These cards have been designed to help you support your child’s learning. You can do this any time and most of the activities will only take a short amount of time.
Meal Times
Pre-schooler Set 1 of 2
Quality time
Talking Time:
Children learn best when they are playing - so have fun!
For more ideas, click on the Every Child a Talker link on the Surrey Family Information Service homepage
www.surreycc.gov.uk/fis
www.surreycc.gov.uk Making Surrey a better place
Quality time
Talking Time: Pre-schooler Blowing bubbles
Children of all ages love bubbles, you can use shop bought bubbles or make your own. • Make the bubble mixture together. • If you are outside let your child chase and catch the bubbles. • Try adding food colouring to the bubble mixture and press paper on to the bubbles, to see patterns.
Bubble recipe • 600 ml of water • 150 ml of washing up liquid • 2 tablespoons of glycerine (available from the chemist)
For more ideas, click on the Every Child a Talker link on the Surrey Family Information Service homepage
www.surreycc.gov.uk/fis
www.surreycc.gov.uk Making Surrey a better place
Quality time
Talking Time: Pre-schooler Moving to music
Everybody enjoys listening to music whether it is nursery rhymes, classical, pop or music from around the world. Moving to music is a great way for your child to express themselves. • Talk to your child about their movements as they move to the music. Ask if they can curl up small or stretch tall. • Let your child choose music and show them how to use the CD player.
Play lots of different kinds of music and talk about what they like or don’t like. Sing action rhymes and songs and help your child to copy the actions. Head, shoulders, knees and toes, knees and toes Head, shoulders, knees and toes, knees and toes And eyes and ears and mouth and nose Head, shoulders, knees and toes, knees and toes
For more ideas, click on the Every Child a Talker link on the Surrey Family Information Service homepage
www.surreycc.gov.uk/fis
www.surreycc.gov.uk Making Surrey a better place
Quality time
Talking Time: Pre-schooler Playing games
Playing games with your child can be fun and will help them to learn about taking turns. Choose a game that doesn’t take too long. • Use a tray of objects and remove one while your child closes their eyes. Ask them to guess which object has gone. • Let your child roll a dice and count out that number of raisins.
Card games • Put picture or number cards face up, turn one over and see if they can remember which picture it was. • Play a game with a pack of cards, guess whether the next card will be higher or lower. • Play snap or picture dominoes.
For more ideas, click on the Every Child a Talker link on the Surrey Family Information Service homepage
www.surreycc.gov.uk/fis
www.surreycc.gov.uk Making Surrey a better place
Pre-schooler Fun with play dough
Quality time
Talking Time:
Children enjoy playing with play dough and it is cheap and easy to make. • Encourage your child to help you make the play dough and follow the recipe together. As you heat the ingredients describe the changes that are happening. Talk about how you made the play dough, what you did using words like first, next, after and last. • Give your child a cup cake tin or an empty egg box so that they can divide the play dough equally. Cut up straws, these make great candles for a play dough cake. Give your child plates, so that they can share with their teddies. • Let your child use children’s scissors or a pizza wheel to cut the play dough.
You’ll find a play dough recipe on the next card.
For more ideas, click on the Every Child a Talker link on the Surrey Family Information Service homepage
www.surreycc.gov.uk/fis
www.surreycc.gov.uk Making Surrey a better place
Quality time
Talking Time:
Pre-schooler Play dough recipe • 3 cups of sifted flour • 1 ½ cups of salt • 6 teaspoons of cream of tartar • 3 ¼ cups of boiling water • 3 tablespoons of cooking oil • Food colouring Mix all the dry ingredients together in a saucepan. Mix in the wet ingredients (except for the food colouring) and stir until there are no lumps. Cook on a high temperature for three to four minutes until dough forms. You can add food colouring to change the colour, knead the dough to work the colour in. Store it in an airtight container.
For more ideas, click on the Every Child a Talker link on the Surrey Family Information Service homepage
www.surreycc.gov.uk/fis
www.surreycc.gov.uk Making Surrey a better place
Quality time
Talking Time: Pre-schooler Messy play
Children love to get messy and use all of their senses to explore the world around them. Let your child know it’s okay to be messy. It’s a good idea to try this before bath time. • Give your child objects such as sieves, beakers, spoons or potato mashers, to use in some mixture. • Bury things like shells, pebbles, plastic dinosaurs or animals, in the mixture for your child to find.
