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.

Grown-Up Guide: Let’s Talk!

Words you may find useful:book story read bedtime page imagination

What to do

This picture helps develop your child’s Communication and Language by encouraging them to listen carefully, learn new words and talk about the story. It also supports Literacy as children begin to understand that books tell stories and reading can be enjoyable

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 book.”

“The grown-up is reading a story.”

“The child is listening carefully.”

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

“A colourful picture book.”

“A cosy bedtime story.”

“A happy listening child.”

💬 3 questions to build language

“What can you see?”

“What do you think the story is about?”

“Which story do you like reading at bedtime?”

If no answer

That’s okay—keep modelling:

“They are reading together.”

“This is a storybook.”

“The child is listening.”

⏱️ 2-minute routine

📚 Choose a favourite picture book.
👀 Look at the front cover and guess what the story might be about.
💬 Read just one or two pages together and talk about the pictures.
❤️ Finish by asking your child to tell you their favourite part.

Keep it short, warm, and pressure-free.

Grown-Up Guide: Let’s Talk!

Words you may find useful:

share friend together talk take turns kind

What to do

This picture helps develop your child’s Communication and Language by encouraging them to listen, talk and respond to others during play. It also supports Personal, Social and Emotional Development as children learn about sharing, taking turns and being a kind friend.

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 two children playing together.”

“They are sharing the toys.”

“They look like good friends.”

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

“Kind children sharing.”

“A tall block tower.”

“They are taking turns.”

💬 3 questions to build language

“What can you see?”

“What are the children doing together?”

“How can we be a kind friend when we play?”

If no answer

That’s okay—keep modelling:

“They are sharing.”

“They are building together.”

“The children are taking turns.”

⏱️ 2-minute routine

🧸 Look at two favourite toys.
🤝 Take turns choosing one toy each to play with.
💬 Say “Your turn” and “My turn” as you swap.
😊 Praise your child for sharing, waiting or using kind words.

Keep it short, warm, and pressure-free.

Grown-Up Guide: Let’s Talk!

Words you may find useful:

seed soil plant grow water garden

What to do

This picture helps develop your child’s Communication and Language by encouraging them to describe what they can see and explain what plants need to grow. It also supports Understanding the World as children learn about nature, growth and caring for living things.

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 seed.”

“The child is planting it in the soil.”

“They are helping the plant to grow.”

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

“A tiny little seed.”

“Soft, dark soil.”

“A green growing plant.”

💬 3 questions to build language

“What can you see?”

“What do seeds need to grow?”

“What do you think will happen after we water the seed?”

If no answer

That’s okay — keep modelling:

“It is a seed.”

“The seed is in the soil.”

“The plant will grow.”

⏱️ 2-minute routine

⏱️ 2-minute routine

🌱 Look at the seed, soil and watering can.
🌱 Name one thing a plant needs to grow.
🌱 Talk about what might happen next.
🌱 Try planting a seed or watering a plant at home.