AFTER THE PICTURE
Little word games,
all around you.
Six ways to take everyday English words into a shared moment. Pick one, change it to suit your child and leave the rest for another day.
1. Find it in the room
cup · hat · door
Choose one familiar object and say its name. “Can we find a cup?” Walk over together, point to it and repeat the word naturally. Let your child choose the next object.
2. Make the animal move
dog · bird · sheep
Choose a favorite animal picture. Pretend to flap like a bird or walk like a dog. Say the animal’s name while you move. Your own silly sound is welcome.
3. A tiny picture hunt
tree · sky · sun
Look through a window or go outside together. Point out one thing you can see and name it. A tree in the game and a real tree can look different while sharing the same word.
4. Draw, point, name
ball · cup · fish
Draw a simple picture on paper and name it. Let your child add marks or colors, then ask whether they would like you to draw another. The drawing need not be realistic.
5. Two objects and a cloth
cup · hat
Put two familiar objects together, name them and cover one with a cloth. Uncover it together and say the name again. For a more playful version, let your child hide the object for you.
6. Match a picture to a thing
cup · ball · fork
Choose a picture and place the matching real object beside it. Talk about what is the same and what is different: “This cup is blue. Our cup is yellow.”
These are ideas for playing together, not a developmental checklist. Your child can watch, point, join in or choose a different activity.
Find a picture to start with →
