2.5y–4.2y12 minDevelopmental playReadingFamily time
Word Spotter: Labels and Spaces
A gentle, hands-on activity to help children notice what a word is using names, labels, and pointing to words in the environment and books.
What you'll need
Essentials
- small pieces of paper or sticky notes
- a pen/marker
- one picture book
Nice to have
- masking tape
- a small basket to collect 'found words'
Movement level: low
What you'll do
The 4-step guide, with what to look for at each step, is for signed-in parents.
What this develops
- MilestoneAttends to book contentMind· 18mo–2.6y· core· Step 3
- MilestoneAttends to Shared Book ReadingMind· 18mo–2.7y· stretch· Step 3
- MilestoneIdentifies named picturesMind· 2y–3y· stretch· Step 4
- MilestoneListens and joins inMind· 2.3y–3.3y· stretch· Step 3
- MilestoneNames objects in contextMind· 2.5y–3.8y· stretch· Step 1
What it practices
Where it comes from
- Source
- Development Matters in the EYFS (DfE, 2012)
- Original guidance
- “Help children to understand what a word is by using names and labels and by pointing out words in the environment and in books.”
- License
- Open Government Licence v3.0
- Attribution
- © Crown Copyright 2012 (Development Matters in the EYFS, DfE)