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Topic “30-50m”
30 to 50 months developmental range.
Sequences three pictures showing a practical activity
| Activity/strategy name and materials required | How to do the activity | Key principles for doing the activity and comments |
|---|---|---|
| Practical sequences Camera to make the picture sequences (or alternatively you can draw them or use a commercial resource). Resources as appropriate to carry out a simple sequence Examples of sequences (with suggested steps to make pictures for): Putting on a jumper (get jumper, put head through, put arms through); Drinking a drink (jug and cup, pour water into the cup, drink it) Peeling and eating a piece of fruit (fruit, peel fruit, eat it) Going to the door and lining up Sitting down and eating dinner Drawing a picture (pencil and paper, child drawing, finished picture) Bubbles (unscrew lid, remove wand, blow bubbles) Looking at a book (get it, open it, look at it) | 1. Carry out the activity without the pictures; 2. Do it again, showing the relevant picture for each part of the activity as you do it; 3. Get the child to do the sequence, tell them what to do by showing them a picture for each part of the sequence; 4. Get them to show you what to do by giving you a picture for each part of the sequence. Try to do exactly as the picture you are given indicates, for example if they give you a picture of someone blowing bubbles without having given you the step for opening the bubbles container, try to blow the bubbles anyway (and act being disappointed when you don't get any bubbles). | At this level children may often be able to learn particular sequences of pictures without understanding that they relate to a sequence of actions, these activities are designed to address this issue. Seeing how the sequence goes wrong if the wrong picture is chosen (in step 4) will encourage the child to work out which should have been the right picture without you needing to give any further feedback. |
Improve pencil control and use a tripod grip
| Activity/strategy name and materials required | How to do the activity | Key principles for doing the activity and comments |
|---|---|---|
| Developing pencil control Graffiti Wall Large piece of paper Crayon or chalk | Stick a large piece of paper onto an open wall. Allow the child (or works well as a group activity as children will imitate each other) to go up to the wall and freely scribble onto the paper. | A vertical surface to draw on will build the child's arm and shoulder strength. |
| Rubbing Wax crayon Coins Letter stencils | ||
| Hand tracing Paper short piece of crayon or chalk | ||
| Colouring with a short crayon Simple pictures to colour in Short pieces of chalk or crayon | It is important that a short piece of chalk or crayon is used because it requires the child to use the fingertips correctly. |
Use two adjectives plus a noun
| Activity/strategy name and materials required | How to do the activity | Key principles for doing the activity and comments |
|---|---|---|
| Describe it Coloured pictures of a range of objects (in two or more colours e.g. red and green) with a big and a small version in each colour (e.g. big green fork, small green fork, big red fork, small red fork). To make the pictures, you can: draw your own, use clip art, photocopy line drawings on to different coloured sheets of paper, or use a product such as "Flash-Pro" (see www.aba-materials.com) | 1. Have a set of 4 pictures (e.g. big green fork, small green fork, big red fork, small red fork). Spread them out on the table in front of the child. 2. Ask the child to select the one you name. 3. When s/he can do this introduce another object so you have 8 pictures (e.g. big green fork, small green fork, big red fork, small red fork, big green cup, small green cup, big red cup, small red cup). 4. Swap roles so the child has a chance to give you instructions. | Make up lots of sets of 4 pictures. Note with the sets of four pictures, the children don't need to use the noun (e.g. "fork") to identify a particular picture. With two sets of four, they need to use both adjectives and a noun to identify a particular picture: look confused/guess wrongly if the child doesn't give you enough information. To make this more fun, you can make this into a game. Take it in turns to hide a piece of paper (with a smiley face on it say) under a card, whilst everyone else has their eyes closed. The other children then have to guess where the paper is hidden by speaking (no pointing!) With eight pictures they will need to use both adjectives and the noun to identify a picture - otherwise it may be necessary to prompt for more information (or just guess - preferably wrongly!* - the exact card they intended). *If you guess wrong, it gives the child more incentive to try and add more information. |
