How to play Touch & Talk

  1. Place all the items on the table. Allow the child to touch and explore the items.  Name them, talk about how they feel, look, what they are used for, where you find them, what parts they have, what they are made of, and anything else that comes to mind.

  2. Place the green picture cards face down on the table, pick one up and hold it so the child can’t see it.

  3. Read the sentence at the top of the picture card or modify it to suit your teaching purposes.  

  4. Wait for the child to arrange the items as best they understand.  Avoid intervening even if they are making a mistake.

  5. When they are done, show them the picture card. If they arranged the items correctly, great!  If not, identify what went wrong and employ some receptive language teaching strategies.

  6. Continue being the speaker until the child understands the sentences at that level about 80% of the time.

  7. Then switch roles and ask the child to be the speaker so they can practice their expressive language skills.  

  8. Position the objects exactly as the child describes even if you know they are saying it incorrectly.

  9. When you are done arranging, have the child show you the picture card.  If they described the image correctly, great!  If not, identify what went wrong and employ some expressive language teaching strategies.

  10. Move to the next level when the child is about 80% successful being the listener and speaker.

 

Item Checklist

Use the checklist to make sure the child knows the names of all the items in the kit. It's also a great way to account for all the items when you're all done playing!

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Vocab Building Worksheets

Help children build up their vocabulary by organizing the items into opposite pairs, size and quantity concepts.

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