desk
chair
crayon
pencil
notebook
Five school words to start with
The five word cards on this page have audio: play one, then find the real object at home and touch it together. Pointing to the right thing already counts, even before your child says the word.
- “desk”: the table where you sit to draw or write
- “chair”: the seat at the desk
- “crayon”: the thick wax stick for colouring
- “pencil”: the thin one you write with and sharpen
- “notebook”: the little book with empty pages
Naming things: “What’s this?” – “It’s a …”
One question works for every object: touch something and ask “What’s this?” The answer is “It’s a …” plus the thing: “It’s a desk.”, “It’s a chair.”, “It’s a notebook.” The question and answer have audio on this page too.
“This” is for something close, something you are holding or touching, so touch the object as you ask. A one-word answer such as “Pencil!” is fine at first; say the whole line back, “Yes, it’s a pencil!”
From naming to comparing
A spot-the-difference picture shows the same scene twice, side by side, with small changes. Your child needs the word “chair” before they can say that a chair is missing, so naming comes first. Then follow the same order each time:
- Sit side by side, so left and right mean the same for you both.
- Name two or three things in the left picture.
- Move your finger slowly to the right picture.
- Find what is missing, then what has changed colour.
Listen: two children compare two pictures
In this recording, two children compare the two pictures line by line. Point left and right as the lines play.
“No chair!” is a short, natural way to say that something isn’t there; the full sentence, “There’s no chair.”, can come later. In “Blue here. Green there!”, “here” is the picture you point at and “there” is the other one.
Nia Look left.
Leo A desk and chair.
Nia Look right.
Leo A desk. No chair!
Nia Blue here.
Leo Green there!
Three picture games at home
Keep each game to two or three minutes and stop while your child still wants to play.
- Two drawings: fold a sheet of paper in half and draw the same desk on both sides. Add a chair only on the left, and colour a crayon blue on the left and green on the right. Say “Look left.”, then “Look right.”, and let your child point to each change.
- Two plates: put a pencil, a crayon and a notebook on each plate. Take one thing off the right plate, or swap a blue crayon for a green one. Your child points and says “No pencil!” or “Green!”
- Swap roles: your child makes the change and you find it. Sometimes get it wrong on purpose so they can correct you.
Common mistakes and how to help
“It’s pencil.” Many languages have no small word like “a”, and young children drop short words anyway. Don’t explain the rule; say the whole line back with a smile, “It’s a pencil!”
Left and right mixed up. Many children of this age are still learning left and right, even in their home language. Point every time you say “left” or “right”.
Every drawing tool is a “pencil”. A crayon is the thick wax one, a pencil is the thin one you sharpen, and the thin ones for colouring are “coloured pencils”. Put one of each on the table and let your child sort them.
What comes next
When your child names all five things and finds both differences without help, add a colour before the thing: “a blue crayon”, “a green pencil”. Then try guessing with a yes/no question: “Is it a pencil?” – “Yes, it is.” or “No, it isn’t.” The links below show the colour questions that come before this topic and the guessing game that follows.