As well as creating a useful tool allowing children to play and learn independently, we also aim to promote parent and child interaction. You will find below a selection of ideas to encourage mathematical development, creative language, sentence structure and enhanced use of vocabulary.
Mathematical Development
Number
- How many spots are on the cow?
- Can you find four different animals?
- Can you find three different birds?
- Can you find the alien with four eyes?
- Can you line up the aliens in order of their number of eyes?
Colours / Shapes / Sequences / Patterns
- Where is the yellow fish?
- Where is the stripy pig?
- What shape is the moon?
- How many points are there on the starfish?
- (Parent: create a picture sequence e.g cow, pig, cow, pig)
What comes next in the pattern?
Measures
- Which is taller, the giraffe or the lion?
- Can you find an animal that is smaller than a tiger?
- Can you find a heavy/light animal?
- Which is bigger, Jupiter or Earth?
- Which is longer, the lizard or the crocodile?
Sorting / Classifying
- (Parent: drag on 5 pigs and 5 ducks and position randomly)
Can you put the cows in the field and the ducks in the pond?
- Can you create a scene using just birds?
Language, Literacy and Communication Skills
Personal Expression
- What is your favourite animal?
- Would you like to visit outer space?
- What is your favourite animal noise? Why is this your favourite?
Who? What? Why? When? Where?
- Who is that person?
- What will happen if the fox meets the chicken?
- Why is the hen in the barn?
- When will the fox come out?
- Where is the best place for the duck to swim?
Prepositions
- Put the bird ‘on top’ of the barn door
- Place the cabbage ‘behind’ the carrot
- Put the astronaut ‘inside’ the rocket
- Place the chicken ‘underneath’ the cow
- Put the gazelle calf ‘next to’ the gazelle
Listening
- Listen to the theme music and tell me what you think is making the sounds?
- (Parent: drag on 2 lions and 1 elephant. When on the stage, click them in sequence)
Listen to these sounds. Which sound is the odd one out?
- Can you copy this sound?
Body Gestures
- Can you wave like the farmer?
- Can you beat your chest like the gorilla?
- Can you dance like the Mayan man/woman?
- Can you pinch like the crab?
- Can you curtsey like Snow White?
- Can you snap your teeth like the shark?
Letters, Words and Sentences
- How many words can you think of to describe the tiger (e.g. orange, stripy, fierce, wild)
- Can you finish my sentence? “The spotty cow…”
- (Parent: Drag the tractor across the field) Can you tell me what the tractor is doing?
- Can you think of a word that rhymes with cat?
- Can you make a scene with things beginning with the letter ‘P’?
- Can you make up a story with these objects?
Talking / Discussing
- What are you doing now?
- What are you going to do next?