Notes for adults

Age 1 · 5 min · Easy

Sing an original song and make sounds and movements for a car, train, airplane, boat, motorcycle, and truck.

Learning objectives

• Join in with a look, gesture, movement, or sound.
• Look at or point to at least one vehicle when an adult names it.
• Explore copying a sound or movement from the song.

What you need

• Printed page with the song and vehicle pictures.

Safety notes

Stay with your child throughout the activity. Hold the page if they try to tear it or put it in their mouth. Make the movements while seated or in a clear space.

How to do it

1. Sit close to your child and hold the page where they can see it.
2. Point to the car and name it.
3. Sing slowly, pointing to each picture and making its sound and movement.
4. Sing again, giving your child time to look, point, babble, or move.
5. Repeat the verses your child enjoys most.
6. Say goodbye to the vehicles and put the page away.

Teaching suggestions

• Pause after each sound to give your child time to respond.
• A look or movement counts as participation. Your child does not need to repeat the words.
• If there are too many pictures to look at, cover the others with your hand and show one at a time.
• Remember a vehicle your child has seen and say, “Look, a car like that one!”

Variations

• Make it easier: Sing just the car and train verses, pointing to one picture at a time.
• Add a challenge: Pause before a vehicle sound and see whether your child wants to add a sound or movement.
• Try it later: When you see a vehicle on a walk, name it and sing its verse.

Talk about it

• Which vehicle would you like to hear again?
• What sound would you like to make for the car?
• How can we move like an airplane?
• What do you see in this picture?

What to look for

• Notice whether your child looks at or points to a named picture.
• Notice whether they join in with a sound, gesture, or movement.
• Watch for interest in hearing a verse again.