Topic “Activities”  

• Any lesson
• Laminated cards - each big enough to fit a word on
• Dry- or wet-wipe marker

1. Identify the key words used in a lesson - the words that are used often. These could be the names of repeated actions such as "roll", "count", (knock) "over"; or names of items such as "flour", "butter", "sugar". You could do this before the lesson, or during the lesson as you go along.
2. Write one word on each laminated card.
3. For actions: around the time when the action is done (by anyone), show the child(ren) the corresponding word  and label it.
4. For objects: have the word next to the item (e.g.next to some flour in front of a child). When you get the flour, or do something with the flour, point to the card and say the word: do this as part of your natural talking e.g. "You're mixing the flour" or "Let's get some flour" (point to the words in bold).

- click on this link to direct you to sound specific games.

- Calm Cards - please click here to print

1. Print out the calm card resource.

2. Find a time when your child or young person is regulated and calm. Discuss that we can do different things when we are feeling strong emotions. You could give examples of emotions and how you feel in different situations.

3. Talk about finding ways to help feel better when you feel strong emotions. Look through the cards and try some of them out.

4. Talk to your child or young person about what they feel might hep them - you do not have to stick with what is on the cards, you could make some of your own cards.

5. You could make a key ring with some cards on for your child/young person to keep.

6. Encourage your child or young person to try some of the cards they have identified when they are starting to feel strong feelings.

- adjective symbol boards - click here to print

- a variety of objects or pictures - click below for a selection of pictures:

     - clothes

     - animals

     - food

     - transport

     - toys

- a bag

1. Print out the adjective symbol boards.
2. Explain to your child/student that you are going to take turns to put and object/picture in the bag and give clues to the other person to guess what it is. Explain you are ging to practice using lots of different words to describe the item.
3. You go first to model how to carry out the activity. Choose and object/picture to put in the bag.
4. Give a description of the item - model using the symbol boards to find words you could use to describe the item.
5. Encourage the child to guess and then swap roles.

- A selection of photographs or pictures of objects - you could cut them out from a newspaper, magazine or catalogue.

- Paper

- Glue

- Optional - adjective symbol charts - click here to print.

- Things that go together cards - click here to print.

1. Print and cut out the things that go together cards.
2. Split the cards into two piles, making sure one of each pair is in a different pile. 
3. Lay one pile of cards on the table in front of you.
4. Explain to your child that you will take turns at choosing a card and then searching for the item that goes togeher with it.
5. You may need to model a turn.
6. When you turn the card over, name the item.
7. When you find the item that goes with it, name that item too and explain why they go togeher, e.g. 'fork and knife - you use them both to eat your dinner.
8. Continue until all the pairs have matched up.

- Dice game template - click here to print

- Dice

- Counters or stickers

1. Print out the template.

2. Explain to your child that you are going to take turns at rolling the dice and then saying a word which rhymes with the chosen picture.

3. Roll the dice - the number will indicate the first picture in the game. 

4. Think of a word that rhymes with this picture. Once you have done this, place a counter or a sticker on the word. 

4. Keep playing until one line is completely full.

5. If your child is finding it challenging to think of word, you could given them a choice, e.g. 'does car or hat rhyme with cat?' You could also use an alphabet chart and choose different sounds to see if they make a rhyming word.

- Find It! rhyming game - click here to print

- hot/cold sorting game - click here to print

1. Choose a selection of picture cards to sort - print and cut these out along with the hot/cold symbols.

2. Explain to your child that you are going to sort the pictures into whether the item is hot/cold.

3. Take turns at choosing a picture and sorting it on to hte correct symbol. Name the picture as you sort, e.g. 'ice cube is cold'.

4. You could use a turn taking game alongside sorting to make the activity fun.

- hot/cold clothing sorting game - click here to print

- Washing machine template - click here to print. You could stick the template onto a cardboard box and cut out a slot to post the clothing cards in to.

- Clothing picture cards - click here to print.

- Print and cut out the washing machine template and clothing cards.

- Lay out the clothes cards in front of you. Explain to your child that you need to put the washing in the machine and that they can help.

- Give instructions containing 3 key words (size+colour+clothing item), e.g. wash the big red hat, wash the small green socks.

- After a few turns, encourage your child to give you an instruction. 

