Vocabulary Development: Animals

Does your nursery need themed resources? Or are you running a group to develop children’s vocabulary? Are you looking for language development ideas for a toy library?
The resources you find in this section (and the other ‘Vocabulary Development’ sections) would be useful in a range of situations.

This section includes a range of products focussing on ‘Animals’ that children will easily recognise from the home, farm or wild.


HOW TO HELP VOCABULARY RANGE AND WORD LEARNING.
Young children learn words by hearing them used over and over again, in the correct context. For various reasons, some children struggle to develop their vocabulary range – they learn and use fewer words than expected for their stage of development. Often, these children need the adults around them to actively do something different to support the child’s language learning; for example, to use the vocabulary that is lacking, (e.g. when the child is playing, name the items they are using).

Some of the products listed below can be used in free or directed play. For more specific work, set up groups or work with individuals on a vocabulary theme. If you want more information on vocabulary development for particular children, we advise you to contact your local Speech and Language Therapy Department.

Giant Puzzle: Farm A colourful puzzle with 24 large easy to handle pieces. There is so much to discover and talk about in this lively scene. Children will be keen to return to the Farm time and time again . Manufacturer: GALT Price:       £9.99 Product Code:       CQ323 Use this jigsaw just for fun – or to talk about what the people and animals are doing (verbs), where they are (prepositions), what clothes they are wearing… Aimed at 3-6 years.

Room Make Over Kit: Funberry Farm This is the FunToSee Fun Berry room make over kit. Transform those dull corridors, uninspired nursery rooms, tired clinics and un-welcoming waiting areas! These amazing make-over kits will instantly brighten up any room, and provide a talking point as well. Children (and adults) will love the bright designs and delightful characters. Easy to apply, removable and splash-proof, they appeal to NHS sites and early years settings because they are wipe clean. This set consists of 72 stickers including lots of animals (from 90cm), such as a pony, donkey, pig, cow, mice and chicken. Click on the picture to see how your room could look! Manufacturer: FunToSee Price:       £39.99 Product Code:       CQ503 One kit really does transform a whole room, with stickers that adhere to walls, furniture, doors and bathroom tiles. They can be re-stuck as many times as you like, so don’t worry if you want to rearrange them. They are so easy to position that some settings buy more than one design and swop them between rooms on a regular basis. They leave no mark or residue… so don’t worry about what the caretaker will say!

Room Make Over Kit: Jungle Safari This is the FunToSee Jungle Safari room make over kit. Transform those dull corridors, uninspired nursery rooms, tired clinics and un-welcoming waiting areas! These amazing make-over kits will instantly brighten up any room, and provide a talking point as well. Children (and adults) will love the bright designs and delightful characters. Easy to apply, removable and splash-proof, they appeal to NHS sites and early years settings because they are wipe clean. This set consists of 54 stickers (from 67cm), including Chumper the Elephant and Laurence the Lion and a 170cm Wall Hight Chart. Click on the picture to see how your room could look! Manufacturer: FunToSee Price:       £39.99 Product Code:       CQ502 One kit really does transform a whole room, with stickers that adhere to walls, furniture, doors and bathroom tiles. They can be re-stuck as many times as you like, so don’t worry if you want to rearrange them. They are so easy to position that some settings buy more than one design and swop them between rooms on a regular basis. They leave no mark or residue… so don’t worry about what the caretaker will say!

Stack and Nest Farm Friends Four colourful animals to stack by size or nest inside each other for a fun game of peek-a-boo. With textures and sounds to explore. There is a rattle, bell or squeaker in each animal as well as crinkle texture material. Soft, safe and machine washable. Packed in a PVC bag with carry handle. Click on the picture to the left for a closer look. Manufacturer: GALT. Price:       £12.99 Product Code:       CQ309 A useful resource for young children, this toy can be used in any activity which reinforces animal vocabulary. Take turns to build and topple the tower, encourage interaction and manipulation skills, or turn them upside-down and use the cups to hold counters for older children. I have also hidden sound or object cards underneath the cups in a hide and seek game.

