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The missing word game

Activity

The missing word game

What to do with this activity?

Have fun with your toddler with the missing word game. Choose nursery rhymes or songs that they know very well. While you are doing something together, start reciting the rhyme but pretend you don't know what word comes next or put in a wrong word here and there. Have a laugh and encourage your little one to correct you or fill in the missing word.

Here's an example from Lewis Carroll's "Alice's Adventures in Wonderland". The Mad Hatter delivers a rather different silly version of "Twinkle, twinkle little star".

Twinkle, twinkle, little bat!
How I wonder what you're at!
Up above the world you fly,
Like a tea tray in the sky.

Have fun changing and mixing up words together. 

  • Why am I doing this?

    Children’s ability to think and understand experiences develops by listening and speaking. As a child’s language becomes more complex so does their ability to understand more complex thoughts and ideas. The family is the child’s first source of language and learning and there are lots of everyday activities that occur in the home, which can help children’s language skills. Your child will get better at using words when they practice words and hear the sounds of words.

  • How can I do more?

    Just keep talking and listening. Normal routines provide lots of opportunities for conversation and for all the family to learn new things. If you are walking down a street, point out things you see and talk about them. Explain new words, show the colours or point out shapes. Ask your child what animals or buildings they like. There’s no end to what you can talk about together.

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