LA T2.07Vocabulary Cards in Categories
The adult names realistic picture cards from one group, three at a time, and the child shows each named card.
Safety
- Check laminated cards for peeling edges and sharp corners; loose laminate film is a choking hazard.
Presentation
- 1
Bring the box to the table with the child. Say the group name: "These are fruits."
- 2
Lay out three cards in a row.
- 3
Period 1: point to each card and name it two or three times: "This is a pear. Pear."
- 4
Period 2: "Show me the pear." "Put the plum in my hand." "Put the peach at the top." Move the cards around between requests.
- 5
Say the name again as the child points: "The plum." This is the point of interest: the child finds the named card.
- 6
Stay in Period 2. If the child picks another card, name that card and ask for the first one again later, without saying "no".
- 7
Add two or three more cards in this or a later session.
- 8
Invite the child to put the cards back in the box and return it to the shelf.
Extensions, easiest to hardest
- More cards in a set, up to 8
- New topics, following the child's interests and the seasons
- Period 3 ("What is this?") once the child is talking freely
- The child lays out the set and names the cards for the adult or another child
Control of error
The adult. When the child shows a different card, the adult names it and asks again later; the child is never told "wrong."
Ready to move on when the child…
- Shows each named card in a set of 6–8
- Names cards without being asked
- Uses a group word ("fruit", "animals") when talking
- Chooses a card set on their own
Guide note
Use real photographs or realistic drawings, not cartoons. Begin with things the child has seen and held, then add things they know only from books. Include foods, clothing, and objects from the children's own homes and cultures.