Soft Building Blocks Six foam-filled fabric cubes with colourful animal pictures. Soft and safe. Ideal for squeezing, throwing and building. Different sets of pictures on the sides mean that the cubes can also be used to play match the pairs, name the animals, find the verb, join clothes on a washing line or sequence stories using the six teddy activities. This resource is a fun activity for any child… or a whole therapy session rolled into one! Packed in a PVC bag with carry handle. Manufacturer: GALT. Price:       £8.99 Product Code:       CQ308 Ideal for anyone who has ever been on the receiving end of the more traditional wooden building block! These soft cubes really are a useful resource. The simplest activity is probably a turn taking tower build. However, you can adapt the complexity of your activity to the child’s language level with this one toy, depending on which side of the block you talk about.

Animal Pairs Game A simple fun game designed to encourage the development of a child’s vocabulary, memory and concentration. 54 picture cards featuring colourful animal characters and play guide. Manufacturer: GALT Price:       £4.99 Product Code:       CQ319 Remember – you don’t have to use all the pieces – for younger children, or those just developing their skills, choose a few well known animals and just use those.

Felt Creations: Pet Shop A large felt board with a large number of felt pieces, including children, clothes, various animals and scenery pieces.. Click on the picture for a closer look. Support your stories, or let children’s imagination run wild! Price:       £7.99 Product Code:       CA038 This set can be used to develop vocabulary (animals, clothes, etc.) or prepositional language (‘placement’ phrases and words such as in front, behind, next to etc).

Squidgy Farm Animals A set of 6 farm animals, made of soft, wipe clean plastic. One of each: dog, sheep, cow, horse, donkey and pig. These friendly characters can be used in a range of situations to develop vocabulary or just to have fun. They are similar to the big and little farm animal range, (please note that the cow, sheep and pig characters are identical to that range – so can be used to extend size vocabulary further if required). Approximate length of each: 12cm Price:       £9.99 Product Code:       CQ140 These animals can be used in your small world play. Talk about the animals as you interact with the children. Can be used to gain knowledge of a child’s level of understanding – use questions such as, “where’s the dog’s tail?”, or “wash the sheep’s eyes”, etc.

Squidgy Rubber Farm Animal Set This set of characterful and fun farm animals have been specially selected by ’Starting Out Right’. They include a cow, pig and a sheep (as well as a ‘free’ duck) and come in their own transparent presentation pack. Each animal is wipe clean and made of a soft plastic body. Each is very robust and will hurt a lot less if he gets thrown at you! Suitable from 18 months plus. Length: 5-12cm. Price:       £5.99 Product Code:       CQ143 These animals are great for animal vocabulary development. How about practising your prepositions, (location words), by putting the cow next to the sheep or under a box or in a bag.

Wooden Puzzle: Animals A lovely inset board featuring funny farm animals. The pieces are slightly raised so they are easy for small fingers to grip and lift. The characters are clearly defined and colourful. Use as a prompt for animal vocabulary – ‘pig’ and ‘dog’ are often recognised early on – but who knows ‘goat’? Manufacturer: GALT Price:       £5.99 Product Code:       CQ324

Chunky Wooden Puzzle: On the Farm A wooden colourful and characterful seven piece, chunky inset board. The familiar animals can be easily manipulated by small hands. Price:       £11.99 Product Code:       CC001 Younger children, or those with difficulty focussing their attention, may find it hard to complete this type of puzzle - especially if it is in a settling where children have choice to move quickly from activity to activity. Support them by sitting alongside them, giving them one piece at a time, and telling them about the piece. Use the animal sound or the name of the animal to help the child locate which piece you mean.

Whose Tail Game 10 look - and – match photo puzzles with clear representations of a range of animals. Children will love fitting the chunky pieces together. An excellent opportunity to talk about different animals and all sorts of legs, feathers, tails and beaks! Manufacturer: GALT Price:       £4.99 Product Code:       CQ320

Whose Home Puzzles This is an excellent jigsaw set of ten 2-piece puzzles. Each puzzle has clear photographs of an easily recognisable animal and its home. Children can therefore be exposed to everyday vocabulary such as dog and cat, and more unusual words such as hutch or den. Manufacturer: GALT Price:       £5.99 Product Code:       CQ326 These jigsaws have 2 piece links (so it’s not a disaster if you loose one piece!). They lend themselves to free play and more focused work in small groups or one to one with a child. What about keeping all the animal pieces to one side, and seeing if the children know who lives in each piece? Or just having a few linking pieces out, so you can really talk about what the photos show.

