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Topic “Early Years (0-5yrs)”
Early Years (0 to 5 years)
Dictates captions for pictures
| Activity/strategy name and materials required | How to do the activity | Key principles for doing the activity and comments |
|---|---|---|
| Photos from home or from school life | 1. Look at the picture. Talk about what is happening. Ask some easy to answer questions. 2. Stick the picture in a book to take home and say 'Tell me what to write and you can show Mum'. | You are aiming for more than a one-word answer. Prompt the child to say more by modelling a 2 or 3 word phrase and then asking the question again. Wait and give the child time to respond. Praise all efforts. |
| Pictures cut from a catalogue or paper | ||
| Child's own drawings |
Be aware that writing can convey meaning
| Activity/strategy name and materials required | How to do the activity | Key principles for doing the activity and comments |
|---|---|---|
| Writing a list to go shopping and pretending to use money Stories that involve going shopping, e.g. The Shopping Basket by John Burningham. Real food/plastic food/pictures of food. A clear label for each piece of food. Notebooks and pencils. Pretend toy till and money if easily available but not essential (optional). Hats/dressing up clothes and bags for shopping (optional). | 1. Read stories about children who are going shopping. 2. Explain that when we put the hats/dressing up clothes on we will be pretending to be getting ready to go shopping/be the shop keeper. 3. Model what you want the child/children to do. Put a hat or other dressing up clothes on. Ask the child/children to help you to choose 2 of the foods you are going to buy from the shop. 4. Tell the children you are going to write a shopping list to help you to remember. As you write the objects down, say the name of the item then exaggerate the sounds within the words e.g. r-i-ce, ch-ee-se. 5. Show the children your list and read it back to them. 6. Choose a child to be the shopkeeper. Go to the shop and 'buy' your 2 things. Pretend you have forgotten what to buy so you need to read your list to remind you. 7. Take off your hat/dressing up clothes. The child/children dress up and write down at least 2 of the things they want to buy from the shop in their notebook. They can copy from the labels. 8. Child/children go to the 'shop' and 'read' what they want from their notebook to the shopkeeper and then 'buy' it using plastic or pretend money. | This could be at the beginning of the session or you could make sure that you have read stories on the days preceding the session so the children are familiar with the idea of shopping lists. The activity is designed for pupils who may have missed early play/writing experiences and may work better in a group. You will need to be comfortable with the room you are working in. It could be a classroom or a group room, depending on the circumstances. Don't worry if the words you are writing are too 'difficult' for them to write at this stage. The important thing is for the children to have a go. This activity links reading and writing activities for the children. You can use toy or pretend money and just 'exchange' the coins for the shopping or you could involve some basic maths (each item costing 1p or 2p) depending on the ability of the pupil or group. Encourage the child/children to say the word and write down any sounds they hear in it. Don't worry about correcting their spelling at this stage. Make the activity fun. Next time you do this activity you can ask them to choose something that is not labelled and have a go at writing it. See 'Writing simple sentences using key words' (below). |
| Write simple sentences using the key words 'I' and 'like' 2 white cards with the words 'I' and 'like' written on them and 1 piece of card with 'I like' written on it. Whiteboard or individual books made with 2 sheets of A4 paper folded in half. Pencils Scissors/glue Pictures of food that can be cut up e.g. from magazines. It would help the child if you had made a little book in advance to show. | This activity could be used in a 1-1 or in a small group setting. Encourage them to take care as they will be reading these books to others when they are finished. Emphasise using finger spaces between words if necessary. Some children may have underdeveloped motor skills and may need adapted scissors or assistance in cutting. Use prewritten labels for words and encourage the children to say the whole word and listen for the sounds in it when writing. This project could take one or several sessions to complete depending on the needs of the group. It could be followed up with another book, e.g. about animals or games. See also Clicker for sentence construction activities. |
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. |
Names pictures
| Activity/strategy name and materials required | How to do the activity | Key principles for doing the activity and comments |
|---|---|---|
| Making a book of special things Catalogue pictures of toys or favourite food Glue | Cut pictures from catalogues that you know interest the child, stick one picture onto a page and spend some time looking and talking about the picture e.g. say 'What's that?' Use the child's words to write a label under the picture. Make up a small book of favourite things which can be shared with a teacher or a parent. Can the child take this to an adult and show them with comments on the pictures? | Try not to worry about getting messy or the final results of this 'art work' not being perfect! The object is to get the child to name the picture with one or two words. Try to make the child feel proud of their work so that they are more likely to talk about it spontaneously - even if it is only using one word. Follow the child interests to get an enthusiastic response! |
