stickers
posters
comics
postcards
badges
shells
Words for things children collect
Six things many children collect are stickers, posters, comics, postcards, badges and shells. With more than one, English adds “s”, even after a number: “twelve shells”, “twenty postcards”. In “badges” the ending adds a beat, so it sounds like “badge-iz”. Three place words complete the picture: things are “in” a box, “on” a tray or a wall, and “beside” something else.
- “What do you collect?” “I collect stickers.”
- “My posters are on the wall.”
Asking permission: “Can I use your camera?”
Start with “Can I” and add the verb. The short answer does not repeat the verb: “Yes, you can.” or “No, you can’t.” “Please” makes it more polite. A reason can follow with “to”, and the person who agrees can add a condition with “but please…”.
Nia Can I use your camera to photograph our displays?
Leo Yes, you can, but please turn it off after the last photo.
Can I, can we, can he: questions and short answers
“Can” comes first, then the person, then the verb. “Can” never changes, and the verb after it has no “to” and no “s”. The answer depends on who is speaking: if children ask “Can we turn on our TV?”, a parent says “Yes, you can.”, while a friend in the same group says “Yes, we can.”
- “Can I use your camera?” “Yes, you can.”
- “Can we turn on our TV?” “Yes, you can.”
- “Can he use their computer?” “No, he can’t.”
Your, our, their: saying whose it is
These words go before a thing and show its owner. “Your camera” belongs to the person you are talking to, “our computer” to a group that includes you, and “their CD player” to other people. To ask about the owner, use “Whose…?” With a name, add ’s: “Mina’s badges”.
“Their”, “there” and “they’re” sound the same, as do “whose” and “who’s”, so check them in writing.
Nia Our collection fair starts today. I have twenty postcards in this blue box.
Leo Great! I have twelve shells on the green tray.
Leo Whose badges are beside the posters?
Nia They are Mina’s badges.
Turn on, turn off: words for devices
Permission questions are often about technology, so children also learn computer, TV, DVD player, CD player, camera and MP3 player; the same sentences work with a tablet. With a noun, “on” or “off” can go before or after it: “turn off the TV”, “turn the TV off”. With “it”, “on” or “off” always comes after: “Please turn it off.”
- “Can we turn the TV on?” “No, you can’t. It’s bedtime.”
Writing a collection page: a question and three sentences
Next, your child can write about a collection: one question and at least three sentences. For example: “Our collection has badges, stickers and comics. We have twenty badges, ten stickers and five comics. Can I add a shell? Yes, you can.”
- A question ends with a question mark, a sentence with a full stop.
- In a list, put commas between the things and “and” before the last one.
- Every sentence starts with a capital letter.
A home game: our collection fair
Pick two or three small collections at home, such as stickers, shells or toy cars. Your child counts each one, puts it in a box or on a tray and presents it: “I have twelve shells on the tray.”
Before photographing the display, your child asks for the camera or phone in English. Sometimes say yes with a condition, sometimes no with a reason. End with a clue: “It’s a big fish in the sea. Which word is it?” “Shark!”
Common mistakes and quick fixes
These are normal at this stage. Repeat the sentence back correctly and carry on.
- “Can I to use your camera?”: no “to” after “can”: “Can I use your camera?”
- “Yes, you can use.”: stop at “can”: “Yes, you can.”
- “Can he uses their computer?”: no “s” after “can”: “Can he use their computer?”
- “There computer”: an owner is “their”: “their computer”.
- “Who’s badges are these?”: “Whose badges are these?”
- “Turn off it.”: “Turn it off.”
What comes next
When asking permission is easy, your child can describe what people are doing right now: “We’re swimming.” That leads to a short holiday postcard and the spelling of -ing words.