Your Child Will Learn
To use adjectives and other words to describe a familiar place.
Here’s What to Do
- Ask your child to think of their favorite place. If possible, go to that place or look at a picture of the place.
- Pick something in the place to talk about (like, a stuffed animal in your child’s room, a swing at the park, etc.).
- Ask your child to pretend they were describing this object to someone who’s never seen it before. What words would help someone know all about it?
- Continue describing other objects in your child’s favorite place.
Put PEER Into Action
PAUSE
- Close your eyes and take a deep breath together.
ENGAGE
- “Can you think of your favorite place? Where are you thinking of?”
- “Grandma’s never seen the swing at the park. Can you pretend you’re telling her all about it? What does she need to know?”
ENCOURAGE
- Prompt your child to give more details about the objects, like: color, size, shape, texture, material, speed, age, how many, what it’s used for. Ask them how they feel about the object (is the swing fun, scary, something else?)
- If you think of a good descriptive word that your child may not know yet, share it. Don’t forget to celebrate your child for all the descriptive words they already know!
REFLECT
- Was it easy or difficult to think of words that described your favorite place?
Not Quite Ready
Think of a descriptive word that might be new to your child (like ‘turquoise’). Walk around your house and show them all the things that match that adjective.
Ready for More
When reading, pause when there’s a vocabulary word you don’t think your child knows yet. Ask them to use context clues to figure out its meaning.
As Your Child Masters This Skill
They will be able to use adjectives and other words to give a detailed description of their environment.
Time to Complete
20-30 minutes
Materials Needed
Pencil, crayons/markers/colored pencils, paper, index cards or a sheet of paper