| Sorting Different coloured sheets of paper, according to the colours you choose. Pictures as above | If the child finds this too hard, use pictures of only one size and practice sorting by colour only first. If the child says the colour, but not the size of the object, give the same colour big and small versions one after the other. | |
| Drawing activity Paper, Coloured pens/pencils |
Use three keyword phrases to retell a simple story
| Activity/strategy name and materials required | How to do the activity | Key principles for doing the activity and comments |
|---|---|---|
| Retelling a story with miniature figures (Individual work or small group work) Small world figures or animals IDEAS FOR SIMPLE STORIES. (1) Use a Mum and a child figure: 'Come on 'Child's name' - its time to go to the park. Look I see the swings. I am swinging on the swings it is fun. Weeeee etc. Come on 'Child's name ' its time to go home now. (2) Use a Mum and a child figure: Come on 'child' name'. Lets go to the shops. We are going to buy new shoes. I like these shoes - I can run fast in these new shoes. Thanks Mum. (3) Use two child figures: Hello 'name of friend' lets go to the playground. Weee I am jumping...Look I am running....I am going to catch you. Oh dear. It is dark . We must go home now. (4) Use a Mum and a child figure: Time for school. Hurry up 'child's name', hurry we will be late. Coat on, hat on, hold my hand . Lets walk to school. Look there is the school. Bye bye 'child's name ' Bye bye Mum. (5) Use a Mum and a child figure: Its dinner time 'child's name'. Come and sit down. Look here is a beef burger. Here are some chips. Yum yum this is good. I like burger and chips. Mmmm I like burger and chips too. | Use miniature figures. Have one in each hand. Make walking or running or jumping movements with the figures as appropriate to tell the story. Make each figure do some very simple talking. Say the words as if the figure was really doing the talking. Don't use 'Mum said...' Just move Mum a bit and say the words as if the toy was able to talk! Don't say, 'The dog goes woof woof' just jump the dog up and down and say woof woof. Use the present tense. You 'do' the story once, then ask the most able child to do the story then the next most able child etc. Accept any attempt to retell the story. If the child needs help, tell the story a little bit for them then wait for the child to finish the story.. Give lots of praise for telling a story - in what ever way. . | Make the stories very short, very simple. Use lots of repetition. Use stories about things the child will have had some experience of. |
Activities to develop sentences containing a subject + verb + object
| Activity/strategy name and materials required | How to do the activity | Key principles for doing the activity and comments |
|---|---|---|
| Tea party - Soft toys - Play food and kitchen items - Optional camera | 1. Start by playing with the cutlery and play food. Eat some food yourself and say 'I'm eating banana/ apple/ bread' etc. 2. Let the child play with the food. As he/she eats say 'Sally's eating a banana/ an apple/ some bread' etc. 3. You take photos of the child, you, or the soft toys eating/drinking different items. 4. Print the photo and put it in a book. Show the child the book. Can he/she respond when you ask 'What's happening?' You may need to model the answer for the child for example 'Teddy's eating an apple/ banana/ bread' etc. | Keep language repetitive - emphasize structure It is OK to have silence between repeats of the phrases. If the child makes a sentence and puts the words in the wrong order try to model the correct sentence in a conversational way rather than correcting them (e.g. if they say, 'Teddy apple eat' you say 'Oh, Teddy's eating an apple!'). You are working on the child getting the words in the right order here, don't worry if they miss out endings (like "ing") or small words (like "a"). So the child saying "Teddy eat apple" is fine for this activity. The child may need to hear correct versions of the sentences many times before they are able to use them themselves. Using signs with the key words (e.g. Teddy, apple, eat) can also help the child to develop this skill. |
| Posting | If the child makes a sentence and puts the words in the wrong order try to model the correct sentence in a conversational way rather than correcting them (e.g. if they say, 'She hair brush' you say 'Oh, she's brushing her hair!'). You are working on the child getting the words in the right order here, don't worry if they miss out endings (like "ing") or small words (like "a"). So the child saying "She brush hair" is fine for this activity. The child may need to hear correct versions of the sentences many times before they are able to use them themselves. Using signs with the key words (e.g. she, brush, hair) can also help the child to develop this skill. | |
| Dice Game |
Use picture and verbal information to answer questions
| Activity/strategy name and materials required | How to do the activity | Key principles for doing the activity and comments |
|---|---|---|
