Take turns with your child to come up with describing words (adjectives) for an object (e.g. get out a fork. “A fork is…grey” “A fork is…metal”, “A fork is…long” “A fork is…sharp “A fork is…hard” “A fork is…thin”). Try to come up with lots of describing words for the object.
Make it easier: Prompt or ask questions e.g. “What does the ball feel like?”
Make it harder: Take turns with your child to add describing words into a sentence (e.g. get out a ball. “It’s a big ball.” “It’s a big blue ball.” “It’s a big blue bouncy ball.” “It’s a big round blue bouncy ball.”) Again try to come up with lots of different describing words for the object.
Using pictures or objects, ask your child a question that identifies it. Your child tries to guess which picture you are talking about, e.g. “Find me something a baby sleeps in (cot)” “Find something that travels in the sky” (plane) “Find something that has a headlight” (motorbike). You might need to give more than one clue before they guess the right picture. You may also need to repeat all the things you have said. It is ok to give lots of descriptions until your child guesses correctly.
Make it easier: Use fewer, simpler pictures or objects to describe.
Make it harder: Choose more complex pictures or objects as they will lead to complex descriptions. Give examples using the first sound of the word.
