Big and Small World
Here's What To Do
On a walk, choose an object to focus on. It should be something there are a lot of (buildings, trees, cars, etc.). Ask your child to search for the object.
When you see the object, look for examples in two different sizes. Show your child the two sizes (example words: big/small, tall/short, wide/narrow).
Look for another example. Ask your child which object is big, and which is small (or tall/short, wide/narrow).
(Optional) Keep playing with a different focus object. Or, continue this game another day!
Put PEER Into Action
Pause:
- Find an object to begin and point together with your child to gain their attention; “Let’s start with this.”
Engage:
- "I'm noticing two trees right here. This one is very short. And this one is very tall!"
- "See those two buildings right there? Which one's small? Which one's big?"
Encourage:
- "Hmmm… to me that truck looks bigger than the car driving next to us. Can you look again and tell me if you think the truck is big or small?"
- Try emphasizing the size with hand gestures or the tone of your voice (like: hold your arms out wide and say "big" very loudly).
Reflect:
- Where are some other places we might be able to look for big and small things?
Not quite ready?
Point out big/small or tall/short items as you see them, and over time your child will develop the vocabulary to describe size.
Ready for more?
Ask your child to compare the size of 3 objects in the environment
As your child masters this skill...
They will use words to describe the size of two different objects.