Topic “30-50m”  

Selection of highly motivating toys

Squeeze ball/sponge

1. Sit the children in a circle and take toys out of a bag. The child is allowed first choice of toys on the first occasion that toys are taken out of the bag but on subsequent occasions will have to wait. A squeeze ball or sponge may help a child to wait by giving the child something to fiddle with while they wait.

2. While the child is waiting for a go with a desirable toy praise good waiting.

3. Gradually extend the time the child must wait.

'First......then' card - example

Desk equipment e.g. glue, scissors, rulers.

A short 'story' specially written to explain the behaviour that is wanted in the situation.

Marble run

Waiting cards (as required)

1. Set up the track and pass the marbles round the children. When everyone has had one go say 'Who's turn next?' You want the children to name the next child in the circle and to pass the marbles with as little prompting as possible. Some children may need handover hand modelling to pass the marbles.

2. The target child may need to hold a waiting card to support waiting for their turn.

A bag with a selection of appealing toys inside.

A variety of stickers or a variety of small pieces of fruit

Explain that each child will choose a sticker/piece of fruit to give to another person in the group.

Give each child an opportunity to do this

- Sorting by location picture cards - click here to print

1. Print and cut out the resource.

2. Choose how many categories your child is going to sort - it may be best to start with 2 or 3, before making it harder by adding extra categories.

3. Shuffle the items to be sorted. Each take a turn at choosing an item, naming it and placing in the correct location.

4. If your child is finding challenging to name items, use some of the strategies in the word finding information sheet linked above.  

- Paper

- Glue

- A selection of pictures from your chosen category.

- Animal pictures or toys

- Toy furniture: table, chair, bed.

1. Place the furniture in front of the child.

2. Ask the child to tell you what to do with an animal of their choosing if they are able to use three word phrases. If they can only use two word phrases, select the toy for them and ask them to tell you where to put it.

e.g. under table / on bed (two word level);

cat under table / sheep on bed (three word level)

Cup,

box,

pencil,

ruler

(you could substitute different objects if you prefer)

prompt cards showing the required positions of the items (optional)

1. Tell the child that you are going to put the pencil behind the cup - put the objects in the right places.

2. Next tell them that you are going to put the pencil behind the box.

3. Put the pencil and ruler in different places, describing what you are doing.

Repeat a number of times as necessary putting different objects behind other objects.

4. Then explain it's the child's turn to put the object in the right place. Say "put the pencil behind the box". If the child gets it right, say, "well done, the pencil is behind the box". If s/he gets it wrong, show them where the pencil goes.

5. Carry on giving the child instructions.

6. Let the child have a turn to give the instructions so s/he practices use the words. If the child finds it difficult to think of what to say, make a set of prompt cards.

Materials as above

Miniature people (such as Playmobil) or Teddy, Doll

Places for the miniature people to hide, for example toy furniture, bricks, toy car, book etc.

Several paired pictures showing the same person, animal or object behind and in front of an object (e.g. a cat behind a bin and a cat in front of a bin; a person behind a chair and a person in front of a chair, etc.)

Pencil and paper or white board and pen

3 soft toys

plastic tea set

plastic food

two bowls and fruit to cut into fruit salad

Have a tea party.

Hand out the food. Point out which ones have more. Ask the child to give some food to one of the toys so that it has more.

Make fruit salad. In two bowls. Cut up fruit for the 2 bowls and ask "More banana here? Can the child tell you what to put in each bowl using more?

See-through plastic cups

Materials to put in them, for example:

water

beans

sand

pegs

bricks

pens

Symbol for 'more'

If you don't already have a symbol for "more" you can find one in the Commtap Symboliser.

Materials, for example:

water

beans

sand

pegs

bricks

pens

Symbol for 'more'

2 different coloured sheets

If you don't already have a symbol for "more" you can find one in the Commtap Symboliser.

Biscuits

Something to sprinkle on to them

Drawings of houses and stick man families

Draw pictures of houses with windows and say 'Look...this house has 10 windows...it is larger/bigger.

Draw stick man families and say 'Look...5 children here - this family is larger.'

