RL.C.20 CHOOSES AN OBJECT WHEN NAMED, CHOICE OF 2

In this exercise, the child shows that she knows the names of familiar objects by choosing the one that is named to her in preference to another.

Teach RL.B.21 and RL.B.22 (responding to ‘give’ and point) before teaching this skill.

When you choose the objects to use in assessing and teaching this skill, choose objects that interest her – ones that she may, in time, want to talk about. Try, too, to choose toys that are of equal interest to your child – otherwise she may feel tempted to go for her beloved Rabbit even though she knows you said ‘spoon’.

The notes below relate to assessing and teaching the selection of 2 objects, but we advise teaching a second pair once these first 2 have been mastered. This is a crucial skill, and its achievement is something of an event, because it opens the door to a whole new area of teaching and learning. It is worth spending extra time strengthening this skill before continuing with the sequence.

How to Assess

Materials: 2 familiar toys (see notes above).

Method: Sit facing your child across her highchair or table. Say ‘Look, I’ve got … and …’. Give her time to look at each. Now say ‘Point to…’ or ‘Take …’ or ‘Give me …’ (whichever direction you feel most comfortable with).

Give 5 tries – two for each object, and one extra try. Change the position of the toys from time to time.

Score plus if your child points to or takes the named object in 4 out of the 5 tries – 2 for each object.

 How to Teach

Sit opposite your child as described under How to Assess.

Show her the toys, naming each one in turn. Then ask her to look at you. This is most important, as your child cannot respond to what you say unless she is attending to you.

It can be helpful to hide the toys in your lap after you have shown them to her and while you bring her attention back to you.

Then say ‘Point to the …’ (or whatever direction you have chosen) and bring the toys back into view.

If your child reaches for both of the toys at once, move them back out of her reach and repeat your direction.

If she reaches for the toy you have named, move it towards her so that she can point to it, or take it. Congratulate her warmly: ‘Clever girl, you found the . . . That’s the .. !’

If she reaches towards the other toy, or ignores your direction, move the ‘wrong’ toy slightly back and the ‘right’ toy slightly forward, so that it is more prominent. If she then takes the named toy, praise her and repeat the exercise.

If she is still uncertain of what to do, go back to the beginning of the exercise and spend extra time looking at and naming each of the objects. Repeat your direction and, if necessary, guide her hand towards the toy you have named.

Continue teaching until your child takes the named toy in 4 out of 5 tries for 3 consecutive teaching sessions. It is important to be very sure that she has mastered this skill before you start to offer her a wider choice of objects.

Playtime and Round-the-house Activities

Spend time playing with and talking about the objects you have selected for this activity outside your special teaching sessions. Play a hide-and-seek game, hiding one of the toys under a rug or upturned box and saying: ‘Where’s …? That’s it, you found …!’

Think about other objects that you might include in future selection activities, and emphasise their names to your child.

Remembering and Extending

This skill is directly extended in RL.C.24. But before moving on, we suggest that you work through RL.C.20 again using a second pair of objects.