| Everyday situation with a picture and a story A picture of an everyday event, or social setting e.g. crossing the road, or going to the cinema. A story to go with the picture (no more than 5 or 6 sentences). Or See the resource sheets in 'Language for Thinking' (LfT) by Parsons and Branagan (Published by Speechmark). If using this publication, use Module 1 and level A questions. This programme has questions for a range of ability levels. | 1. Choose a scenario picture. 2. Show the children the picture and read the story to them. 3. Focus on questions where the child looks for the answer in the picture and just uses a little background knowledge. E.g. 'Find one that is....', 'When did...', 'What does this do?' 'What else is an X? etc. | If a child gives a short answer, prompt them to expand it. If the child finds these questions easy, use some questions that require more working out and understanding of the context e.g. 'What will happen next?' 'How else could he do it? ("LfT level B" questions if you are using this publication). |
To be able to name items from different categories
| Activity/strategy name and materials required | How to do the activity | Key principles for doing the activity and comments |
|---|---|---|
| Think of a... Game - category dice - click here to print or - category cards - click here to print - if you do not have a printer you could make your own. - normal dice (optional) | 1. Print and cut out the catgeory cards and/or dice. You can make your own if you do not have access to a printer. 2. Explain to your child you are going to play a game where you think of items from different categories, e.g. 'animals' - you might say 'cat'. 3. Choose either the category dice or cards to play with. 4. Roll the dice or choose a card. The person has to name an item from that category. If the same category comes up later in the game, you need to think of a different item. You may want to keep a list of the items that have been named as a reminder.
| To make the game harder, when you roll the category dice, or choose the category card, roll a normal dice to give you a number of item to name from that partiucalar category. |
| How many can I think of? - Pen and paper | Count up the number of suggestions the child has made. Next time you do the activity, the child can try to beat their score. |
Three key word expression
| Activity/strategy name and materials required | How to do the activity | Key principles for doing the activity and comments |
|---|---|---|
| Shopping games: Everyday objects, bag. | The child is asked to go and 'buy' two and then three items. He/she must name or sign each item he wants. Use pictures or symbols as a 'shopping list'. | |
| Posting Two boxes, one with a picture of a monkey, another with a picture of cat. Cut a posting hole where the mouths are. Play food. | Introduce the monkey and cat saying they are very hungry. Give instructions to the children such as 'Give Monkey the apple', 'Give the cat the banana and the ice cream'. Comment on what happened, for example 'Monkey ate the apple'. Give the child a go at saying what you should do. | Encourage the child to give up to three key words by simply looking puzzled if you haven't got enough information. You could also ask questions such as 'Who shall I feed the apple to?', 'What shall I give the monkey?' if he doesn't give enough information. |
| Picnic Tea-set, play food, doll, teddy. | ||
| Animals and actions At least two toy animals or dolls, for example a doll, a teddy, a rabbit. Prompt cards for actions the animals can do if needed. You can make symbol prompt cards using the Commtap Symboliser for PowerPoint. | If the child doesn't use all three key words, you can try saying what the animal is doing but getting a bit wrong (so they can correct you), for example, if they say "rabbit's jumping", you can say "oh...rabbit's jumping on the banana?" (there is no banana). The child may correct you, e.g. "rabbit's jumping on the table!" - though they might say "no, table!" - which conversationally is equally OK. They are more likely to use more words if you get more of it wrong, e.g. "oh, Teddy's sleeping on the banana!" To make this easier you could ask for example "Is rabbit jumping on the banana" or "Is the teddy sitting in the house" (here you've changed all the words for your alternative choice, but you could try having less differences in the choice and see what happens. If the child just accepts your incorrect statement, you can pretend to pause and think for a while, and then say "Oh, rabbit's jumping on the table!" (Getting it correct this time). IMPORTANT: you should try and use as many different verbal support strategies as you can in order to help the child say the target sentence. In general, you should try and avoid getting the child to simply repeat what you say as this will be much less effective for helping them to learn how to create the target sentence for themselves. | |
