Grown-Up Guide: Let’s Talk!

This picture helps develop your child’s Mathematics by encouraging them to count, measure and compare ingredients as they cook. It also supports Communication and Language as children learn new cooking words and talk about what happens at each step.

Words you may find useful:

mix flour spoon bowl bake ingredients

What to do

Sit together and look at the picture. Let your child lead—follow what they notice first.

You say it first (Copy + Add)

“I can see a mixing bowl.”

“The child is stirring the cake mixture.”

“They are baking together.”

👉 Then, depending on the age of your child, add one or more words:

“A big mixing bowl.”

“Soft white flour.”

“A wooden spoon.”

💬 3 questions to build language

“What can you see?”

“What ingredients do you think they are using?”

“What do you think will happen when the cakes go into the oven?”

If no answer

That’s okay—keep modelling:

“They are mixing the ingredients.”

“The flour goes into the bowl.”

“The cakes will bake in the oven.”

⏱️ 2-minute routine

🥄 Choose a spoon and a bowl from your kitchen.
🔢 Count three ingredients together, even if you’re only pretending to bake.
🌀 Take turns stirring and describing what you’re doing using words like “mix”, “pour” and “stir”.
🧁 Help with a real cooking job later in the week, such as stirring pancake batter or mixing cake mixture

Keep it short, warm, and pressure-free.

Grown-Up Guide: Let’s Talk!

Words you may find useful:

supermarket trolley fruit vegetables shelf shopping

What to do

This picture helps develop your child’s Mathematics by encouraging them to count, compare and sort everyday foods. It also supports Communication and Language as children learn the names of familiar foods, make choices and talk about healthy eating.

Sit together and look at the picture. Let your child lead—follow what they notice first.

You say it first (Copy + Add)

“I can see a supermarket.”

“The child is helping with the shopping.”

“They are choosing fruit and vegetables.”

👉 Then, depending on the age of your child, add one or more words:

“A full shopping trolley.”

“Fresh, crunchy carrots.”

“Ripe yellow bananas.”

💬 3 questions to build language

“What foods can you see?”

“Which fruit or vegetable is your favourite?”

“What would you like to put in the shopping trolley?”

If no answer

That’s okay—keep modelling:

“I can see some apples.”

“The trolley is filling up.”

“They are buying healthy food.”

⏱️ 2-minute routine

🛒 Choose three foods from your kitchen or cupboards together.
🍎 Sort them into groups such as fruit, vegetables or other foods.
🔢 Count how many items are in each group and compare which has more or fewer.
💬 Talk about one healthy food you’d like to add to your next shopping list.

Keep it short, warm and pressure-free.

Grown-Up Guide: Let’s Talk!

Words you may find useful:

picnic sandwich fruit healthy basket blanket

What to do

This picture helps develop your child’s Communication and Language by encouraging them to name foods, describe what they can see and use new vocabulary. It also supports Physical Development as children begin to understand healthy food choices and why eating a balanced diet helps keep our bodies strong.

Sit together and look at the picture. Let your child lead—follow what they notice first.

You say it first (Copy + Add)

“I can see a picnic.”

“They are putting food into the basket.”

“The fruit looks fresh and colourful.”

👉 Then, depending on the age of your child, add one or more words:

“A juicy red strawberry.”

“A healthy picnic lunch.”

“A soft picnic blanket.”

💬 3 questions to build language

“What foods can you see?”

“Which healthy food would you choose to eat first?”

“What would you pack for your own picnic?”

If no answer

That’s okay—keep modelling:

“I can see some fruit.”

“They are making a picnic.”

“The basket is full of healthy food.”

⏱️ 2-minute routine

🍎 Choose two healthy snacks from your kitchen.
🧺 Pack them into a lunchbox or small bag together.
💬 Talk about why each food is good for our bodies.
🌳 Enjoy your snack together in the garden, at the park or even on a blanket indoors.

Keep it short, warm, and pressure-free.