- Location picture cards - click here to print

- Alien picture cards - click here to print

- Pirate 3 key word activity - click here to print

- A box

- Big/little animal picture cards - click here to print.

1. Print and cut out the big/little animal picture cards.

2. Explain to you child that you are going to ask them to place the animals in different places.

3. Lay out a selection of big and little animals in front of your child - make sure you have the big and little version of each animal.

4. Give instructions containing a preposition, e.g. put the big sheep under the box, put the little cow next to the box.

Prepostion words you could use: in, on, under, being, in front, next to.

- A room with different furniture or items such as baskets/boxes where you can hide objects.

- Objects/toys (e.g. ball, car, doll etc)

- 2 different soft toys, e.g dolly/teddy

- 2 plates

- baskets

- Play food items

1. Put teddy and dolly in front of your child.

2. Give teddy a plate and a basket, then give dolly a plate and a basket

3. Lay a selection of play food out for your child to see.

4. Give instructions to your child, e.g. "put the banana on teddy's plate", or "put the bread in dolly's basket".

5. After a few turns, see if your child is able to give you an instruction.

- a soft toy

- big/little food pictures - click here to print

1. Print and cut out the big/little food pictures.

2. Ask your child to choose a favourite toy and explain you are going to feed them.

3. Explain you have big food and little food. Lay out a small selection of food - make sure you have both the big and little version of the same food.

4. Give your child instructions, e.g. give teddy the big carrot, give teddy the little eggs.

5. After a few turns, encourage your child to give you an instruction to follow. 

- 2 different soft toys

- Actions cards - click here to print

1. Print and cut out the action cards - you could draw some actions if you do not have access to a printer. 

2. Show your child the actions and say the word - practice making both soft toys carry out the actions.

3. When you are sure your child understands the different action words, start to give your child instructions, e.g. make teddy fly, make dolly sleep.

4. After a few turns see if your child can give you an instruction. 

- 2 boxes or baskets

- a selection of objects

- Optional big/little symbols - click here to print

1. Print and cut out the big/little symbols if you wish to use them. 
2. Talk to your child about big/little objects and show them the symbols.
3. Explain you are going to have a hunt and find obejcts that are big/little and sort them into boxes.
4. Look around the area you are in - for the first few goes, you choose an object you can see and tell your child whether it is big/little and place it in approriate box.
5. After a few turns, encourage your child to choose an object and and talk about whether it is big/little, and place it in the correct box.

- Picture cards to sort - click on links below to print:

- big/little animals

- big little food

- big/little transport

- Big/little picture symbols - click here to print

- printable picture cards - click here

1. Print and cut out 2 copies of the picture cards.
2. Lay them face down in front of you.
3. Explain to your child that a boy is called a 'he', a girl is called a 'she' but when there is more than one person we use the word 'they'.
4. Take turns at choosing two cards to see if you have a matching pair. Name the picture according to whether it shows 'he', 'she' or 'they'.
5. When you find a matching pair, you have an extra turn.
6. The winner is the person with the most pairs at the end of the game. 

- Male female sorting symbols and pictures - click here to print

- You could also use photographs of family members, pictures from magazines/newspapers.

1. Collect together a variety of pictures showing different male and female people.
2. Cut out the sorting symbols - choose which ones you are going to start with. Some children find it easier to start with one concept at a time, e.g. boy/not boy rather than boy/girl, and adding the opposite concept once confident with the ones that have been worked on. Choose the words you are going to use with your child and stick with the same words for all the activites, e.g. boy/girl, male/female.
3. Place your pictures in a pile. Take turns at choosing a picture and sorting it into the correct pile. 
4. If your child sorts the picture into the wrong pile, talk it through with them and model placing the picture on the correct pile.
5. Play a turn taking game alongside sorting to make the activity fun.

- he/she plus action picture cards - click here to print

1. Print and cut out the he/she pictures. Choose one each of an action, e.g. don't have both the boy and girl running.

2. Spread the pictures out in front of you. You may like to play a turn taking game alongside using the pictures.

3. Ask the child a question, e.g. "who is cooking?"

4. The child points to the correct picture and says, for example, "he is" or "he is cooking".

5. You can sort the pictures into a pile of he/she.

A male doll

A female doll

A selection of different objects e.g. cup, ball.

- he/she plus action picture cards - click here to print

- he/she plus action picture cards - click here to print

- He/she lotto game boards - click here to print.