| Cafe Dolls/ teddies, tea set, play dough in two colours, cutters. | When the child is the waiter if they don't select the right cookie repeat the key information that has been missed. When the child is ordering look puzzled if they don't give you enough information. When the child can do this easily try asking for big, blue square cookies etc. | |
| Stories using miniatures Play people, bricks, etc. as required Can be done 1:1 or in a small group Suggestions for stories: 1. dad, mum, baby, bike, bricks: dad: bye bye baby, bye, bye mum, etc., gets on bike, drives into bricks, falls off; 2. helicopter rescue: helicopter comes and rescues those on an island; 3. dog eats picnic when others aren't looking; 4. fire!: children spot a fire in a building - make a story about what they do next; 5. swim across crocodile infested river. | Give minimal prompts to help the child keep the story going. See also activities English Reading and English Writing P8 for picture sequencing activities. | |
| News Paper and pen/pencil for adult. | ||
| Big/little (or small) food Big and small pictures of food items (for example from board maker, clipart, etc or enlarge/decrease pictures on the photocopier) 2 posting boxes, each with a picture of an animal on the front - you could use the animal's mouth for the slot; or 2 hand puppets with opening mouths | Check to see whether the child uses the word "little" or "small", then use the same word. Don't have too many different foods available at once, as that will be confusing. You can put more pictures out as the foods are 'eaten'. |
Three key word expression with adjectives
| Activity/strategy name and materials required | How to do the activity | Key principles for doing the activity and comments |
|---|---|---|
| Develop use of adjectives in 3 word phrases: wet/dry Symbols for the above adjectives Pens, spoons, bricks and a bowl of water You can find symbols for adjectives in the Commtap Symboliser. | 1.Start by using objects. Collect a group of things which can get wet safely e.g. pens, spoons, lego bricks and put some in a bowl of water and some on the table near by. 2. Use the symbols for wet/dry and categorise the objects according to whether they are wet or dry. 3. Make a mistake sometimes and see if the child can catch you out! 4.Point out things in the child's everyday environment which are wet and dry 5.Can you give the child choices e.g 'Do you want a wet or a dry plate at dinner?' | The child needs to learn by experiencing real things which are wet and noisy etc. Move on to using pictures of the adjectives when the child is familiar with real life situations Teach adjectives in their pairs by pointing out the contrast between one and the other. Extend understanding by generalising the target words into the child's everyday environment. |
| Develop use of adjectives in 3 word phrases: More/less Soft toys Pretend food Cups of juice Cups and a jug of water Pasta/beans Blue-tak and pictures Play-dough and pots | ||
| Develop use of adjectives in 3 word phrases: Quiet/noisy Drum and shakers and bells Symbols Picture books You can find symbols for adjectives in the Commtap Symboliser. | ||
| Develop use of adjectives in 3 word phrases: Wet/dry, More/less, Quiet/noisy Miniature figures for role play |
Use and understand regular plurals
| Activity/strategy name and materials required | How to do the activity | Key principles for doing the activity and comments |
|---|---|---|
| Understanding of plurals Use not more than 6 items of things that have regular plural forms, for example, key(s), cup(s), ball(s), sock(s) | 1. Put groups of each of the objects on one table, and single items of each on another table. 2. Point to each item or group of items, and name each, saying, for example, 'Here are the keys,' 3. Get the child to respond by indicating (eye/finger/head pointing or gesture) when you ask 'Where are the cups?' 4. Praise him when he does this correctly. 5. Then move on to the next item, e.g. 'Where is the Key? ' | Ensure that you use the full sentence when asking the child to respond, even though you are only wanting the child to respond to the actual noun plural / singular. |
| Pen and paper game Sheet showing a mixture of single items and groups of the same items (if laminated, this can be reused) Pen or pencil (use a whiteboard pen if your sheet is laminated) | ||
| To use singular and plural regular nouns correctly Follow on from the previous activity where the child is indicating his understanding of which objects are plural / singular. Not more than 6 different objects, as above The things should be laid out as for the comprehension exercise above. | Don't worry about whether the child uses a full sentence: the focus is on getting the word with the correct plural ending. |
Make phrases in past tense
| Activity/strategy name and materials required | How to do the activity | Key principles for doing the activity and comments |
|---|---|---|