| Photos of everyday school life Photos of everyday school life Glue | ||
| Home made pictures Home made pictures Glue | ||
| Make a collage Stickers any glitter/cotton wool etc | ||
| Paintings Paints Glue |
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. |
attempts to copy own name
| Activity/strategy name and materials required | How to do the activity | Key principles for doing the activity and comments |
|---|---|---|
| Arranging letters of name in order Pencils and paper Magnetic letters or letter shapes. | Help the child copy round the letters of their name. Play a game matching the letter shapes to the drawn letter shapes of the child's name. Reward and praise all attempts. Can the child arrange the letters of their name without copying a written template? Set out most of the letters of the child's name so that to start with they have only to complete the last 2 letters - then the last 3 letters etc. | Make these activities as snappy and rewarding as possible by using lots of praise and maybe giving a small reward e.g. sticker for good attempts. |
| Colouring-in hand drawn letters of the child's name Overwriting the name | ||
| Writing the child's name on the computer in large letters | ||
| Overwriting the child's name using a dotted template |
writes on a screen
| Activity/strategy name and materials required | How to do the activity | Key principles for doing the activity and comments |
|---|---|---|
| Writing on a computer screen Computer Symbol for computer Mouse Attractive programme like 'dazzle' for paint effects. You can make a symbol card using the Commtap Symboliser for PowerPoint. | 1. Show the child a symbol of the computer and lead the child to the computer holding the symbol for the child to see. 2. Model clicking on the mouse to make a change to the computer screen. 3. Comment on the change. E.g., 'Look... its gone red.' 4. Gradually give the child less and less help to click with the mouse. 5. Print out some of the screens that the child has made by using the mouse. 6. Comment on the print outs using one or two words e.g. 'Look......... green'. 7. Help the child take this print out to another adult for comment and praise. 8. Make a scrapbook of the printouts. Write the child's name under the print out. | Gradually fade out any help and allow the child to complete more and more of the task till they are doing all the task themselves. Give lots of praise or offer a reward bag for a task completed. |
Use prepositions in short sentences
| Activity/strategy name and materials required | How to do the activity | Key principles for doing the activity and comments |
|---|---|---|
| In Pictures of a fridge, washing machine, cupboard, suitcase Pictures of food, clothes. | Take it in turns to instruct each other to put e.g. 'socks in the washing machine', 'put the pasta in the cupboard' | When the children are confident with this, move on to use two prepositions, e.g. 'in' and 'on'. |
| On A clothesline - either a picture or a real line and pegs Pictures of clothes A TV guide Outline of a pizza base Pictures of pizza toppings. Or - draw a base and draw the toppings onto it. | 1. Take it in turns to instruct each other to put clothes on the line, e.g. 'Put the jumper on the clothesline.' 2. Go through the TV guide and find favourite shows. Say what you are watching on TV'. e.g. 'I'm watching cartoons on TV 3. Put toppings on the pizza base e.g. 'I'm putting chicken on my pizza'. | When the children are confident with this, move on to use two prepositions, e.g. 'in' and 'on'. |
| To Action pictures Place pictures | When the children are confident with this, move on to use two prepositions, e.g. 'in' and 'to'. | |
| Under Pictures of furniture and objects | You can use real objects for this. When the children are confident with this, move on to use two prepositions, e.g. 'on' and 'under'. | |
| Behind, Next To, In Front Pictures of people Outline of a bus / train / classroom Pictures of different vehicles | ||
| All Together An interesting object to use as 'treasure' |
Use and understand growing vocabulary
| Activity/strategy name and materials required | How to do the activity | Key principles for doing the activity and comments |
|---|---|---|
| Shopping games everyday objects, shopping bag, table | One pupil sits at the 'shop'. Another is asked to go and buy an object. | A picture card can be used to help the pupil remember what they are going to shop for. |
| Posting games pictures of everyday objects, post box | Take a picture of an object, say or sign what it is, and post it | Give the pupil time to name the object. Help them by giving a prompt (e.g. a forced alternative, the first sound. or the word or sign to repeat) |
| Fishing game pictures with paper clips attached, magnetic fishing rods, 'pond' e.g. a flat box | Give the pupil time to name the object. Help them by giving a prompt (e.g. a forced alternative, the first sound. or the word or sign to repeat) | |
| 'Hide the fish' Eight picture cards, small piece of paper with a fish drawn on it | ||
| Guess the mime Picture cards or objects | ||
| Story books and pictures |
Talk about a recent event
| Activity/strategy name and materials required | How to do the activity | Key principles for doing the activity and comments | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| News Report Prompt sheet with a series of boxes in order, e.g. | 1. Ask the child to tell you about something they have done, e.g. making a snowman. 2. Encourage them to tell you what they did first, next, next, at the end, using the prompt sheet. | You can use the prompt sheet by pointing to the boxes in order as you go through the event. You or the child could add drawings or pictures into the boxes. | |||||
