Topic “TAP30”  

Felt sheets (e.g. "Funky Foam") in basic colours.

Digital camera.

Examples of other materials you could use:

small coloured bricks in different shapes with some proportionately sized cars or animals;

small soft toys with plastic food items.

How to make the game:

1. Choose your subject e.g. house & setting; face; person with top, trousers & shoes.

2. Make a simple pattern and cut the main features from the felt in two or more different colours e.g. 2 walls, 2 roofs, etc. (with garden items too if required).

3. Set up one house on a neutral background and photograph from above.

4. Change one feature and photograph again. Carry on until you have a set with a variety of combinations (10 cards or more). It is much easier to take the photos with extra background and edit them to fit 4 per A4 page afterwards. Avoid flash if any of your items are shiny.

5. Do not make the pictures too complicated and have some really simple ones, for example one just consisting of a red car, or one containing a flower and a tree;

6. Print your pictures on lightweight card.

7. Keep pictures and the materials used in a box together!

1. This game is best played in pairs;

2. Introduce the game by turning over a picture so the child/children can also see it;

3. Show them how to copy the picture using the materials: describe the picture using two word phrases as you do it;

4. Turn over another picture for a child to have a go;

5. Once you are sure the children understand how to make their "picture", turn over another card but this time describe what's on the card (with two word phrases) for them to make a picture/scene;

6. Players take it in turns to take a card and say what is on it so the other person can make it with their materials;

7. Many pictures can be described with two-word phrases e.g. blue eyes/ smiley mouth; green house/ yellow door; big brick/ car

Miniature figures

List of target action words e.g. run, jump, sit, sleep, stand, walk

1. Model making a figure run. Say 'Look. The boy's running!' , 'Look. Daddy's jumping!' etc.

2. Give the child the figures. Can he/she make the figures do the actions?

3. Help him/her label the actions and form sentences by saying 'Daddy's jumping/ sleeping/ running' etc.

4. Ask the child 'What's daddy doing?' You want the answer 'Daddy's running' or 'Dad run' etc. If the child does not provide this response model the response for them.

No special equipment

e.g. cut, clap, eat, drink, brush etc

Digital camera

Play food, cutlery, brush, cup etc.

Start by playing with the cutlery and play food. Eat some food yourself and say ' eating banana/apple/bread' etc

Let the child play with the food. As he/she eats say 'Eating banana/apple/bread' etc

Take a photo of the child eating/You eating/soft toys eating etc. Look at the photo on the camera and say 'Look.......eating apple etc.'

Print the photo and put in a book. Show the child the book. Can he/she respond when you ask 'What's this?' You may need to model the answer for the child i.e. 'Eating apple/banana/bread' etc.

Miniature figures

List of target action words e.g. run, jump, sit, sleep, stand, walk

No special equipment

Plastic animals and a water/sand tray/pots/cups/etc

Watch the child playing with an animal in the sand or water and comment on the play at the two word level e.g. 'dog's swimming' or 'cat's hiding' or 'horse gone'

Copy the child's activity and comment on what you are doing e,g, child makes dog jump........you make dog jump and comment by saying 'Dog jump!'

Marble run

Cars and a car run

Spinning top

Jack-in-a-box

Cause and effect toys

Drum

Cups

Boxes

Anything to bang with a beater

Play equipment such as tea set, teddies, dolls; cars, bricks, play people etc.

Could also be done with outdoor play equipment or in any other play situation.

1. Allow the child to play with the toys freely with the minimum amount of help or intervention;
2. Using one or two keywords only comment on what the child is doing. For example teddy's got the apple; the bricks fell over; Fred's swinging.

(1) Sets of pictures and two places to sort them to e.g. clothes pictures, furniture pictures, picture of a house, picture of a wardrobe.

or (2) Sets of clothes pictures and outlines of a boy and a girl to stick them to

or (3) Sets of objects and two places to sort them to.

For example with the clothes and furniture pictures activity:

1. Introduce the pictures first. (The child should already know the names of the objects you use).
2. Mix up and turn the clothes and furniture pictures over.
3. Take it in turns to turn over the picture and say its name, and the place it goes, for example 'TV... House'.

A selection of about four to six objects, cloth to cover them.

Symbols for the objects if required

You can get communication symbols for objects with the Commtap Symboliser for PowerPoint.

(Small group)

Symbols for actions to support communication if required

You get communication symbols for actions with the Commtap Symboliser for PowerPoint.

No specific materials

Favourite story and some toy figures or toy plastic animals from the story

Plastic tea set and food and some soft toys

Hats and scarves and socks and shoes

1. Play a dressing up game;
2. Put a hat on your head and say 'look.... Mary's hat';
3. Then let the child choose a hat and (you) say 'look.... Mohammed's hat'.

