Storytime playtime – find objects from a book, ready to play with later

What you need 

• A story book that has images of some of the things you might have at home, so it could be a farm-related book and you have a toy farm set  

What to do 

1. Find a time of day where you can snuggle in for a cosy story together.  
2. Before reading the story, put some of the matching objects close to where you will read. 
3. While reading, say things like, “We have a cow there,” while pointing to the cow.  
4. Watch to see whether your toddler changes their focus from the book to the cow.  
5. Ask your toddler to look for things too, by saying things like, “I wonder whether we can see a pig,” or “I’m sure I’ve seen a horse in this room.”  
6. By the end of the story, your toddler might look at the illustration and then look around the room for the matching object. 
7. Leave the book and objects close by ready for playtime, your toddler might choose to use them in a game or continue their version of the spotting game later.