Three Bears' House

What you need

• three soft toys: a big one, a middle-sized one and a small one
• three bowls in three sizes
• three spoons
• three chairs or cushions in three sizes
• three blankets or scarves in three sizes

How to do it

1. Set the bears' house up together: line the three soft toys up from biggest to smallest, then give each one a bowl, a seat and a blanket of the right size.
2. Tell the story of Goldilocks with the toys, and let your child be Goldilocks, trying each bowl, seat and blanket in turn.
3. At each one, stop and ask whose it is: the big bear's, the middle bear's or the little bear's?
4. When the bears come back, let your child do the bears' voices: a big deep voice, a middle voice and a tiny squeak.

Why it matters

Goldilocks is a story built on big, middle and small, so acting it out with real bowls and seats puts the size words in their hands, and knowing the story lets them run it.

What they're learning

Size words

Big, middle-sized and little, matched to each bear.

Retelling a story

Knowing what comes next is what lets them act it out.

Answering why

Why did she choose the little bowl? A story they know well is the place to try.

What to look for

Notice them giving each bear the right bowl without needing to check.

A tip

Any three toys work if their sizes are clearly different. A big teddy, a doll and a tiny toy mouse make fine bears.

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