Fill a washing up bowl or bucket with any of the following mixtures and let your child explore • Jelly • Cooked pasta • Cooked rice • Mashed potato • Gloop (mix cornflour or custard powder and water until it is stiff – it will become more liquid when handled)
For more ideas, click on the Every Child a Talker link on the Surrey Family Information Service homepage
www.surreycc.gov.uk/fis
www.surreycc.gov.uk Making Surrey a better place
Meal times
Talking Time: Pre-schooler Cooking
When you are cooking with your child start by making sure they can reach the table and that all the ingredients are ready. An apron will help to keep them clean. Always watch your child if they are using a knife. • Go to the library to find a children’s recipe book. • Choose something to make together and go shopping for the ingredients. • Children enjoy pretend cooking. Use play dough to make cakes to share with their teddies and dolls. • Choosing how to decorate cakes or pizzas is fun. • Talk to your child about how things change when you heat them up or cool them down such as when making cakes or jelly. • When cutting up fruit for a snack, talk about how many pieces you have.
You’ll find a pizza recipe on the next card. For more ideas, click on the Every Child a Talker link on the Surrey Family Information Service homepage
www.surreycc.gov.uk/fis
www.surreycc.gov.uk Making Surrey a better place
Meal times
Talking Time: Pre-schooler Cooking Pizza recipe Ingredients • Pitta, naan or half a baguette • Tomato sauce • Mixed dried herbs • Cheese • Your child’s favourite toppings, such as ham, mushrooms, sweetcorn and tuna.
Method 1. Spread the tomato sauce over the bread. 2. Sprinkle with the herbs. 3. Top with the grated cheese and any other toppings your child likes. 4. Bake in a preheated oven 200 C or gas mark 6 for 5-10 minutes.
For more ideas, click on the Every Child a Talker link on the Surrey Family Information Service homepage
www.surreycc.gov.uk/fis
www.surreycc.gov.uk Making Surrey a better place
Meal times
Talking Time: Pre-schooler Washing hands
It is really important for children to learn how to wash their hands and it can be fun too. • If your child is able to wash their hands without help they may like to help a younger brother or sister, although they may still need watching. • Praise your child if they wash their hands without being told.
Sing “this is the way we wash our hands” to the tune of “Here we go round the Mulberry bush” as this will make the task fun. This is the way we wash our hands Wash our hands, wash our hands This is the way we wash our hands On a cold and frosty morning.
For more ideas, click on the Every Child a Talker link on the Surrey Family Information Service homepage
www.surreycc.gov.uk/fis
www.surreycc.gov.uk Making Surrey a better place
Meal times
Talking Time:
Pre-schooler Eating together Having meals together helps children understand how to take turns and join in the conversation. Turn off the television or radio as this will encourage everyone to talk. • When setting the table give your child more or less knives and forks than they need. Let them work out if there are too many or too few. • Talk about who sits where and use words such as opposite.
While you eat your meal, talk about what your child has been doing that day.
For more ideas, click on the Every Child a Talker link on the Surrey Family Information Service homepage
www.surreycc.gov.uk/fis
www.surreycc.gov.uk Making Surrey a better place
Pre-schooler Washing up or stacking the dishwasher
Meal times
Talking Time:
Make washing up into a game for your child. Keep it fun and take the opportunity to chat. They can help stack the dishwasher. • Talk about what you are doing while your child watches you. Use words like scraping and rinsing. • Stack the dishwasher together. Ask questions like “where shall we put this bowl?” • Let your child press the ‘on’ button.
Here’s an activity you can do outside. Give your child a bucket or bowl of water and big brushes (paint brushes are good) and let them paint patterns on the patio or walls of your house. Or give them soapy water and sponges and let them wash your outside furniture.
For more ideas, click on the Every Child a Talker link on the Surrey Family Information Service homepage
www.surreycc.gov.uk/fis
www.surreycc.gov.uk Making Surrey a better place
These cards have been designed to help you support your child’s learning. You can do this any time and most of the activities will only take a short amount of time.
Out and about
Children learn best when they are playing - so have fun!
