he finally got only one eye to close when he was between 32-40 months old. ---
**Author:** ![TellMeI\_mNotCrazy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tellmei_mnotcrazy/32/3419_2.png) [@TellMeI\_mNotCrazy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TellMeI_mNotCrazy)\ **Post date:** [November 28, 2004, 2:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-can-children-learn-to-wink/276940/5 "2004-11-28T02:49:37Z")
I think winking is like learning to whistle or learning to snap. Some kids will pick it up right away, some will take years to figure it out, and some will never get the hang of it, ever. I still can’t whistle, and my snaps leave a lot to be desired. But at least I can wink (and I was probably about 8 or 9 when I finally figured that out, if memory serves. Before then, I was winking only by scrunching my cheek up, instead of an actual wink.) ---
**Author:** ![Jonathan\_Chance](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jonathan_chance/32/701_2.png) [@Jonathan\_Chance](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jonathan_Chance)\ **Post date:** [November 28, 2004, 2:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-can-children-learn-to-wink/276940/6 "2004-11-28T02:54:06Z")
I taught my oldest daughter somewhere between 18 months and 2 years. She was interested in it early by took months to get the technique down. How old is your daughter, lee? ---
**Author:** ![lee](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lee/32/7455_2.png) [@lee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lee)\ **Post date:** [November 28, 2004, 3:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-can-children-learn-to-wink/276940/7 "2004-11-28T03:53:44Z")
Loren will be 19 months December 1. How did you teach her? I learned to whistle when I was 26 years old. I was asking, “Who is Mrs. Pyr. . . . .\*?” and whistled on the who. I later was able to reproduce what had happened and repeat it! \*It was one of those Polish names that are not easy for English speakers to say immediately and even more difficult to spell. I was mercifully interrupted before I could butcher my supervisor’s name too badly. I only knew her as Priscilla. ---
**Author:** ![Voluble](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/4af34b/32.png) [@Voluble](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Voluble)\ **Post date:** [November 28, 2004, 4:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-can-children-learn-to-wink/276940/8 "2004-11-28T04:15:56Z")
My daughter is twenty months old and I have just started to show her how to wink. She still scrunches up her entire face. Some things she gets quickly, like counting to three, others take longer, like saying “A” in her ABC’s. It will be different for every child. BTW she has been able to make popcorn in the microwave and play her own DVD’s for several months now. She seems to have a good understanding of how things are supposed to respond when you push certain sequences of buttons. Another thing I am curious about is how long it will be before she can make a “V” with her first two fingers like you do when indicating two of something. I remember this being particularly hard for me to learn since the fingers don’t want to operate independently without a good bit of practice. Thanks for the excuse to brag about my kid! 😉🙂😃 ---
**Author:** ![Jonathan\_Chance](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jonathan_chance/32/701_2.png) [@Jonathan\_Chance](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jonathan_Chance)\ **Post date:** [November 28, 2004, 1:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-can-children-learn-to-wink/276940/9 "2004-11-28T13:51:05Z")
I just taught her by winking at her and then encouraging her to try it. There was a LOT of blinking before she figured out how to do just one. But she did eventually get it.