Activity: Naming words for a given category

Why?: Being able to sort words into categories is how our brains learn words! It gives us a way to make connections between words, such as their similarities and differences. Plenty of research has shown that the stronger these connections are, the better we are able to store and retrieve newly learned words.

What you will need: Get a toy or anything that you can build. Something a child can add to after each turn until it is finished. Mr Potato Head, Buckeroo and Pop-up Pirate are popular choices with Speech and Language Therapists. It is not essential that you have any of these but it’s definitely a good idea if you want to keep your child engaged.

You also need to think of some categories to ask questions about. Below are some examples:

Can you think of 5 things you can eat

Can you think of 5 fruit

Can you think of 5 vegetables

Can you think of 5 sports

Can you think of 5 animals

Can you think of 5 pets

Can you think of 5 colours

Can you think of 5 shapes

Can you think of 5 things you can wear

Can you think of 5 kinds of transport

Can you think of 5 body parts

Can you think of 5 things that belong in a bathroom

Can you think of 5 things that belong in a kitchen

Can you think of 5 jobs

How to make it easier: Reduce the task load and ask for fewer items if you think 5 might be too challenging e.g. ask for 3 things

How to make it challenging: Move on to specific categories within broader categories or categories that link words via attributes. Below are examples:

Can you think of 5 things you can eat for breakfast

Can you think of 5 animals that live in the zoo

Can you think of 5 animals that can swim

Can you think of 5 things you can wear for Summer

Can you think of 5 kinds of transport that go on the road

Can you think of 5 things that can fly

Can you think of 5 things that sound loud

Can you think of 5 things that are red

Can you think of 5 things that have wheels

Can you think of 5 things that feel soft