P2 Read Write Count Activity Bag

Hank interrupts everybody and always talks about himself. But he’s trying to learn to listen and take turns. These are both skills that can help children make friends, and you can practise them by playing games where you have to wait your turn and pay attention to what other players are doing – like playing dominoes with your cards. 

You can find more tips to help kids make friends here. If your child is neurodivergent (for example, if they are autistic or have ADHD) you can find tips tailored to support them with friendships and socialising here.

If your child finds it hard to control their impulses (HONK!) our behaviour section has lots of tips that can help you support them without losing your cool. 

Hank’s obnoxious behaviour is making him lonely. So he starts doing kind things, like sharing toys. Our page on kindness has lots more ideas. You and your child could have a look and see which Hank could try – and maybe find some ideas you could have a go at together!

The picture of everyone in Class 2L at the beginning of the book is so fun, with lots of different faces and hairstyles. Can your child match up each child in the picture with their name and what they bring to Show and Tell? Which is their favourite object?

There are lots of rhyming words in this story. You could try finding rhymes as you go about your day – for example, on the walk to school can your child find things to rhyme with bus, road, park, car and so on? Does anything rhyme with their name? Thinking up rhymes is a great way to practise their phonics.

At the end of the book, Zorg the alien takes all the objects away to put in a cosmic museum. After reading the book together, you could ask your child which objects from your home they’d put in a museum, and why. Maybe it’s their teddy, a favourite game or book, or a device like the toaster or telly. You could ask them to draw their museum and all the things in it. Or they could arrange their toys as if they were on display in a museum, with labels telling people all about them.

When you’re out in the garden or the park, your child could use their binoculars to see what bugs and beasties they can find. Just move a stone and you’re bound to find some! Ask them to look at them carefully and when you get home, they could draw a picture of what they’ve seen.

Next time you go for a walk, take the binoculars with you and see how many different birds you can spot together. You could make bingo cards of common birds and see who can get the most. Have a look at the RSPB website for some inspiration, and to draw or print out some pictures for your cards.

It doesn’t have to be birds! Your bingo card could be of cars, or dogs, or trees, or anything else you can spot in your area.

Pretend your child is heading off on an expedition with their binoculars. What snacks would they need to pack? You can find lots of easy, fun recipes here that you could make together, then enjoy as a picnic in the park, on the bus or on the living room floor!

Pick a character, item and setting from the story cards and see what tales your child can come up with. Select one of each at random and then let your imaginations run wild! You could take it in turns with your child to build the story sentence by sentence, and to pick more cards to add to the story.

Try and get the family together for dinner and then use the Talk it Out cards to start a conversation. You could ask your child to pick the first card, so they feel in charge. 

Have a look at the Act it Out emotion cards and have a chat with your child about how they think each character is feeling. How do they feel inside when they’re upset, or happy, or angry? Our page on talking to your child about mental health has more tips for helping them talk about how they’re feeling.