Skill shelf · listening, talking, first sounds and telling a story · 6 activities
Talking, Reading and Writing
Six activities where the work happens in the ear, the mouth and the voice: sounds, instructions, and getting a story into the order it happened in.
A three year old holds a picture card, says the sound the word starts with, and posts it through the slot marked with that letter. A four year old hears three instructions in one breath and goes and does all three without being reminded. Another walks a rope with her eyes shut, guided by nothing but your voice. A ping pong ball goes across the table through a straw, which is mouth work, and mouth work is speech work.
What shifts across the shelf is the size of what has to be held. At three it is a single sound at the front of a word. At four it is a sequence: three steps in order, or five cards laid out as the thing that actually happened, and then told back to you. At five it is names and places, with the continent puzzle putting seven words on seven shapes that only fit one way.
The pencil end of reading and writing is mostly a hands question, and it sits on Hands and Fingers. Our guide to hands, pencils and the grip question is the one to read before buying anything that promises better letters.
The six
Ordered by the age each one suits best. Every line gives the setup time, the play time and whether anything has to be bought.
- Cardboard Post Office and Sound Drop Your child holds a picture card, says the sound its word starts with, and posts it through the slot marked with that letter. 15 min, once · 10 to 20 min · household only
- Straw Blow Ping Pong Race Your child blows a ping pong ball across the table through a straw, and races it to a strip of tape at the far end. no setup · under 5 min · household only
- Three-Step Instruction Hunt You give three instructions in one breath, and your child goes and does all three, in order, without help. no setup · 3 to 5 min · nothing at all
- Blindfold Rope Path Walk Your child follows a rope laid along the floor with her eyes closed, finding the turns with her feet while your voice tells her what is coming. 2 min · 5 to 10 min · household only
- Story Sequence Cards Your child puts four or five cards into the order the thing actually happened, and then tells you the story they make. 2 min · 5 to 10 min · household only
- Continent Map Puzzle Your child lifts each continent out of a wooden map by its knob and puts it back where it came from. 1 min · 10 to 20 min · has to be bought
Five of these are a marker, some card and your voice. The continent puzzle is the one that has to be bought, and its page says so at the top rather than two thirds of the way down.