| What have you done today? Paper, pens or pencil (for adult only) | 1. Go round each person in the group including the adults asking them for two things they have already done that day; 2. For each person write their name on the sheet and a key word for each activity they have done along with a very rough picture to help the children remember what each person did; 3. Each person then takes it in turns to recall what one other person has done today - using the pictures to help them to remember. | If a child does not use a correct past tense, for example "Terry do writing", just feed back the correct way of saying it in a conversational way, for example "oh, Terry did some writing?". |
| Picture sequencing activities See target sheet "sequences three or more pictures" Note - the activities shown there are at a slightly higher level than this one - so only use them if appropriate for the children you are working with. | Correct mistakes in the past tense in the same way as above. | |
| Action description Set of cards with simple present tense verb pictures on (e.g. "jumping", "writing"). | As above. |
Make phrases in past tense using irregular verbs 2
| Activity/strategy name and materials required | How to do the activity | Key principles for doing the activity and comments |
|---|---|---|
| Picture sequencing activities See target sheet "sequences three or more pictures" Note, the activities there are at a slightly higher level than this one - so only use them if appropriate for the children you are working with. Focus on actions which uses a selection of the verbs from "common irregular past tense verbs" on www.commtap.org - or verbs which the child is having difficulties with. | Ask the child to recall parts of the sequence they have been working with. | If a child does not use a correct past tense, for example "Terry do writing", just feed back the correct way of saying it in a conversational way, for example "oh, Terry wrote something?". |
| Action description Set of cards with simple present tense verb pictures on (e.g. "cutting", "writing"): try to include some verbs that you know the child needs to work on. See: "common irregular past tense verbs" on www.commtap.org for a list of irregular past tense verbs. | If a child does not use a correct past tense, for example "Terry do writing", just feed back the correct way of saying it in a conversational way, for example "oh, Terry wrote something?". | |
| Reading books Reading book | ||
| Reading verbs This activity is for children who can read. Set of cards with the present tense on one side (e.g. run) and the past tense on the other side (ran). Symbol software (such as the Commtap Symboliser) which illustrates the verb and adds an extra qualifier for the past is very useful. See: "common irregular past tense verbs" on www.commtap.org for a list of irregular past tense verbs. | ||
| Write sentences This activity is for children who can write.
Pictures (to be stuck in a book) which show actions using verbs you want to work on: for example from Flash-pro CD, clip art, Google or Yahoo images See this list of common irregular past tense verbs on www.commtap.org. Book Glue Pen/pencil |
Make phrases in past tense using irregular verbs 1
| Activity/strategy name and materials required | How to do the activity | Key principles for doing the activity and comments |
|---|---|---|
| What have you done today with visual timetable Paper, pens or pencil (for adult only), photos of events that have happened during the day (optional) See this list of common irregular past tense verbs for some examples. (http:en.commtap.org/content/common-irregular-past-tense-verbs) | 1. Make a visual timetable by writing or drawing each past day's activities on a board/sheet so that the child can see what happened. It can bring the past tense more alive if you use photos of activities that did actually happen on the previous day or earlier in the current day. 2. Ask 'What did you do here?' as you point to a picture/photo. The child may say 'Rided my bike.' You can confirm with 'Yes, you rode your bike.' Add emphasis to the correct form of the verb. You can invite the child to say rode. | It is very common for young children to acquire a few irregular past tenses for very common verbs (e.g. went). Then they seem to pick up the -ed rule and suddenly the went becomes wented. This will normally sort itself out. You will also hear goed. However, many verbs with irregular past tense forms don't emerge and some concerted practice is needed. Don't correct all day long - the child will often be quite sure he said it right! Until you have done the practice in the special activities, you can use the correct form yourself in confirmation e.g. the child says 'I eated all my cabbage' and you can say 'You ate all of it? That's fantastic.' |
