Stage 1 of 5 · Ages 2–3

Playgroup at home.

Talking, listening, moving and touching. Everything is play, nothing is a lesson, and ten minutes is a long time.

Also called: Toddler, Pre-Nursery.

What this stage covers

  • Naming things: body parts, colours, animals, the people at home
  • Counting songs and first counting to 3, then 5
  • Big and small, same and different
  • Strong fingers: squeezing, tearing, scribbling
Every day: 5–10 minutes of games, then play together with the activity of the week. Stop while it is still fun.
Ready to move on when: Your child talks in short sentences, joins in with songs, and can sit with a picture book for a few minutes.
The units, in order

Work on one unit from each strand at a time.

Start at the top of each list. When your child can do most of a unit's checklist, move on to the next one in that strand.

Reading & talking

  1. 1 Sounds Around Usabout 2 weeks Listen carefully, tell sounds apart and join in with songs and rhymes. 🎮 Rhyme Families · Focus Farm · Balloon Pop
  2. 2 Look at a Bookabout 3 weeks Enjoy picture books: hold a book the right way, turn pages, point to pictures and name what they see. 🎮 What's Missing? · Memory Match · Living World

Writing & pencil control

  1. 1 Busy Fingersabout 3 weeks Build strong hands and fingers, and make marks: scribbles, up-and-down lines and circles. 🎮 Trace It · Dot to Dot · Match Paths

Numbers & shapes

  1. 1 Colours Everywhereabout 2 weeks Match things of the same colour and start naming red, blue, yellow and green. 🎮 Shapes & Colors · Sort It Out · Match Paths
  2. 2 One, Two, Threeabout 3 weeks Say the numbers to five in order and count up to three objects by touching each one. 🎮 Counting Stars · Number Match · Focus Farm
  3. 3 Big and Smallabout 2 weeks Compare two things by size and use the words big and small. 🎮 Size Safari · Shape Builder · Position Quest
  4. 4 Shapes to Postabout 2 weeks Match shapes to holes and outlines, and start to name a circle. 🎮 Shapes & Colors · Shape Builder · Match Paths

Science & our world

  1. 1 Hello, Me!about 2 weeks Point to and name the main parts of the body, and say what some of them do. 🎮 Five Senses · Feelings Friends
  2. 2 Animal Friendsabout 2 weeks Name common animals, copy their sounds and movements, and say where some of them live. 🎮 Living World · Memory Match · What's Missing?
  3. 3 Day and Nightabout 2 weeks Notice the difference between day and night and talk about what we do at each time. 🎮 Day & Night · Weather Watch · Hot & Cold Lab

Thinking & feelings

  1. 1 Happy, Sad, Crossabout 2 weeks Name a few feelings, recognise them on faces, and start taking turns. 🎮 Feelings Friends · Helper Heroes · Memory Match
  2. 2 Same and Differentabout 2 weeks Find two things that are the same and spot one that is different. 🎮 Memory Match · Odd One Out · Sort It Out

All stages

Next stage: Nursery →