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Topic “Maths”  

Finding items/objects from subcategories

Activity/strategy name and materials required How to do the activity Key principles for doing the activity and comments
Subcategory Dice

- Printable subcategory dice templates

:Animals

:Food

:Household Items

 

- Printable subcategory cards

:Animals

:Food

:Household Items

 
  1. Choose which subcategory you would like to focus on. Cut out and make up the dice. Cut out the matching subcategory cards.
  2. Spread the subcategory cards on the surface in front of you and your child.
  3. Explain to your child that you are going to take turns at rolling the dice, which ever side the dice lands on, you need to find a picture that fits into that category.
  4. Name the item that you have found. If you child is finding it challenging to name items try using some of the strategies to support word finding - click here (add link)
  5. Remember some items might fit in 2 or more subcategories dependent on the child's personal experience. You could use this as a discussion point.

If your child is finding this task challenging, you can help by searching for an item together. It may also be useful to visit activities working on sorting items into categories - click here.

 

If your child is able to do this activity, when they select a card, you could ask them to think of another item that belongs to that subcategory but is not in the picture cards.

Activities to develop finding items from different categories

Activity/strategy name and materials required How to do the activity Key principles for doing the activity and comments
Category Dice

- category dice template - click here

- printable category cards (click on each category):

     - clothes

     - animals

     - body parts

     - food

     - transport

     - toys

 

 
  1. Cut out and make up the category dice. Cut out the category cards.
  2. Spread the category cards on the surface in front of you and your child.
  3. Explain to your child that you are going to take turns at rolling the dice, which ever side the dice lands on, you need to find a picture that fits into that category.
  4. Name the item that you have found. If you child is finding it challenging to name items try using some of the strategies to support word finding - click here (add link)
  5. Remember some items might fit in 2 or more subcategories dependent on the child's personal experience. You could use this as a discussion point.

If your child is finding this task challenging, you can help by searching for an item together. It may also be useful to visit activities working on sorting items into categories - click here.

 

If your child is able to do this activity, when they select a card, you could ask them to think of another item that belongs to that category but is not in the picture cards.

 

Develop language skills through cookery

Activity/strategy name and materials required How to do the activity Key principles for doing the activity and comments
Deciding on the ingredients

Pen;

Paper;

Optional - picture symbols for food items you need;

An idea for what you are going to make.

If using, you can make picture symbol cards using the Commtap Symboliser for PowerPoint.
  1. Say to the children what you are going to make - e.g. pizza. Ask them to say what you would need to make a pizza;
  2. Write their ideas down, and discuss them - to support those who may have difficulties reading the words, do a rough sketch of each ingredient, or use picture symbols;
  3. Decide which ones you need to go to the shop for, and use these to make a shopping list.

See comments for variations on doing this.

Making it easier:

Have a set of pictures of ingredients which are appropriate for what you are making, and some other ingredients. Get the children to choose the appropriate ingredients.

Even easier:

Have a set of pictures for the ingredients, and some further pictures which aren't food (e.g. pictures of furniture, clothes). Help the child to choose those which are food items.

Harder:

Get the children to draw and/or write down the ingredients themselves.
Buying ingredients
  • Shopping list that you made in the "buying the ingredients" activity;
  • Money;
  • Bag.

You can make a shopping list with symbols using the Commtap Symboliser for PowerPoint.

On subsequent occasions, you can pretend that you have a really bad memory, and you need the children to help you to remember what to take. If they don't remember everything, you can look a bit confused, and say something like "I'm sure we need to take something else...".

You could also use ideas based on the comments in "Deciding on the ingredients".
Making the item
  • Ingredients;
  • Cooking implements;
  • Aprons;
  • Paper/pencils or pictures for each step of the cooking process (e.g. - get out the pizza base; spread on the pasta sauce; put on the toppings; put in the oven; take out of oven; eat it).

If the children are familiar with cooking this item, but they sequenced the pictures for doing the activity incorrectly at the beginning, you don't necessarily have to correct them straight away - you can correct it at the point when it becomes a problem - e.g. if you get to the putting the pizza in the oven bit before you've put the sauce and toppings on (look very confused!).

Sketches for the sequence - these do not need to be accurate at all - they will be useful for this activity no matter what level of drawing ability you have. The children can also help with this.

You can incorporate a number of maths concepts into the activities, for example: "full", "empty", "more", "less", "hot", "cold".

Safety. Clearly you will need to manage any dangerous aspects of the cooking process as appropriate for the children you are working with (e.g. use of knives, the cooker).

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