| Lotto Lotto boards with pictures of activities the children have done recently - say four or six pictures per board. One board per child. Matching set of picture cards. If the boards are in black and white and the picture cards are in colour, this makes the game more rewarding. | You can vary how you play this game - this is one way you can do it. For the first game, you can be the caller, for subsequent games a child can have a go. 1. The caller takes a card. Ask the child to complete this sentence at each turn (using the verb in their picture): 'Yesterday, I ...' (For example: 'Yesterday I rode my bike.'). You could use a question, such as "What did you do yesterday?", "What did Max do yesterday?" 2. The child who's got it says they have got it, and they get the card; 3. Continue until all the boards are covered up. | The child may say 'Rided my bike.' You can confirm with 'Yes, you rode your bike.' Add emphasis to the correct form of the verb. You can invite the child to say rode - be sensitive if you do this, and don't repeatedly ask the child to say this. |
| Pairs Two matching sets of pictures of activities the children have done recently - say 20 cards in all. | You might need to prompt with a question, such as "What did you do yesterday?", "What did Max do this morning?". The child may say, for example, 'Rided my bike.' You can confirm with 'Yes, you rode your bike.' Add emphasis to the correct form of the verb. You can invite the child to say rode - be sensitive if you do this, and don't repeatedly ask the child to say this. | |
| Simon Says See this list of common irregular past tense verbs for some examples. (http:en.commtap.org/content/common-irregular-past-tense-verbs) | The child may say, for example, 'falled' You can confirm with 'Yes, you fell.' Add emphasis to the correct form of the verb. You can invite the child to say fell - be sensitive if you do this, and don't repeatedly ask the child to say this. | |
| What have you done today? Paper, pens or pencil (for adult only) See this list of common irregular past tense verbs for some examples. (http:en.commtap.org/content/common-irregular-past-tense-verbs) | If a child does not use a correct past tense, for example "Terry do writing", just feed back the correct way of saying it in a conversational way, for example "oh, Terry wrote something?". For this activity, when it is your turn, try to use an example with an irregular past tense verb (see below) particularly one which you know the child is having difficulty with. However do NOT force the child to think of something they have done which involves an irregular verb - accept, and conversationally correct whatever they say. You can do step 1 with one child as well as in a group. | |
| Retell a sequence Props to support a sequence of actions you will perform (optional) See this list of common irregular past tense verbs for some examples. (http:en.commtap.org/content/common-irregular-past-tense-verbs) | To make this activity a bit easier, you could make a memory jogger with action pictures lined up. The child may say, for example, 'you buyed milk' You can confirm with 'Yes, I bought some milk.' Add emphasis to the correct form of the verb. You can invite the child to say bought - be sensitive if you do this, and don't repeatedly ask the child to say the word. |
Contribute information appropriately in one to one or in small groups
| Activity/strategy name and materials required | How to do the activity | Key principles for doing the activity and comments |
|---|---|---|
| Dice Games A selection of pictures of different items, stuck on card A large dice | Play in a small group of children. Each child takes a turn to pick a card. S/he rolls the dice, and then tells the group as many points about his/her picture as the number on the dice. (e.g. if s/he has a picture of a train and rolls a 3, s/he tells the group 3 things about a train) | Choose items of interest to the children. Instead of talking about a picture, the children can talk about themselves, or each other, or things they did yesterday. |
| 'Who am I?' game Strips of paper/card to make headbands Sticky tape Blutac Pictures of clothes, animals and toys / furniture stuck on card | You may need to help the children think about the questions they ask, so that they don't just guess at what they are. E.g. have a photocopied sheet of all the pictures, put into their groups - clothes, animals and toys. Prompt the children to ask first e.g. 'am I an animal?' If you want to make it harder, you can put a limit on the number of questions each child can ask. |
Stories from pictures
| Activity/strategy name and materials required | How to do the activity | Key principles for doing the activity and comments |
|---|---|---|
| Sequence pictures and comment on them Commercially available sequencing pictures Photo-copied pictures from a favourite book Photos from an outing |
| You may need to model this skill for children ie talking about what is in the picture. Encourage children to give the information about their pictures to others who are not already 'in the know'! This is motivating and can make more sense to some children. |
| Child's own drawings |
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