| Timeline A timeline drawn on paper or a string | Start with what the child has done in the morning or the day. You can move on to longer periods of time. You can do this by using pictures off a visual timetable. | ||||||
| What's in the Bag? Bag Objects to do with a familiar routine, e.g. getting up |
Four word phrases
| Activity/strategy name and materials required | How to do the activity | Key principles for doing the activity and comments |
|---|---|---|
| Act out a simple story with miniature people Use an event retell sheet with columns for 'who', 'what', 'when', 'where'. Simple everyday stories, for example: 'Going to the shops to buy new red shoes, nearly not finding red shoes, happiness at finding them at last' 'going out to play in the rain and jumping in puddles. Mum is cross' 'playing football with Dad and Dad kicks the ball into a tree' 'going on the bus on the bus and loosing teddy. Finding him next day at the bus station'. | Tell a story to the child using miniature people, some eg's in next column. Get the child to retell the story to you. This works well in a small group or in a one to one situation. Use a retell sheet to help the child answer 'wh' questions about the story. The child can write the answers and/or draw a picture. The child can read the story back to an adult. | Remember to give children enough time to produce the language you want. Use the figures or pictures as a prompt to get the language you want. |
| Barrier games Barrier games designed to elicit 4 word phrases e.g. Black Sheet programme | ||
| Books | If a child is struggling say it for the child 'as he would if he could', then ask the child to produce the phrase again without your language model. | |
| Digital camera record of school trips or games in the play ground |
Relate pictures and spoken information to the wider context
| 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 the level B 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 the questions where the child must use what they can see in the picture and also some wider context to answer the questions ("LfT level B questions"). E.g. 'What will happen next?' 'How did he...?' 'What is a ....?' 'How are these the same?' | 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 if he...?' 'Why is it made of that?' 'If you were X, what would you say / do?' 'Why can't he?' ("LfT level C questions"). |
Plan steps in a familiar activity eg make a sandwich
| Activity/strategy name and materials required | How to do the activity | Key principles for doing the activity and comments |
|---|---|---|
| Cooking Basic kitchen equipment - dependent on what you make. Whiteboard or paper Pen Camera (optional) | 1. Choose something very simple which the children are familiar with, e.g. making toast. 2. Explain to the children that you are going to make toast, and that they are the 'teacher'. They need to tell you exactly what to do, in steps. 3. Ask them what the steps are, and write or draw them on the paper or whiteboard. Do not correct their answers. 4. Carry out the steps exactly as they have told you. Allow them to identify any errors and to correct them. 5. Record the accurate stages at the end of the activity. 6. Photos of the stages of the activity can be used as a sequencing task as well. | Make it fun! It is not a test and exaggerating the errors when you are doing them will allow the children to spot them more easily. |
| Photo sequencing Photos taken in the activity above Paper Scissors Glue | If you are making e.g. tea, there will be some acceptable variations - do you put the milk in before or after the tea? | |
| Going to the shops Paper Pen Shop! Some money | ||
| Planning steps in familiar routines Paper Pen Whiteboard | To make this easier, give them a number of steps they have to fill in, or pictures to sequence. These tasks are very useful for children who find it difficult to organise themselves. |
Give 4 word instructions
| Activity/strategy name and materials required | How to do the activity | Key principles for doing the activity and comments |
|---|---|---|
| Giving 4 word instructions Big and little food pictures (cut out), 2 baskets and 2 trolleys, each with a picture of a girl or boy. | 1. Place the baskets and trolleys with some matching food pictures where the child can see them. 2. Ask the child to put the big or little items of food in the girl or boy's basket or trolley e.g. put big apple in girl's basket / put little banana in boy's trolley / put big biscuit in girl's trolley. Encourage the child to put the food into the appropriate basket or trolley. | Give the child plenty of time to respond. Give the child plenty of praise and encouragement. Allow the child to explore materials and give time to respond to questions |
| Giving and understanding 4 word instructions Toys/pictures of table, cupboard, chair and bed. Pictures of dog and cat actions (cut out). | This task allows for opportunities to give and understand 4 word instructions. | |
| Giving 4 word instructions: farm game Big and little toy animals Doll and teddy 2 barns and fields | ||
| Outside activity game A ball. Two goals, one red and one green. Two baskets, one red and one green. | ||
| Classroom tidying up game 4 pieces of classroom equipment e.g. pencil, pen, ruler, rubber. 2 boxes of different colours |
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 |
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