Our People Book
What you need
- a small photo album with printed photos of family and friends
How to do it
- Sit together with the album on your lap and open it at the first face.
- Say who it is and one thing about them: 'Nana. Nana has a dog.'
- Let them turn the pages and stop on whoever they like.
- Say that person's name again each time they stop.
Why it matters
Toddlers love the faces of the people they know, and a book of just those faces gives them names to point at and say again and again.
What they're learning
- Naming people
- Saying Nana, Dad and Auntie over and over gives them words for the people who matter most.
- Pointing
- A finger on a face is a toddler's way of asking who that is, and of showing you they know.
- Turning pages
- Chunky album pages are a good size for little fingers turning one page at a time.
What to look for
Watch for them turning straight to one particular face, or patting a photo when you say that person's name.
A tip
Photos from a shop or a home printer both work. Plastic sleeves keep them safe from sticky fingers and chewing.
Make it easier or harder
Easier: use three or four photos and keep them in the same order every time
Harder: cover a face with your hand and ask 'who's this?' before you lift it
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