Section 5

1. Put out a selection of objects in front of the child. For example: a cup, pencil, Lego, ball, toy car.
2. Ask the child to look carefully at all of the objects.
3. Tell the child to close their eyes and take two objects away from the child.
4. Ask the child to tell you what you have taken away.
5. Put the objects back and repeat with different objects.

• Take three or more objects away from the child.

• Begin with taking only one object away.
• Support the child with vocabulary linked to the object that is taken away. For example, ‘The object that I took away has four wheels and can go very fast.’

1. Get the child to play a selection of games with their friend.
2. For example: drawing, building a tower using Lego, puzzles.
3. You can also play games outside as well. For example: footballs, tig and tag.

• Suggest an activity to the children and have less involvement.
• Provide children with a variety of activities that they can choose from.

• Only provide support when required and through observation of the child and their friend.
• Use vocabulary that supports play. For example, ‘First it’s Sam’s turn.  Now it’s Andy’s turn.’

1. Gather together a selection of felt tips that are the following colours: red, blue, green and yellow.
2. Put the felt tips out in front of the child.
3. Ask the child for the felt tip by colour: ‘Give me the blue felt tip.’
4. Go through all of the colours.

• Choose colours that are more difficult. For example: pink, turquoise, orange.
• Choose different shades of colours: ‘light red’ and ‘dark red.’

• Limit the number of colours that you introduce.
• Ask for just the colour instead of saying the name of the object as well.

1. Gather different objects and place them around the room.
2. Encourage the child to find one item at a time. For example, ‘Where’s the brush?’
3. The child needs to respond with the location of the item. For example, ‘The brush is on the chair.’

• Ask for items that are not in the room. For example, ‘Where’s your pyjamas?’
• Read a picture book to your child and ask questions regarding the story. For example, ‘Where was the story set?’ ‘Where did the characters go?’
• Draw a template of a person and the child has to add in detail following your instructions. For example, ‘Where do you draw the ears?’ ‘Where do you draw the eyes?’

• Create a non-verbal signal for ‘where.’
• Model the correct response to the child. For example, ‘Where is the cushion? It is on the table.’

1. Share a reading book daily with your child and read out loud using different voices – your child will love it! Ask you read the story, ask questions throughout the book e.g. ‘What did Goldilocks do?’ Encourage 3-word answers e.g. ‘Goldilocks ate porridge.’
2. Alternatively, show children the story of ‘Goldilocks and the Three Bears’ using the following link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qOJ_A5tgBKM.
3. Ask the child questions regarding the story and support the child to say three word sentences back to you. For example: ‘What did Goldilocks do in the bedroom?’ ‘Goldilocks was sleeping.’
4. Model the correct responses to the child.

• Ask questions during every day routines and ask your child to answer in three-word sentences.
• Move onto to four and five-word sentences e.g. ‘Golidlocks ate hot porridge’.

• Model the answers for your child and then get them to copy you.
• Start with two-word sentences e.g. ‘Goldilocks eating’ before returning to three word sentences.
• Ask the child to tell you what is happening in the video, rather than asking the child questions.
• Use every day routines to support with the child’s language. For example, ‘Daddy is washing his face.’ ‘Mummy is brushing her teeth.’

1. Gather together a selection of household objects: a cup, plate, brush, cushion.
2. Place these objects ‘under’ different areas of the house.
3. For example: under the sofa, under the chair, under the pillow.
4. Ask the child to find the objects and then to tell you where the object was. For example, ‘The cup was under the chair.’

• Introduce different prepositions once the child is confident with ‘under.’ For example, ‘in’ and ‘on.’

• Provide the child with a choice when asking. For example, ‘Is the cup on the cushion or under the cushion?’
• Play ‘My turn, your turn.’

1. Watch the following video with the child: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y_E-N5y1r7g

2. Tell the child that you will be focusing on ‘what’ and ‘where.’

3. Use these words throughout the day: ‘Where shall we go today?’ ‘What do you want to eat?’

4. Then support the child to ask you ‘what’ and ‘where’ questions.

• Introduce the other question words that were featured in the video.
• Focus on the different meaning of each question word.

• Use question words during everyday routines.
• Model asking the question to the child and answering it.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zeZbqXQiGLA

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BovzFTpGB4M

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8F0NYBBKczM

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Irn4FAakSVg

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0QrcDQSxfCY

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UKNiCMrd3nU

Reinforce the use and understanding of ‘what’ and ‘where’ by repeating the questions from the videos e.g. ‘What is your favourite food?’ or ‘Where’s the bird?’

1. Put out the following items in front of the child: cup, banana, plate and pen.
2. Ask the child: ‘What do we eat?’ ‘What do we write with?’
3. The child needs to pick the correct items.
4. Once the child is able to pick the correct item, model how to use that item.

• Increase the number of objects.
• Include items that have the same function. For example, a fork and a spoon.
• Look through a variety of books and talk about the functions of different items.

• Use non-verbal gestures to describe what to do with each item.
• Create a nursery rhyme to support the child in understanding the purpose of the object.

• Use play items such as a play cake, tea set and kettle (see links below for examples). While you role play together, talk about ‘What do you stir the tea with?’, ‘Boil the water with?’ and ‘What do you put the cake on?’

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Casdon-66550-Colourful-Children-Colourway/dp/B0B636JG2G/

https://www.amazon.co.uk/1st-Kettle-Kitchen-Replica-Play/dp/B000TSKPZI

• Play a lotto/bingo game. Label the items and talk about what they are used for while you play.

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Galt-Picture-Lotto-Classic-Children/dp/B09NNZ5VXV

• Sing songs like ‘Here we go round the Mulberry Bush’ and talk about what we use to brush our hair, wash our face etc. Go on a ‘Treasure Hunt’ around the house and find the different items.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UFrEVhOPwvc

1. Draw a picture of a cat on a piece of paper.
2. Ask the child to draw ‘two cats.’
3. After the child has drawn the cats, point to each picture in turn and say: ‘Here is one cat. Here are two cats.’
4. Repeat with different animals.

• Encourage the child to put plurals into sentences.

• Only use plurals that follow regular rules. For example, not mouse/mice.
• Over emphasise the ‘-s’ at the end of the plurals.
• Model the use of plurals when carrying out everyday activities. For example, when shopping with the child, say: ‘Here is one apple. Now I am getting two apples.’ Remember to model and correct if your child uses the incorrect word.
• Give your child a choice e.g. ‘Is it dog or dogs?’

• Carry out a similar task to the main activity when your child is playing with small world toys, like a farm set or train set. Talk about what you are playing with, encouraging your child to repeat and join in e.g. ‘one pig in the field and two pigs in the barn’.

• Make a scrapbook together using pictures from magazines or old books. You can also draw your own pictures. On one page stick in a picture of one dog and on the opposite page stick in a picture with lots of dogs. Repeat with different animals and then talk about what you have done emphasising the plurals e.g. ‘one dogs, lots of dogs’.

Web links and videos:

https://wordwall.net/en-us/community/singular-and-plural-games

https://www.roythezebra.com/english-ks1/spelling-games/singular-or-plural/play/

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rzq9eiYt9Bg

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3w-3YdW2Unk