UNDERSTANDING CONCEPT WORDS

 

Concept words are important for children to learn as we use them a lot in everyday language. Concepts words include:

• Colour e.g. blue
• Size e.g. big
• Length e.g. short
• Position e.g. under
• Time e.g. before
• Negatives e.g. not
• Possession e.g. ‘mummy’s’

 

TOP TIP: When introducing concepts it is important to introduce only one concept at a time. For example: Put together a collection of ‘big’ items and talk about them being ‘big’. The next stage is to introduce ‘big’ and ‘not big’. The final stage is to talk about things being ‘big or small’. Make sure that at first the small objects are very small and the big objects are very big, so that it is easy to see and understand the difference. Introduce a colour such as ‘blue’. Put together a collection of blue items and talk about them being ‘blue’. Next, find a range of different coloured items and describe them as ‘not blue’. Using sorting hoops can be particularly effective i.e. blue things in the ‘blue’ hoop and different colours in the ‘not blue’ hoop.

 

The activities below are designed to support the development of concept words. As the child gets older, you will need to expand these activities to give the child an opportunity to learn more complex concept words.

 

COLOURS

To match up to 4 colours (red, yellow, blue, green)

 

Language: red; yellow; blue; green; find; same; match; another

• Hide and seek – hide a red brick and ask the child to find one the ‘same’ or ‘another red brick’.
• Balloons – use two balloons of each colour. Hold a blue balloon and ask the child to find the other blue one.
• Clothes – hold one red sock and ask the child to find another red sock. Continue with other items of clothes and colours.
• Bricks – build towers using the same colour bricks.
• Puzzles and games which give opportunities to match and name colours e.g. Snail Race, Match a Balloon, dominoes.
• Use a range of coloured materials e.g. card board, tissue paper etc. Stick matching red pieces onto the red piece of card.
• Balls and buckets in outdoor play- throw the red balls into the red bucket, and continue with the other colours.

 

To sort objects by colour.

• Playhouse – set the table in the playhouse with matching cutlery and crockery for each setting.
• Use a variety of hoops, balls etc and ask the child to find a blue ball or jump in a red hoop.
• Dressing – set out a range of clothes and dress the dolls or teddies in a specific colour.
• Sorting – sort objects such as fruit, compare bears, beads, cotton reels into the correct colour sets.
• Dressing up – collect a range of coloured cards and matching coloured sets of clothes (e.g. hat, scarf, gloves). Hold up one of the cards and ask a child to put on the clothes which match the colour.
• Have a selection of coloured beads/bricks/cars etc on the table. Ask the child to find the blue car.
• Have a selection of crayons/paints available. Ask the child to find a named colour crayon/paint.
• During physical play, have coloured hoops and balls/beanbags. Ask the child to find a named colour ball/beanbag and throw it into the same colour hoop.
• Have coloured fish in the water tray/magnetic fishing game, and ask the child to catch a named colour fish.

 

SIZE

To identify big and little objects.

 

Language: big; little; Which is..? find; point to

• Hide objects in big and little boxes. Ask the child to find a big box and see what’s inside.
• Playdough – different sized cutters e.g. big and little circles. Ask the child if they can make a big circle.
• Goldilocks and the 3 bears – set the home corner with items from the story, encourage re-enactment and matching object sizes to bears e.g. little bear and the little chair.
• Bury big and little toys in the sand tray e.g. dinosaurs, lorries, toy people. Ask the child ‘Where is the big dinosaur?’
• Have big and little containers in the water tray. Ask the child to find a big cup to fill.

 

LENGTH

TOP TIP: Make sure the objects are very short or very long and use gesture initially to help with meaning.

To identify long and short objects.

Language: long; short; Which? Point to; show me; find

 

• Playdough – ‘Can you roll a long/short sausage?
• Ribbons – Explore and play with long/short ribbons. Use the ribbons in the outdoor play area, watch them flow around in the air as the child runs. ‘Wave the long ribbons in the air.’
• Make a collage using long and short strips of paper. ‘Can you find a long piece?’
• Sort a range of equipment and toys according to length e.g. long and short trains, clothes, socks, skipping ropes, toy snakes.

