Section 1

DLP'S BIG IDEAS

At Eastwards Consortium, our focus is primarily on educating and developing the next generation of our society. To assist in this, we use our well-known ‘Big Book of Ideas’, a set of activities and tasks focused around pupil development.

Below you will find a set of tabs which depict these tasks further. If you find children are struggling with a task or, on the other hand, passing with flying colours, indications and suggestions are proposed in each section to ensure you keep all children challenged and on-task as much as possible.

To view these sections, simply click on the respective tab and watch it magically appear!

ACTIVITY 1

RESPONDING TO HIS/HER NAME

MAIN ACTIVITY

  1. Say the child’s name with overstated pitch.
  2. When the child looks at you, praise the child.

HOW CAN WE MAKE THIS ACTIVITY MORE CHALLENGING?

  • Move away from the child so the child has to focus on you more.

HOW CAN WE MAKE THIS ACTIVITY EASIER?

  • Use a rattle or other noisy toy to get the child’s attention and then call his/her name.

ACTIVITY 2

CONNECTING TWO THINGS TOGETHER

MAIN ACTIVITY

  1. Use wooden kitchen toys, such as vegetables held together with velcro.
  2. Get your child to hold a wooden knife in one hand and a vegetable in the other, to ‘cut’ them.
  3. Then ‘cook’ them in a play saucepan. Talk about what you are doing and what you are ‘cooking’!

HOW CAN WE MAKE THIS ACTIVITY MORE CHALLENGING?

  • Introduce different textures. For example, a hard ball.

HOW CAN WE MAKE THIS ACTIVITY EASIER?

  • Bang the set of objects and get your child to copy.

ACTIVITY 3

UNDERSTANDING THAT WORDS, SOUNDS AND SIGNALS ARE RELATED WITH EVERYDAY ACTIONS

MAIN ACTIVITY

  1. While the child is playing, observe what captures a child’s attention as the child reaches out or points.
  2. Say what they see to the child. For example, if the child points to or reaches for a toy car, then say ‘Car!’
  3. The child will begin to understand that words are connected to objects.

HOW CAN WE MAKE THIS ACTIVITY MORE CHALLENGING?

  • Give the child a chance to copy what you are saying after they have pointed or reached out for something.

HOW CAN WE MAKE THIS ACTIVITY EASIER?

  • Be face-to-face with the child so that they can see and hear you easier.
  • Respond to only what captures your child’s interest.
  • Show how happy you are.

ACTIVITY 4

FOLLOWING AN OBJECT'S MOVEMENT

MAIN ACTIVITY

  1. To gain the child’s attention, use an object that makes a noise or is eye-catching. For example, a toy rattle.
  2. Shake the rattle and move it across the child’s line of sight.
  3. When the child follows the movement of the rattle, then provide lots of praise to the child.
  4. If the child finds it difficult to track the object, then turn the child towards the rattle when you are shaking it.

HOW CAN WE MAKE THIS ACTIVITY MORE CHALLENGING?

  • Support your child to follow your gaze to things further away or less obvious.

HOW CAN WE MAKE THIS ACTIVITY EASIER?

  • Point to the object as you look at it.
  • Place the object closer to your child.
  • Use a toy that has bright colours.

ACTIVITY 5

USING NON-VERBAL CUES AND CLUES TO UNDERSTAND LANGUAGE

MAIN ACTIVITY

  1. Say sentences to your child that link to an activity. For example: While holding a milk bottle, you would say ‘It’s milk time now.’  While holding a ball, you would say ‘It’s play time now.’
  2. The child will then associate the objects with the language that you have used.

HOW CAN WE MAKE THIS ACTIVITY MORE CHALLENGING?

  • Reduce the amount of support that you are providing.

HOW CAN WE MAKE THIS ACTIVITY EASIER?

  • Use gestures or signs when you are saying your sentences.

ACTIVITY 6

USING GESTURES TO GET AN ADULT TO MAKE THE CORRECT REPLY

MAIN ACTIVITY

  1. Children enjoy being picked up by adults and enjoy the comfort that this brings. Children may request this in different ways.  For example, by crying.
  2. Stretch your arms out and encourage the child to copy the actions.
  3. If the child copies, then provide praise to the child.
  4. If the child does not copy, then support the child’s arms to do this.

HOW CAN WE MAKE THIS ACTIVITY MORE CHALLENGING?

  • Wait for the child to stretch their arms out and then pick the child up.

HOW CAN WE MAKE THIS ACTIVITY EASIER?

  • Use a sibling or another adult to physically support the child raising their arms up to the correct position.

ACTIVITY 7

COPYING MOVEMENT AND SIGNALS

MAIN ACTIVITY

  1. Show the child how to wave ‘hello’ or ‘goodbye’ by doing it regularly yourself.
  2. Get down to the child’s level so they can see what you are doing.
  3. Use gestures as part of the daily routine. For example, bedtime.  Ensure that you say the word alongside the movement that you do.

HOW CAN WE MAKE THIS ACTIVITY MORE CHALLENGING?

  • Increase the number of signals.
  • Support the child to think of different movements to indicate their need. For example, when they want to eat.

HOW CAN WE MAKE THIS ACTIVITY EASIER?

  • Wave together with your child, by doing it hand over hand.
  • Wave to your child without speaking.
  • Ensure that the person waving has left the room so that the child understands the sequence of events.

ACTIVITY 8

LEARNING HOW TO GRASP AND POINT

MAIN ACTIVITY

  1. Place the child on the floor with a selection of toys in front of the child.
  2. Reassure the child to reach for the toys.
  3. Name the toys to the child so that he/she knows what they are called.
  4. If the child reaches for the toy, hold their hand and make it into a pointed shape.
  5. Ensure that you reward the child by passing away the toy that they are pointing to.

HOW CAN WE MAKE THIS ACTIVITY MORE CHALLENGING?

  • Encourage the child to reach for toys that make a noise and then make that noise with the toy after they have reached out for it.
  • Increase the distance of the toys so that the child has to point further.

HOW CAN WE MAKE THIS ACTIVITY EASIER?

  • Guide the child to point to their desired toys.

ACTIVITY 9

LISTENING AND RESPONDING TO DIFFERENT SOUNDS

MAIN ACTIVITY

  1. Use the following link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_6HzoUcx3eo (Old McDonald Had A Farm), and join in with the animal sounds with your child.
  2. You can also use the following: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e_04ZrNroTo (The Wheels On The Bus)

HOW CAN WE MAKE THIS ACTIVITY MORE CHALLENGING?

  • When singing Old McDonald Had A Farm, take turns with your child in pretending to be the animals.

HOW CAN WE MAKE THIS ACTIVITY EASIER?

  • Use lots of repetition to reinforce the sound that the animals are making.