Question words
Who?
Action – Make small horizontal circles in the air with your indexfinger pointing up to the ceiling. Have the palm of your hand towards you and adopt a questioning facial expression.
Have four different toys e.g. Thomas the Tank Engine, a doll and a teddy. Say “Who am I talking about?” Make the sign for “Who?” as you say that word. Say one thing about the character e.g. “He has furry ears”. Can the children guess “Who?” Children can volunteer to come out to the front and make a statement about one of the characters. Can the other children guess “Who?” A child could choose and hold one of the characters while they say three different things about it?
Display a big picture with more than one character in it. Say “Who am I talking about?) Do the action for “Who?” when you say that word. Say something about one of the characters in the picture e.g. “he has a long tail” or “he is wearing a hat”.
Use the terms “he” or “she” when working on “Who?” and avoid “it”.
Where?
Action – Hold your hands in front of you with palms up and fingers together. Move in small flat outward circular movements. Adopt a questioning facial expression.
Teach the concepts and vocabulary of place and position.
“Where” (do the action) is teddy?” He is on / under / beside / in front of / behind / in the box”. Use different toys and not always a box. Teddy could be “on” or “under” a chair. Ask a child to move teddy and say “Where?” they have moved him to. “I have put him under the bucket”. Perhaps you could have one toy and a choice of three things to put him on / under / in etc. e.g. A box, cushion and toy bed.
Use opportunities during play to develop the concepts and language of place and position. “Where” (action) is the funnel?” “It is on / in the sand”. Throwing a ball or bean bag into a bucket is a good game. “Oh, where (action) did it land?” – in front / behind / in / beside the bucket. Throwing bean bags into a hoop can be easier. “How many beanbags landed “in” the circle? How many red beanbags landed “in” or “out of” the circle?
Outside play might give the opportunity for Hide and Seek. “Where (action) is Ben?” Or make a treasure hunt – “Where (action) have I hidden the treasure chest?”
Display a big picture and ask “Where?” (action) this is e.g. The park / kitchen / seaside etc. Also ask more specific “Where?” questions e.g. “where (action) is the boy?” The boy is “in” the water”.
Have a globe of the world easily accessible to the children, preferably with a simple atlas near to it. Show the globe to the children and explain that it is a model of the world we live in. It shows land and water. The land is known by continents and countries and the water as oceans and seas. There are seven continents and lots of countries.