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Ideas for Home
Play the first and last game
Session 1: Understanding and using the words first and last
Date:…………
Take some of your child's toys and line them up on the floor or table. If the toys have faces, put them all looking the same way. Pick up the first toy in the line and say, ‘This toy is the first.’ Then pick up the last toy in the line and say, ‘This… is the last.’
Put them back in the same places.
Encourage your child to show you which is first and which is last.
Play this activity as much as you can during the week with the same toys or different ones. Encourage your child to say, e.g. ‘Elephant first,’ ‘The teddy's last.’
There are lots of different ways we use the words first and last, e.g. ‘I'll do this first’ and ‘you go first.’ Think and talk about the number of times and different ways we use these words.
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Ideas for Home
Find things that are the same
Session 2: Understanding and using the word same
Date:…………
Collect some objects or toys from around your home that match or look the same, e.g. 2 teaspoons, 2 pens, 2 plates, 2 combs.
Put them in a box or bag.
Take one out and say, ‘Here's a comb/pen,’ and put it in front of your child. Then find one the same in the box/bag, bring it out and say, ‘Oh, here's another one… they are the same.’
Then keep one of all the objects and give your child the others in the bag or box.
Pick up one of your objects and say to your child, ‘Find one the same.’
If they find this difficult, reduce the items to three and then see if they can find one the same. If they get stuck, show them which is the same and put it in front of them.
During the week point out things that are the same and say, ‘These are the same’ - things such as socks, gloves and shoes. Encourage your child to say the word ‘same’.
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Ideas for Home
Play the shape hunt game
Session 3: Learning to identify circles and say ‘circle’
Date:…………
Say to your child, ‘We are going on a shape hunt.’
Walk around the house holding your child's hand and point out all the circles you can see, e.g. the front of the washing machine, knob handles, jam jar lids.
Run your finger around the shape and say, ‘This is a circle.’
Look at things from different angles to find different shapes. Try to find as many circles as you can.
At another time ask your child if he/she can point out some circles to you. Encourage your child to say ‘circle’, ‘big circle’, ‘little circle’.
Look out for circles during the week, inside and outside the house. |
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Ideas for Home
Continue the shape hunt game
Session 4: Identifying squares and using the words square, side and corner
Date:…………
Walk around the house holding your child's hand and point out all the square shapes you can see. Look at the television, cards, bathroom tiles. Run your finger around the shape and encourage your child to do the same.
Say as you run your finger down the side, ‘This is a side.’ Then touch the corner and say, ‘This is a corner.’ Then say, ‘This is a square shape.’
During the week look out for square shapes, inside and outside the house. Encourage your child to remember the words ‘square’, ‘side’ and ‘corner’.
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Ideas for Home
Play another shape game
Session 5: Talking about triangles
Date:…………
Take a piece of square sliced bread and look at the shape of it with your child.
Talk about it being a square shape and it having sides and corners. Cut the bread in half to make a triangle shape. Say to your child, ‘Look what shape I am going to make now. It's a triangle. It has three corners and three sides.’ Encourage your child to count the corners and the sides.
Explore your house to see if you can find any other triangle shapes. Praise your child if he/she can see any.
Take your child to a food shop in the week to see if you can pick out some triangle shapes, e.g. cheese or chocolate triangles.
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Ideas for H...