Dirty dishes

Sink/bowl

Water/detergent

Play dough, dried beans

Plastic shapes

Soft toys

Beakers

Use squares, circles, rectangles etc and play hiding games under soft toys or beakers. As the child or you 'find ' the item label it, for example: 'Look...a circle.'

Plastic shapes

Post box

Bag (optional)

Dotted pictures of shapes

Pencil, colouring pencils or crayons

A post box (optional)

Play dough, plasticene or similar.

"under"

3 common containers e.g. cup, box and hat

Small toy e.g. car/ball

Teddy

Encourage the child to close their eyes and hide the toy 'under' one container

While the child is trying to find the toy model the word 'under'. "Is it under the hat", "Is it under the box"

When the child finds the toy encourage them to say where it is.

Swap roles the child now has a turn to hide the toy. Using a teddy or another child, pretend teddy is closing his eyes/or ask other child to close eyes and ask the child "Where shall we hide it?" The child then has to say where.

Class room furniture

PE furniture

Playground furniture

Play games in a small group sitting on the chair and sitting under the table, crawling on a mat or carpet and crawling under a table or chair. Comment on what the child is doing e.g. 'Look......you are on the mat' or 'Look........you are under the table'

Can the child give instructions about who must go under or on a piece of furniture?

This activity is much more fun in a PE setting or a playground if you can arrange it.

Small plastic animals or Playmobil people.

Boxes and containers to hide the small toys.

Preposition symbols

Playground equipment

Furniture, boxes, hoops etc.

If you don't have any, you can get preposition symbols - such as "on", "in", "under", "over" - using the Commtap Symboliser.

1. Introduce one preposition concept at a time.

2. Get your child to do an action by saying "Stand on the bench" and then show them what you mean by standing on the bench, showing them the 'on' symbol and then encouraging them to copy you.

3. What other things can they stand on?

4. Once they are familiar with the first preposition, then introduce the next one.

5. Remember to show your child what to do when you introduce a new concept, as well as supporting it using visual clues.

Various objects such as table, chair, bench, hoop, etc.

Masking tape

Preposition symbols

You can get preposition symbols - such as "on", "in", "under" - using the Commtap Symboliser.

Toy animals/puppets

Real or miniature furniture

Masking tape

Preposition symbols

You can get preposition symbols - such as "on", "in", "under" - using the Commtap Symboliser.

Table, chair, box, teddy, doll.

Preposition symbols.

You can get preposition symbols - such as "on", "in", "under" - using the Commtap Symboliser.

3 soft toys

Plastic tea set

Plastic food

Two bowls and fruit to cut into fruit salad

Have a tea party.

Hand out the food. Point out which ones have less. Ask the child to take away a piece of plastic food from one of the toys so that it has one less - say that it has got "one less".

Make fruit salad. Use two bowls. Cut up fruit for the two bowls and ask 'One less banana here? 'Can the child tell you what to take out of each bowl using 'one less'.

Number line

"Counts to 3" activities sheet on www.commtap.org.

Materials as described on this sheet.

Use materials and activities described in this activities sheet.

Extend the activities to go up to the number 5.

Larger home-made die with the following on the sides:

1. 1, 2 and 3 spots (each number of spots will appear on two sides), or, alternatively:
2. like a conventional die with 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 and 6 spots on the sides.

Simple board games (probably best to be home made so they can be simple and adapted to meet your needs e.g. reinforce the colours being taught etc).

1. Take it in turn to roll a die.

2. Count the spots on the side that faces up.

3. Repeat the number a few times - 'ok, you go 3. Number 3; let's count 3 places...'

4. Move the counter forward 3 places, counting each square.

5. Roll again etc.

Action Cards - clapping, jumping, nodding, stand up;

Simple die (as above).

Books/pencils/cups etc to class mates.

Pile of items the teacher wants handed round to the class

Give the child a pile of books to hand out.

Does the child notice if there is one too many or one too few? Set it up so that there is one too many/few and comment. Say 'Look......too many/too few books/pens' etc.

Form boards

Paper with parking slots drawn on e.g.:

Various cars

Real party with small food items and a group of children.

Cups with straws

Pretend party with dolls and teddies and a tea set.

Building simple models