Cats

Objectives: To teach your child to:
a) listen and understand sentences of at least 5-6 words
b) understand and use early connecting words such as ‘and’ and ‘then’
c) speak in 5-6 word sentences

Points to Remember:
1. Always begin by using longer sentences that combine known vocabulary.
2. Make sure you include conversational sentences to encourage the child to respond to someone’s comments.
3. Use a variety of sentences that contain descriptions, actions, lists of items, tell a story etc.
4. Remember to model the sentences and engage the child in conversation. Avoid asking questions to ‘test’ the child’s understanding.

Lesson:
This is a structured activity to help your child listen and understand longer and more complex sentences. Choose pictures, stickers, photographs of your child. I choose some miniature cats that we have collected over the last few months. Brooke loves "little things" and cats so I know this will be interesting and engaging for her. Then, follow the instructions given below:

1. Think about the sentences you will use and pay attention to the length and variety of the sentences. You should be using at least 5-6 words in your sentences, and at least two or three different types of sentences (descriptions, lists, questions etc). The most common mistake is using shorter sentences. It is okay if your sentences are longer, but they should not be shorter.
"Look at all these cats. There are many different kinds of cats on the table."
"There is a black cat holding a teddy bear in its mouth. Can you touch it?"
"The brown cat is might be taking a nap."
"I like the cute, white cat that is looking in the mirror."
"Which one is these little cats in your favorite?"
"Two cats are laying down: The gray cat and the brown cat."
"Do you see any cats that are the same?"
"The white cats on the red pillows are the same."

2. Go through your items and talk about them. I encouraged Brooke to talk about the cats and then expanded on her sentences.

Brooke said" This cat is bringing the bear to the baby cat." and "The orange cat plays with the frog (then something I didn't understand as she pointed to the bubble in the frogs throat)....so we talked about that. "The orange cat is playing with the frog that has a big bubble of air in his throat."
3. Continue until you have gone through at least 5 objects .

4. Then tell a story using the objects.
Using Brooke's idea of the brown cat taking the teddy bear to the baby, I told a short story using a few of the cats. I plan to retell her the same story later this afternoon and then she is she can re-tell me the story using the props.
Modifications:
1. Throughout your day, in addition to doing structured activities like this one, use longer and more complex sentences that combine descriptions, actions, and familiar vocabulary Your child will begin to understand these sentences over time, and will soon be trying to use longer sentences to communicate.
2. When completing this as a structured activity, you can choose pictures, stickers, photographs of your child or a family vacation, or a story to talk about. Whatever you choose it should be interesting and engaging for your child and you should be able to do something with the pictures after you’ve talked about them e.g. tell a story, make a photo album. You can also choose an experience activity such as baking cookies, a craft activity, etc. (remember to take some pictures so you can talk about it again later)
3. In earlier experience activities, you probably used phrases with about 3-4 words such as -- "the dishes are dirty!", "wash the dishes", etc. Now, for the same activities, make sure you expand your use of sentences. Instead, use sentences like “ Help me wash all the dirty dishes in the sink. We need to clean up and put them away!"
4. Carefully go through your day and what your child does. Change the way you are speaking to your child in each of these situations. For example, when its time for breakfast, instead of saying "It's time to eat!" or "It's time for breakfast!", use a sentence such as “I’m so hungry! Let’s have some cereal and a bagel for breakfast”.