Water play
Pre-schooler Set 2 of 2
Bed time
Talking Time:
For more ideas, click on the Every Child a Talker link on the Surrey Family Information Service homepage
www.surreycc.gov.uk/fis
www.surreycc.gov.uk Making Surrey a better place
Pre-schooler Making bedtime fun
Bed time
Talking Time:
Having a clear routine at bedtime will help your child to settle down more easily. • Children need to know what happens at night, so keep your routine the same. • Encourage your child to learn to dress and undress by themselves. • Lay their clothes out on the bed, to make it easier for them to dress.
Sing this to the tune of “Here we go round the mulberry bush” while your child is getting undressed. This is the way we take off our socks Take off our socks Take off our socks This is the way we take off our socks When we’re getting ready for bed
For more ideas, click on the Every Child a Talker link on the Surrey Family Information Service homepage
www.surreycc.gov.uk/fis
www.surreycc.gov.uk Making Surrey a better place
Pre-schooler Making bedtime fun
Bed time
Talking Time:
Using music as part of your child’s bedtime routine can help them to relax. • Make up silly songs together while your child is getting ready for bed. • Take it in turns to sing the next word. • Choose gentle music to help your child relax. • Talk about the pictures in a nursery rhyme book together, as you enjoy the songs.
You could play nursery rhyme or song CDs or sing and say rhymes together. Why not change the words? Hickory Dickory down Hickory Dickory do The mouse went The mouse went into town into my shoe He saw the streets I put it on He bought some sweets The mouse was gone Hickory Dickory down Hickory Dickory do
For more ideas, click on the Every Child a Talker link on the Surrey Family Information Service homepage
www.surreycc.gov.uk/fis
www.surreycc.gov.uk Making Surrey a better place
Pre-schooler Stories at bedtime
Bed time
Talking Time:
Sharing books and stories at bedtime is fun and will help your child settle before sleeping. Find a quiet, cosy place to snuggle in. Children love to hear their favourite stories over and over again. • Children love stories about things they like such as dinosaurs, teddies, trains and characters from TV. • When you read a story, ask your child what will happen next. Richard Scarey’s Bedtime Stories Owl Babies by Martin Wardell and Patrick Benson (Walker Books) Can’t You Sleep Little Bear by Martin Waddell and Barbara Firth (Walker Books) Bringing Down the Moon by Jonathan Emmett and Vanessa Cabban You can borrow books from the library, all the books are free, for more information go to www.surreycc.gov.uk/libraries
For more ideas, click on the Every Child a Talker link on the Surrey Family Information Service homepage
www.surreycc.gov.uk/fis
www.surreycc.gov.uk Making Surrey a better place
Please note: children must never be left alone near water
Water play
Talking Time:
Pre-schooler Thinking about shapes and sizes This is a great way for your child to look at different objects to understand shape and size. You could use these ideas in a paddling pool, in the bath, or even a washing up bowl. • Count how many cups or spoonfuls of water it takes to fill a jug or a cup. • Use containers to talk about half full, empty, too much, too little. • Cover objects with a flannel or bubbles for children to guess what they are.
Suggestions for toys • Empty plastic drinks bottles • Plastic cups • Jugs • Ladles/spoons • Egg cups • A variety of plastic containers such as yoghurt pots
For more ideas, click on the Every Child a Talker link on the Surrey Family Information Service homepage
www.surreycc.gov.uk/fis
www.surreycc.gov.uk Making Surrey a better place
Please note: children must never be left alone near water
Water play
Talking Time: Pre-schooler Exploring
Playing with water is an opportunity for your child to explore. Why not try the ideas out in the paddling pool, in the bath or even a washing up bowl. • Freeze a small bath toy in a plastic cup of water and ask your child to guess what will happen if you put it in warm water. Watch together as the ice melts. • See how many ways you can find to stop the water running out of a sieve.
Suggestions for toys Spoons, wooden blocks, sieves, funnels, plastic pots, a variety of brushes, droppers, water pistols, plastic bottles, a variety of sponges, paint rollers, straws, food colouring, whisks and bath books.