 

POSITION

To follow simple instructions involving ‘in’, ‘on’ and ‘under’.

Language: in; on; under; put

• Use throughout everyday routines e.g. ‘put the cars in the box’ during tidy up time.
• Encourage the child to complete simple obstacle courses during physical play e.g. ‘Can you go under the chair?’
• Hide an object e.g. a teddy. Talk about where teddy is e.g. ’He’s under the book.’
• Use simple instructions when cooking e.g. ‘Can you put the spoon on the plate.’
• When using small world play e.g. the dolls’ house, give the child simple instructions e.g. ‘Can you put daddy in the bath’, ‘Put baby on the table.’

Position words which develop later include: in front of, behind, next to, inside, outside, above, below. These can easily be introduced within the routines of the session e.g. snack time, outside play time etc.

 

TIME

To understand basic concepts of time

TOP TIP: Remember that the child’s use of verb tenses is related to the child’s awareness of the passing of time. Use the child’s personal experiences to develop this for example, ‘today you are painting the tree’, ‘yesterday you painted the house’ and ‘tomorrow you will do the sky’.

 

TOP TIP: In a setting, use a velcro picture/written timetable to teach the concept you wish to develop e.g. ‘now’, ‘next’, ‘later’

Language: next; then; day; night

 

• Read stories which are on the subject of time e.g. going to bed, and day time activities.
• Design areas in the play house which clearly show activities for day time and an area where beds are made – encourage the child to re-enact.
• Use a variety of small world play equipment to give the child opportunities to re-enact bed time and day time.
• Have a range of photographs of activities we do in the day and at night, encourage the child to sort the photos into day and night activities.
• Look at clothes we wear in the day and when we go to bed encourage the child to wear appropriate clothes when playing in the playhouse.
• Describe the routine of the day as it occurs. ‘First we are going to have a snack and then we will go out to play.’
• During a circle time, use prompt pictures to talk about what they did yesterday and what is going to happen today. At the end of the session, think about what they might do tomorrow.
• Ask the child to put a simple photographic sequence in the correct order e.g. getting dressed, brushing teeth, familiar story.

 

NEGATIVES

To understand the concept of negatives

Language: no, not (this is about understanding the significance of this little word which so changes the meaning of a sentence)

 

• Have symbol cards for ‘yes’ and ‘no’. Give the child an object/picture and ask them ‘Is this a banana?’ The child puts the object/picture on the appropriate symbol card.
• Have a choice of two action picture cards/photographs. Ask the child to find ‘Who is not walking?’
• Have a choice of two objects/pictures of objects. Ask the child to give you the one that is ‘not a car.’
• During small group activities, talk about what the children are wearing and ask them to stand up if they are not wearing trousers.
• When playing with a parachute, ask any child who is not a boy to run underneath.
• Use an activity scene, e.g. children playing in a park and ask questions like ‘Show me a boy who is not standing’.

 

Language: can’t, don’t, won’t, didn’t, wouldn’t

• Model in activities like PE e.g.

Girls – do run

Boys – don’t run

 

TOP TIP: Children need to recognise that ‘n’t’ equals ‘not’; ‘can’t’ equals ‘cannot’, ‘didn’t’ equals ‘did not’. You will need to make this explicit for some children.

 

POSSESSION

To carry out a simple request involving possession.

Language:…’s

 

• Have a dolly and teddy sitting in front of the child. Have a plate in front of each toy. Give the child a piece of toy food and ask them to ‘Put it on dolly’s ’
• Ask the child to bring in photographs of his family members/pets etc. Show them to all the children. Then lay a selection of the photographs out on the floor and ask the child to find ‘Susie’s mummy.’
• Have two dressed toys in front of the child e.g. teddy and dolly. Ask the child to show you ‘teddy’s coat’, ‘dolly’s shoes’ etc. Similarly, this can be done with pictures.
• Set up a picnic with a small group of children. Give simple instructions e.g. ‘put the spoon in Joseph’s cup.’
• Ask the child to be a helper and find ‘Ashram’s coat’.