Topic “Early Years (0-5yrs)”  

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

Number action rhymes sheet

Follow the instructions on the number action rhymes sheet.

Large laminated cards with the number 1 and one black square and the number 2 and 2 black squares etc (large number cards - Word document);

Sets of objects e.g. pens, cars, bricks;

Tidy up bag/box.

1. Put out the number cards with 1, 2, 3 on them, and match objects to the numbers;
2. Count the objects onto the cards, count the objects off the cards and into a box or bag;
3. Make towers of 1, 2, 3, bricks counting as you go. Give the instruction 'Knock down 3 bricks' etc.

Marble run or garage and car run or magnetic fishing game;

1, 2, 3, cards.

1. Turn the number cards face down and take turns to select one. If the card says '2' that person has 2 cars/marbles/items to fish for, or 2 cars to push down the slope etc.;
2. As the cars/marbles fished items are used count them out.

Colouring pens;

Paper.

Colouring pens;

Paper.

Soft toys.

Lego

Pencils and coloured pencils

Plastic cups

Symbol to represent 'one' and 'lots'

You can obtain symbols through the Commtap Symboliser.

Collect lego pieces that are all the same size and colour - add one lego piece that is different.

Sort the lego into bowls and use the symbols of 'one' and 'lots' to label the bowls. Ask the child to give you 'one' or 'lots' and give as much help as needed to ensure success. Reward the child for completing the activity even if you have given lots of help.

Do the same sorting activity with lots of pencils adding one coloured pencil

Do the same with plastic cups adding one that is different

Symbols for 'one' and 'lots' on plates.

Snack items

You can obtain symbols through the Commtap Symboliser.

Garage with a car ramp and a number of cars

Marble run game with lots of marbles

Bag of toys with lots of toys in and bag with only one toy in.

Soft toys and pictures of food.

Computer printouts or hand made drawings of groups of lots of teddies/boxes/flowers etc and single teddy/box/flower.

Symbols of 'one' and 'lots'

You can obtain symbols through the Commtap Symboliser.

Lego bricks

Make a tower of 3 bricks and another identical one of 2 bricks. Hand the child the third brick needed for the smaller tower and help the child complete the tower.

Say 'Look...the same' and point to the 2 towers.

Compare the towers and count the bricks.

Increase the height of the towers and the number of the bricks the child has to add to make the towers the same. Make your tower and then say 'Look......make the same'.

Give lots of praise for making a tower the same.

Pegs and a peg board

Make a peg pattern e.g. red peg, blue peg, red peg.

Start the pattern off for the child. Say 'Look.........Make the same'. You may need to hand the child the pegs to complete the pattern to start with.

When the child makes the same pattern praise and say 'Look.......the same'

Allow the child to complete more and more of a pattern that you have made as they become familiar with the activity.

Praise for completion.

Care bears

Counters

Colours and paper.

Large laminated numbers 1/2/3 on card

Small laminated numbers 1/2/3 on card

Pieces of food/crisps/biscuits (or other motivating items)

Marbles and marble run game

Cars and garage ramp

A number of quickly drawn speckled frogs

Blue-tack

1. Sing 2 Green Speckled Frogs. Use lots of animation

2. Stick one/two green speckled frog pictures on your finger/s to illustrate the song

3. Can the child copy your actions with speckled frogs on his/her finger/s

4. If the child does not want frogs on her/his fingers stick them to the desk in front of the child and point to or touch the frogs right number of frogs as you sing

5. Do this activity with a friend who will be a good role model for the child.

Miniature figures of people or animals

Fruit pieces

Two quick drawings of hands

Small stickers

Recording of the song;

(for example on youtube)

Water spray;

Picture of a log and a pond with Velcro attached to the log and three bits of Velcro in the pond;

Three Velcro frogs

1. Give the child one frog at a time to place on the log.

2. You count the frogs.

3. Start playing the recording and do the actions to the rhyme.

4. Let the child move the frogs from the log into the pond at the correct part of the song and reward with a spray from the water spray.

Recording of the song; Visual prompt card (grid 2x3 on A4 with prompts for clap, stamp, nod, say "Ha ha" and do all 4).

1. Play the recording and/or sing the song.

2. Encourage the child to do the actions with a physical prompt, verbal prompt, in imitation or spontaneously as necessary.

Chair;

Large thick cardboard covered in glittery paper;

Water spray;

Talcum powder.

Optional: symbols for more/finished.

You can find symbols in the Commtap Symboliser for PowerPoint.

Objects to represent number rhymes

Pictures for familiar rhymes

Laminated picture of a flying saucer and five men. Attach Velcro to the flying saucer and each of the five men.