For more ideas, click on the Every Child a Talker link on the Surrey Family Information Service homepage
www.surreycc.gov.uk/fis
www.surreycc.gov.uk Making Surrey a better place
Please note: children must never be left alone near water
Water play
Talking Time: Pre-schooler Watery songs and rhymes
Everyone loves to sing in the bath and singing helps your child to hear rhythm and rhyme. hoose songs that have a lot of rhythm so C that your child can clap or splash along while you sing. Here are some ideas of good rhymes to try out: • Rub-a-dub-dub • Row, row, row your boat • 1,2,3,4,5 once I caught a fish alive • It’s raining, it’s pouring
Ask your child to think of all the watery words they know such as drip, drop, splish, splash, pour, splat. Sing or say them as they make the water move in that way. You could sing: It’s raining , it’s pouring The old man’s snoring He went to bed and bumped his head And couldn’t get up in the morning
For more ideas, click on the Every Child a Talker link on the Surrey Family Information Service homepage
www.surreycc.gov.uk/fis
www.surreycc.gov.uk Making Surrey a better place
Out and about
Talking Time: Pre-schooler In the garden
Children enjoy having the space to run about, explore and play. Don’t let the rain put you off, just wear wellies. • Plant seeds with your child and measure them as they grow. • Ask what they can see in the garden. Encourage them to ask questions. • Explore under the bushes and plants for insects. • Let your child use a camera to take pictures of what they see.
Inside the house • Use the fruit and vegetables from the garden to make a meal with your child, they can help by washing off the soil. • Talk about what your child saw in the garden. Ask them to draw or paint it. • Refer to pictures, books and the internet to name insects.
For more ideas, click on the Every Child a Talker link on the Surrey Family Information Service homepage
www.surreycc.gov.uk/fis
www.surreycc.gov.uk Making Surrey a better place
Out and about
Talking Time: Pre-schooler On a journey
Children can go on a journey whether you’re just popping to the post box or travelling on holiday. Look out for familiar or new things when you are out and about. • Choose something, like dogs, count how many you see. • Collect things as you walk along, such as leaves and talk about them. • Look at road signs and ask your child to guess what they mean.
Inside the house • Encourage your child to draw a picture of what they saw on their journey. • Later on ask your child to tell you what they remember from their journey. • Look at a map of your local area and talk about how you get from your house to the park. • Help your child to draw a map, it could be a treasure map.
For more ideas, click on the Every Child a Talker link on the Surrey Family Information Service homepage
www.surreycc.gov.uk/fis
www.surreycc.gov.uk Making Surrey a better place
Out and about
Talking Time: Pre-schooler At the park
Children love to run, jump, climb and swing. Don’t let the bad weather put you off. Children don’t mind rain or cold if they have the right clothes on. • Your child will love doing silly walks with you, use small steps, strides, tiptoe, jump or hop. Try putting together a routine. • Pretend to be different animals, things or people such as a rabbit, a plane or a soldier. • Take turns making shapes with your bodies. • Encourage your child to try new ways of moving.
Inside the house • Use your hands and bodies to make shadow shapes on the wall or cut out paper shapes and see if your child can guess what they are. • Play, Follow My Leader.
For more ideas, click on the Every Child a Talker link on the Surrey Family Information Service homepage
www.surreycc.gov.uk/fis
www.surreycc.gov.uk Making Surrey a better place
Out and about
Talking Time: Pre-schooler Going shopping
Help your child to enjoy going shopping. Try the ideas below. Let your child have the money to pay for something they have chosen such as their comic. • Plan an outing to pick your own fruit and vegetables so that your child can see how the food grows and what it looks like.
Inside the house • Sort the shopping into different kinds of food. • Make a shopping list with your child. You could make it with pictures. • Let your child help you to sort paper, plastic and cans for recycling. • Give your child a shopping bag and a variety of tins and boxes so they can play shops.
For more ideas, click on the Every Child a Talker link on the Surrey Family Information Service homepage
www.surreycc.gov.uk/fis
www.surreycc.gov.uk Making Surrey a better place
Out and about
Talking Time:
Pre-schooler Going on a picnic You can have a picnic anywhere, even inside if you spread a cloth or blanket on the floor. • Take a camera and encourage your child to take photos. • Talk to your child about which foods they like or dislike. Ask them to help share out the food. Is there enough or too much. • Encourage your child to choose healthy foods and to drink lots of water.
Inside the house • Talk to your child about what you need for the picnic and where you are going. • Let them help make sandwiches and choose what food to take. • When you get back talk about the picnic. • Make a book with the photos or drawings and talk about what you did.
For more ideas, click on the Every Child a Talker link on the Surrey Family Information Service homepage
www.surreycc.gov.uk/fis
www.surreycc.gov.uk Making Surrey a better place