What Is ‘What’s In The Box?’

‘What’s In The Box?’ aims to help children learn new vocabulary and to ‘store’ it, so that they can use it. The children are encouraged to learn new words by naming, describing, actioning and sequencing the objects that they choose from the box.

Naming – what are the parts of the object called?

Describing – how does it look, feel? What colour is it? Is it wet/dry?

Actioning – what does it do? Cook, roll, climb, fold, etc

Sequencing – can you tell a story with it? “

At home, parents/carers can encourage children by naming and describing objects, toys, places and pets. You can also encourage children to describe what they see, hear, taste and feel.

When playing, you can use action words to talk about what the toy or child is doing – climbing, running, drawing, swimming, etc.

Use ‘first … and then … “ to encourage your child to talk about what you are doing.

Eg “oh look! First mummy bathed the baby and then she ?…. “ letting the child finish the sentence is a good way of getting your child to join in and become more confident when using new words.

 

THIS WEEK’S BOX

THEME                      time and the sequence of the day

CONTENTS              a clock, Weetabix, Nursery Jumper, pyjamas

AIM                             to introduce the children to the language of time and link daily routines to time sequences

EXAMPLES OF NAMING WORDS

clock face                 minute hand              second hand

numbers                   buttons                       collar

sleeve                        cuffs                            packet

cereal                       wheat                           hour mark

 

EXAMPLES OF DESCRIBING WORDS

hard                         soft                          cosy

crunchy                  fleecy                       warm

dry                           yellow                      red

checked                   round                      circular

 

EXAMPLES OF ACTIONING WORDS

ticking                      moving                      pull (over your head)

button                      tocking                     eating

pouring (milk)            scooping(onto spoon)  dressing

 

EXAMPLES OF SEQUENCING

First we eat breakfast, then we get dressed and go to nursery.

Finally, we come home, put on our pyjamas and go to sleep.

 

WHAT THE CHILDREN SAID

‘Is the red the hour hand?’

‘You have to put milk in, then you crunch it, then you eat it.’

‘These are the hands of the clock.’

‘I eat them when it’s morning time.’

‘It’s 10 past 2.’

‘It wakes you up in the morning.’

‘Got loads of buttons.’

‘The sun goes down at night.’

‘That tells us the minutes.’