• Small pieces of desired food
• Small pieces of less desired food

1. Find a quiet place to work and sit opposite the child.
2. Get the child's attention by calling their name or stroking a cheek or clapping your hands.
3. Present pairs of food items the child must choose from (one desired and one less desired item).
4. Put them on a small tray and place the items as far apart as possible.
5. At first give choices between favoured and hated food items e.g. crisps and raw onion!
6. Draw the child's attention to both the options. You may need to take the child's hand and reach their hand in the direction of the options. Say "Look ... ... crisps ... ... onion. Choose".

Small pieces of 2 different desired foods.

• One desired toy
• One undesired toy.

Two desired toys

Access to areas for role-play e.g. a pretend cafe area, a pretend train or station.

Scrap paper for writing tickets or menus.

(1) In a train /station area can the child write for tickets e.g. '2 tickets please' or ' tickets to London'. The message can be posted or given to the station manager/train driver. The child may need a model to copy the phrase at first or you can write half the phrase for the child and allow the child to finish the writing on their own.

(2) In a pretend caf can the child order a meal e.g. write 'burger and chips please' and give this message to the 'waiter'.

(3) 2 children can work together - one child orders food and the other child is the waiter and writes the order down. You may need to provide models for the writing child to copy e.g. a number of food items written on a pretend menu. The child ordering can then copy his/her choice and hand it over.

(4) Children can be encouraged to make their own menus maybe using a picture of food items with the food name written by the child underneath. The 'customer' child can then point and ask for food items.

Letter tiles or letter cards, clear simple pictures

1. Stick the chosen picture into a book.

2. Draw short lines under the picture to stand for the letters of the picture.

3. Help the child select letter tiles or alphabet cards to put on the lines. Can you do some of the letters and the child finishes off the last letter?

4. Can the child copy the letter tiles to write about the picture?

5. As the child becomes familiar with the activity make 2 word descriptions of pictures etc

Photos of child engaged in clear actions e.g. going into dinner, playing outside, reading a book

1. Look at a photo with the child and encourage the child to talk about it. Write down 3 or 4 words about the photo using words the child is very familiar with.

2. Print out child's descriptive words in large type on computer.

3. Cut the printed words up. Can the child sequence the words to match the photo and stick the words under the photo.

4. Encourage the child to draw a picture of the photo and to copy the matching descriptive print.

5. Select a photo and encourage the child to talk about it. You start the writing to describe the photo e.g the first word. Can the child finish off the writing? It may help to draw dots for the child to write over to begin with.

Photo copies of some favourite pictures

Photo copies of the pictures' matching print

A black and white picture to colour.

Colouring pens

Letter tiles and alphabet cards

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.

1. Show the child a story with the miniatures;

2. Get child to redo the story using the miniatures;

3. With the child make simple drawings for each key part of the story (the drawings do not need to be works of art);

4. Cut the pictures up and get the child to put them back in the right order;

5. Check if the story still works if you follow the sequence of pictures.

The stories can also be physically acted out.

For example:

1. getting materials required for an activity;

2. lining up;

3. making a drawing;

4. a simple game you play;

5. going to assembly;

6. turning on and listening to a tape recorder/CD/MP3 player;

7. Switching on a computer and doing something on it;

8. opening a pot of bubbles and blowing them;

9. making a sandwich;

10. (a little more complex): playground games such as 'had', 'hide and seek', 'football'

Materials as required.

1. Do the activity;

2. With the child make simple drawings for each key part of the activity (the drawings do not need to be works of art);

3. Cut the pictures up and get the child to put them back in the right order;

4. Try to follow the sequence of pictures to see if it works.

Familiar book

Photocopied pictures

Published sequencing cards (e.g. LDA cards)

Or worksheets with 3-4 picture sequences (Black Sheep have some ready made ones)

Photos of the child doing an everyday activity (i.e. a sequence of them)

Packet of counters

Board with six square boxes - in a horizontal grid

Lists of short phrases and sentences

e.g. from 'Sound Linkage' (P. Hatcher, available from www.amazon.co.uk ) p.21

help me (2)

she shouted (2)

I can't get down (4)

1. Place the counters and board on the table.

2. Ask the child to tell you a word (any word at all) then together add more examples of single words

3. Tell the child that you will now say two or more words in a row, which they will have to repeat and count the number of words.

4. Ask child to repeat what you say. They push a counter into a box as they say each word.

Model this as much as necessary - and give as much help as needed to begin with.

A suitable text

Optional - 'Magic finger' puppet or a small stick or ruler

Flat ice-lolly sticks - painted ice-lolly sticks (can be bought in supermarkets) - using a stick ensures that the spaces between the words are even.

Or:

If a child has smaller writing try using a smaller tool than an ice-lolly stick to place between words.