Soft toys and clothing

As above and a tidy up bag

Favourite story and some toy figures or toy plastic animals from the story

Plastic tea set and food and some soft toys

e.g. a pop-up or a picture book

When the child is familiar with a book, point to pictures and ask questions using a short phrase e.g. 'Where's Spot?','Who's that?', What's that?'. You want a two word answer e.g. 'under bed' etc.

Digital camera

Book of photos taken at school

Dressing up cloths

Cooking toys

Dolls

Tea set

'wh' words (who, what, when, where) on symbol cards

You can make question symbol cards using the Commtap Symboliser for PowerPoint.

1. Share an attractive book with the child. Point to the pictures talk about what is happening in the picture, what the characters are doing etc

2. Let the child become very familiar with the book

3. Ask questions about the story and pictures and use one of the 'wh' word symbols to help focus the child's attention e.g. 'who is eating?' and show the 'who' symbol, or 'where is Spot hiding' and show the 'where' symbol. Help the child with model answers if needed. E.g. 'Look Spot is hiding here...under the rug.'

A 'wh' word retell sheet

A familiar book

Two attractive books - maybe pop-up or flap books.

1. Start by offering the child a choice of the 2 attractive books. Take as a choice the child reaching for a book or looking at a book.

2. Find a nice place to sit and open the book so the child can see the pages easily

3. Point to an object and name it - use lots of animation in your voice.

4. Direct the child attention if needed.

5. Use lots of repetition when you look at a book

6. Make 'reading' sessions short but enjoyable.

Pictures of familiar objects and their printed labels e.g. Picture of a dog and the label 'dog'

Maybe borrow a book from home which the child likes and photocopy and then use as a picture resource .

1. Cut out or photocopy 5 pictures of items the child is familiar with. E.g. animals/food items/objects or people from Peter and Jane books.

2. Print labels for the items

3. Give the child one picture and one label.

4. Put the two together - point to the print and read it.

Set of picture cards representing everyday objects.

Objects to match the things on the cards.

For the picture cards, you could use photos, or create using symbols

1. Start with the child's most familiar/favoured objects. Choose 2 and the two matching pictures. Match the object to the picture and say 'Look........sock/pen/flower it's the same'

2. Can the child put the object on a picture given 2 pictures and 2 objects.

3. Reward any success.

4. Start to increase the number of objects and pictures to 3 then 4 but go slowly.

5. Play a game by putting out 3 cards face down and 3 matching objects . Take it in turns to turn over a card and select the matching object

6. Use a puppet and see if the child can help the puppet match objects and cards.

7. Get a selection of cards of things in the room can you walk around with the child and find objects to match the cards

Reward!

Simple outline drawings, e.g. pictures of food, everyday objects, or pictures related to the current class topic

Coloured crayons or pens

Safety scissors

1. Put three or four pictures in front of the child;

2. Make sure the child understands the names of the items in the pictures (e.g. ask them to "find the apple");

3. Ask the child to colour or cut out one of the items (for example "cut out the fish", "colour the house");

4. Guide or prompt the child if they are having difficulties working out what to do;

5. After a few goes, you can give the child a go at telling you what to do.

Various PE activities, for example

ball and beanbag

or

Crawl tunnel or bench or mats etc.

A teddy or soft toy

1. Tell teddy to do something, e.g. "jump" and then make him do it;

2. Do this three or four times with different actions, e.g. "run", "sleep", "sit", "lie down";

3. Give the child the teddy and tell them to do one or two actions;

4. Take the teddy back and tell him to do an action again, e.g. "run";

5. Tell teddy "don't run" (make sure he stays still!);

6. Tell teddy to run, then tell him "don't run" (repeat);

7. Give the teddy to the child, and then give commands using just run (or another action you chose in "4"). Change between saying e.g. "run" and "don't run". Help the child to keep the teddy still when you say "don't run".

8. Repeat with different actions.

No materials required

- printable shopping game pictures - click here

- You could substitute the printed pictures for real objects.

1. Print and cut out the pictures.

2. Put the bag and the trolley in front of the child.

3. Lay the shopping items out on the table.

4. Explain to your child you would like them to do some shopping and put the item in either the bag or the trolley.

5. Some examle instructions you could use:

- put the carrot in the bag

- put the pizza in the trolley

6. After a few turns, ask you child to give you an instruction.

- Animal post boxes and food pictures - click here to print

- Toys - tea set, 2 different soft toys and play food.

- 2 hand puppets

- Play food

e.g. a pop-up or a picture book

1. When the child is familiar with a book point to pictures and ask questions using short phrases beginning with "Where?" e.g. 'Where's Spot?'

2. The child should either point to the appropriate place, or say the name of the place where the object is on the picture (e.g. "basket", "car").

Puppet or teddy or doll.

Items to hide and somewhere to hide them.