Developing Baseline Communication Skills

Games and Activities for 3-5 year olds

Catherine Delamain, Jill Spring

• Publisher: Routledge
• Year: 2018
• eBook ISBN: 9781351131452
• Edition: 2
• Topic: Education
• Subtopic: Education General

Developing Baseline Communication Skills is a practical resource designed to fit with baseline assessments in primary school. The second edition of this bestselling resource contains a programme of games and activities to foster personal and social development, and promote language and literacy skills in 3–5 year olds. The book seeks to address language and communication difficulties for children coming into reception class by providing a range of fun and engaging activities. Suitable for whole classes or small groups of children, the activities focus on both personal, social, emotional development as well as language and literacy in areas such as body language, independence, turn taking, listening, speaking and auditory memory.

Features include:

200 games and activities which are differentiated for different ages and levels of ability;

A clear aim, equipment list and instructions for each activity;

Photocopiable templates for ease of use;

Supplementary resource sheets including pictures and scripts to use with the activities.

Now fully revised and updated in line with current policy and legislation, this book is suitable for young children in any school setting including nurseries, playgroups and reception classes. It also includes material that may be used as an effective part of a speech and language therapy programme in consultation with a therapist. This is a unique manual that will be an essential addition to the materials used by professionals working with young children.

Personal, Social and Emotional Development Activities

Turn Taking

Level I	Level III
Musical Hat	Mystery Bag
Talking Toy (i)	Yes or No
Group Lotto	Packing
Red Dog, Blue Dog (i)	Build It
The Farmer Wants a Horse	Red Dog, Blue Dog (ii)
Level II	Level IV
Talking Toy (ii)	Talking Toy (ii)
My Name	Half a Minute
Number Beat	Red Dog, Blue Dog (iii)
Tumbling Towers	Storyline
Nursery Rhyme Circle	Post Box

Level I

Musical Hat

Aim

To be able to respond to musical cues.

Equipment

Any kind of hat, the funnier the better.

Any music source.

How to play

Children sit in a circle. The hat is given to the first child, and he is told to start passing it round the circle from child to child. The child holding the hat when the music stops puts the hat on.

Variations

Any prop that is quick and easy to put on can be used, such as toy spectacles, red nose, false moustache.

Talking Toy (i)

Aim

To be able to take turns at speaking.

Equipment

Any toy, which will be named the ‘Talking Toy’ and used in all Talking Toy activities. A toy creature is a good idea.

Any music source.

How to play

The children sit in a semi-circle in front of you. Explain that the Talking Toy will be passed around the circle, and whoever is holding it when the music stops will say his own name. Then the music will start again, and the toy continues on its way around the group.

Group Lotto

Aim

To be able to take turns in a cooperative activity.

Equipment

Large picture lotto board and its matching pictures (e.g. Little Bus Lotto (Orchard Toys), Old MacDonald).

Lotto, picture lotto.

A soft bag.

How to play

The small pictures are put in the bag, and the lotto board is put on the table. Explain that the children will take turns to take a picture out of the bag and place it correctly on the board. The bag is passed round the group and the children choose and place the pictures until the board is complete.

Red Dog, Blue Dog (i)

Aim

To enable two children to play a competitive game against each other, without adult support except for initial demonstration and explanation.

Equipment

Boards and individual pictures from the commercial Red Dog, Blue Dog game.

How to play

A game for four children. Give a board to each child. Each board depicts six objects or animals in different colours. The round balloon or bubble shapes (one set for each baseboard) are placed in the bag. The individual pictures are placed face down on the table or, if you prefer, they can be put into a bag. The children take turns to pick up or draw out a picture and place it on their board. When a child draws a colour that he already has the picture is returned to the pile or bag, so that the children begin to understand the concept of ‘can’t go’ and ‘already got that one’. The winner is the first to cover all the pictures on his board.

Tip

The equipment needed for this game can easily be made and does not have to come from a commercial source. Simplest to make would be boards depicting circles or squares of varying colours, with corresponding individual coloured shapes for each board. It could then be called ‘Circles or Squares’.

The Farmer Wants a Horse

Aim

To encourage children to take turns in choosing each other.

Equipment

None, unless the music of the song is available.

How to play

Children form a circle. One child is placed in the middle as the ‘farmer’. The song is sung or chanted by you and the group, and the ‘farmer’ chooses other children in turn to join him in the middle as horse, goat, cat, etc. (See Activity Resources for the words of the song or download them from www.routledge.com/9780815354925.)

Level II

Talking Toy (ii)

Aim

To take turns telling the group something you like.

Equipment

Talking Toy.

Music source.

How to play

Children sit in a semi-circle in front of you. Explain that when the music stops the child holding the toy must name one food that he likes. Talking Toy is passed along the line from child to child.

Examples

Other categories that you might choose: animals, toys, sports, television programmes, books.

My Name

Aim

To be able to allow other people a turn.

Equipment

Slips of paper with the name of a child on each, one for every child.

A soft bag.

A large picture from a colouring book, preferably enlarged, and with plenty of small areas needing different colours.

Felt-tips or crayons.

How...

Table of contents

• Cover
• Title
• Copyright
• Contents
• Acknowledgements
• Preface
• Introduction
• How to use this Book
• 1 PERSONAL, SOCIAL AND EMOTIONAL DEVELOPMENT ACTIVITIES
• 2 LANGUAGE AND LITERACY ACTIVITIES
• 3 ACTIVITY RESOURCES