It seems simple, but one of Gus' favorite things this week has been a basket of toy birds. He is very into watching for birds out our window so I thought he might like some small figures of different birds.
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It's a simple invitation that he just keeps coming back to. The basket contains a macaw, a pelican, a penguin, a toucan, a puffin, and an owl. These aren't birds he would see in our area naturally, so it's not about matching or finding them. For us it's simply play and language development.
I basically let Gus explore them however he sees fit. Often its taking them out and putting them back in the basket. Sometimes it's kissing them, or lining them up. Sometimes its simply throwing them across the room! My part is to just name them (when he's into that). We talk about what the name of each of the birds is called. We also get to talk about colors, parts of the birds, and eventually where they live.
This is a simple work that can be made with any type of model animals, cars, or other small animals. Eventually, we could make matching cards or other more structured work with these. For now, it's exploration and language.
So, if you're looking for some simple language work, this is a good one!
Have you used model animals with your toddler for language exploration?
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