Children and parents will practice listening and speaking skills by using a question and answer format to talk about photos and mementos from the child’s life. The child gets to be the “star” and the parent “interviews” the child about his life
Learning Area(s): Language and Communication; Social and Emotional
MATERIALS
- Photos of the child as a baby/toddler
- Photos of the child’s family, siblings, and/or pets
- Mementos of the child’s favorite activities
- Child’s favorite items/toys/stuffed animals
- Clipboard or pad of paper and pen for writing
LET'S PLAY
Together, gather items from the child’s life such photos, mementos, and favorite toys. Place the items in a large ziplock bag or grocery bag.
Sit with your child at the table or on the floor. Have the child take out one item at at time and describe it. Follow-up with questions that start with who, what, when, where, and why. Write down the answers to these questions on a pad of paper. For example: “Mary has markers in her bag because she likes to color” or “John learned to walk when he was one year old.”
After all the items have been described, you and your child can read the written sentences together.
TIPS
- If time allows, the photos and mementos can be glued into a sketchbook or onto paper to make a “Story of Me” book.
- If the child isn’t sure how to begin, you might say, “I see you have your favorite book. What is it about?” Or, “It looks like you have this stuffed cat. What’s special about this cat?”