Whose Baby Puzzle Set This is an excellent jigsaw game from GALT. It features clear photographs and a range of animals, from farm to wild and exotic. The sturdy pieces snap together easily. As it contains 2-piece links, it is not a disaster when you inevitably loose one piece – the rest of the jigsaw links can still be completed! Manufacturer: GALT Price:       £5.99 Product Code:       CQ328 These jigsaws are ideal for free play in a nursery setting, small group time, or one to one with a child. What about keeping all the mummy animals to one side, and the children take turns to find which one goes with the baby pieces you have given out? Who knows the word for a baby dog? What about a baby horse? An ideal way to extend vocabulary, but also to sort and categorise – which animals are the babies? Which live on a farm? Or in a zoo?

Mother and Baby Puzzle Set A set of 16 two-piece puzzles which depict mother and baby animals. The illustrations are clear and colourful, and the jigsaw pieces are easy to snap together. Perfect for small hands and developing minds. The jigsaw features both common and more unusual animals – allowing discussions about the familiar, and an opportunity to extend and develop language skills. Manufacturer: GALT Price:       £5.99 Product Code:       CQ327 These jigsaws are ideal for free play in a nursery setting, small group time, or one to one with a child. What about keeping all the mummy animals to one side, and the children take turns to find which one goes with the baby pieces you have given out? Who knows the word for a baby dog? What about a baby horse? An ideal way to extend vocabulary, but also to sort and categorise – which animals are the babies? Which live on a farm? Or in a zoo?

'Animal Soundtracks' - Noisy Game 30 animals are bought to life using stunning photography and real sounds. Match the animal recording to the photographs on the gameboards. Contents: CD with recordings of 30 animal sounds, 4 game boards and 40 counters. Manufacturer: GALT Price:       £6.99 Product Code:       CQ304 This type of activity is excellent for developing a child’s awareness of sounds. It can be used as a foundation for helping raise their awareness of speech sounds. Alternatively, use it just for fun, to help animal vocabulary, or as a game in a quieter corner. Children with difficulties may benefit from support enable them to access this activity – be prepared to sit with them while they attempt it. You can make the game easier by ensuring that children know the pictures - talk about what you see before playing the CD. Stopping the CD after each sound or replaying sounds can also help. If they are still unsure, give them a choice of two pictures, pointing to each one as you name it; “I heard a loud noise. Was it the elephant or the sheep?” Keep it fun – and just do a few sounds if the whole CD is too long.

Wild Animals Collection A collection of 9 of the Keel Toys wild animal vocabulary development aids. This product comes in a free high quality carry case (worth £9.99). Animals include a giraffe, seal, chimp, mandril baboon, meerkat, elephant, crocodile, koala and grizzly bear. Manufacturer: Keel Toys. Size: Approximately 25cm each. Price:       £69.99 Product Code:       CK040 These animals would be ideal for use in an early years or early educational setting, to broaden the range of young children’s vocabulary. Possible uses include: setting up a wild animal area, with raffia grass to hide in, using the animals with children in vocabulary development groups, including them in themed play, to support literacy with books or materials from other cultures, as resources in event days, or simply as friendly faces that young children can learn about.

Book: My First Animal Signs This delightful first signing guide is designed for both hearing and deaf children to use. It contains forty-eight animal signs taken from British Sign Language. Babies and young children are clearly illustrated using the signs for a range of domestic, wild and exotic animals, as well as mini-beasts and birds. Each sign is described alongside the illustration, with short notes on how to use the signs at the bottom of each page. This durable board book is big enough to share with a small group. It would make a lovely addition to any collection – at a stay and play, a clinic, a day nursery, a toy library, or as a resource for parents who don’t know (or keep forgetting) signs. Click on the Image to see some pages from the book. Manufacturer: Child’s Play (International) Ltd Price:       £4.99 Product Code:       CQ752 An excellent resource for anyone – parents or professionals - interested in learning signs, bringing signs into daily use in a setting or home, or familiarising parents and children to the idea of signing.

Pets: Dog and Cat Updated Product: The dog has been replaced, you now get this lovely Collie, which comes from the same range as the Ginger Tom-Cat Beautiful soft toy Dog including leash and Cat. One of each supplied. Manufacturer: Keel Toys Size: Dog: 22cm Cat: 15cm Price:       £7.50 Product Code:       CK071 These generic soft toys by Keel Toys can be included in language development activities, or as everyday animals in a range of settings.