plane
puppet
robot
balloon
teddy
Five toy words to start with
Toys are an easy first topic: your child already has them and wants to talk about them. Play a toy card on this page, find the same toy at home and hold it up as you listen. Pointing to the right toy counts, even before your child says the word.
- “plane”: spread your arms and fly it
- “puppet”: a toy you move with your hand
- “robot”: the stress is at the start, RO-bot
- “balloon”: the stress is at the end, ba-LOON
- “teddy”: a soft toy bear, or “teddy bear”
Patterns: “What comes next?”
A pattern is a row that repeats in the same order. The simplest has two things taking turns: plane, robot, plane, robot. Touch each toy from left to right as you say it, stop at the gap and ask “What comes next?” Your child has to follow the order, not just repeat the last word.
In the two patterns below, one child names three toys and the other names the missing one.
Leo Plane, robot, plane… What comes next?
Nia Robot!
Leo Teddy, balloon, teddy… What comes next?
Nia Balloon!
The guessing question: “Is it a …?”
In a guessing game, one person secretly chooses a toy and the other guesses. The question starts with “Is”: “It is a robot.” becomes “Is it a robot?” Your voice usually rises at the end, which helps your child hear the question.
Below, the first guess is wrong, so the guesser tries again until the answer is yes.
Nia Guess my toy!
Leo Is it a robot?
Nia No, it isn't!
Leo Is it a teddy?
Nia Yes, it is!
Yes, it is. No, it isn’t.
Short answers repeat the start of the question: “Is it …?” – “Yes, it is.” At the end of a sentence “it is” stays as two words, so “Yes, it’s.” is wrong. For no, “No, it isn’t.” and “No, it’s not.” are both correct. The question and answer have audio on this page.
After “No”, name the right toy, so even a wrong guess teaches a word:
- “Is it a plane?” – “Yes, it is.”
- “Is it a robot?” – “No, it isn’t. It’s a puppet!”
- “Is it a balloon?” – “No, it isn’t. It’s a teddy!”
- “Is it a teddy?” – “Yes, it is.”
Three games at home
Keep each game to two or three minutes and stop while your child still wants more.
- Toy rows: line up two kinds of toys in turn (teddy, car, teddy, car) and leave a space. Ask “What comes next?” and let your child fill it. Then your child builds a row for you, and you count the toys together.
- Mystery bag: hide a toy in a bag. Your child asks “Is it a plane?” and you answer until they guess it. Then swap.
- Draw and guess: draw a toy slowly while your child guesses: “Is it a robot?” Then swap, and make a silly guess now and then (“Is it a cat?”) so your child can say “No, it isn’t!”
Common mistakes and how to help
“It is a robot?” Many languages make a question just by raising the voice, and some have no small word like “a”, so you may also hear “Is it robot?” Don’t explain the rule; repeat the question correctly as you pick up the toy.
“Yes” to every guess. Make the answer easy to check: hold up a plane and ask “Is it a plane?”, then “Is it a teddy?” A head shake is a good start; add “No, it isn’t!” for your child.
Any toy in the gap. Go back to the start of the row and say it again slowly, tapping each toy.
Where to go next
When your child finishes a two-toy pattern and asks and answers “Is it a …?” without help, try three-toy patterns (plane, robot, teddy, plane, robot, teddy) and colours: “Is it a red balloon?” The same question leads into family words: “Is it your mum?” The links below show the topics around this one.