Which one? Understanding the functions of objects

1 min read

A few familiar objects. For example: a dustpan and brush, hairbrush, toothbrush, flannel and a cup.

Put a few items on the floor.
Talk about each item as you put it down and let your child play with them if they want to.
Explain that you’re going to play a game. In the game, when you tell them what you want to do, they need to get you a useful object.
Ask for something by explaining what you want to achieve: “I need to brush my teeth, what should I use?”
Give your child time to think and get the object.
When they hand it to you, you can ask why they chose this one – this is especially useful if they hand you something surprising. It might not be obvious at first, but they will probably have a reason behind their choice.
If your child is reluctant to choose, you can pick an item yourself and explain why you picked that one.
Play for as long as your child is interested and engaged. You can take turns letting them request an item for you to fetch, as well.

This helps your child to make connections between the language used to describe items and what that item does.
By asking questions about the objects, your child is thinking about the way questions and answers are worded, and how these can help them understand the world.

Add more challenge by collecting a few items which do similar jobs, and talking about which one is right for a specific example. This could be having a dustpan and brush along with a large broom and hairbrush, then talking about the times you would use each.