2.5y–4.2y12 minReadingFamily timeQuiet time
My Photo Book: I Can 'Read' It
A warm photo-based reading activity using pictures of the child so they can begin to 'read' by themselves—naming people, retelling events, and linking simple labels/captions to meaning.
What you'll need
Essentials
- a small photo book/album OR 6–10 printed photos of your child (a simple sequence is fine)
- a comfy spot to look together
Nice to have
- paper and marker (to write 2–4 simple labels like names/places)
- a small envelope or clip to keep photos together as a 'book'
Movement level: false
What you'll do
The 4-step guide, with what to look for at each step, is for signed-in parents.
What this develops
- MilestoneRetells Recent or Past EventsMind· 2.3y–3.2y· core· Steps 1, 3
- MilestoneOrders a complete familiar sequenceMind· 2.5y–4.2y· core· Step 3
- MilestoneTalks through a pictured storyMind· 4.2y–5y· core
- MilestoneBeginning to be aware of the way stories are structured.Mind· 2.5y–4.2y· core· Step 3
- MilestonePredicts what happens nextMind· 2.8y–3.6y· core· Step 4
- MilestonePredicts what happens nextMind· 3y–5y· core· Step 4
- MilestoneIdentifies characters and eventsMind· 3.8y–4.6y· core· Step 1
- MilestoneAnswers simple open questionsMind· 2.3y–3.3y· stretch· Step 1
- MilestoneIdentifies named picturesMind· 2y–3y· core· Step 2
- MilestoneTells the next familiar eventMind· 2.5y–4.2y· stretch· Step 4
- MilestoneAttends and recallsMind· 2.5y–4.2y· stretch
What it practices
- Listens to and joins in with stories and poems, one-to-one and also in small groups.Observable behaviour from Development Matters
- Beginning to be aware of the way stories are structured.Observable behaviour from Development Matters
- Suggests how the story might end.Observable behaviour from Development Matters
Where it comes from
- Source
- Development Matters in the EYFS (DfE, 2012)
- Original guidance
- “Provide books containing photographs of the children that can be read by adults and that children can begin to ‘read’ by themselves.”
- License
- Open Government Licence v3.0
- Attribution
- © Crown Copyright 2012 (Development Matters in the EYFS, DfE)