Where’s Spot? – Core Vocabulary Activities for “Where” and “There”
Where’s Spot? by Eric Hill is a sweet, lift-the-flap book about a mother dog looking for her puppy named Spot. She searches all over the house but finds other animals instead – a lion under the stairs, a monkey in the wardrobe, etc. Help your AAC user lift the flaps while you model “where” and “(not) there” on their AAC system.
Here are some more activities for teaching the core words “where” and “there”…
Where are… Toys and Games
Hide a toy dog somewhere in the room. Model “where?” and have your AAC user look for it. When they find it, model “there it is!”.
Where are… Picture Scenes
Use magnetic scenes or picture scenes with stickers. Ask your AAC user where to put each piece, then model “there!”. Picture scenes provide opportunities for open-ended conversation. You can use them to model both core and fringe vocabulary.
Where are… Gross Motor Activities
Play hide and seek. Model “Where are you?”, “Not there…” and “There you are!”. Depending on the level of your AAC user, you may choose to play peek-a-boo instead.
Where are… Sensory Activities
Keep it simple… with bubbles! Ask your AAC user where they want you to blow the bubbles. You may also model “up there”, “down there”, etc.
Where are… Songs
The “Finger Family” song features simple, repetitive lyrics including the word “where”. Sing the first verse while moving your thumb up and down to the beat. Continue on with each finger representing one family member – index finger for “Mommy”, middle finger for “brother”, and so on.
Here are the lyrics for the first verse:
Daddy finger, Daddy finger
Where are you?
Here I am, here I am
How do you do?
“Where is Bunny?” Core Vocabulary Resource
I created a resource in a similar style to Where’s Spot?. “Where is Bunny?” (available for purchase on www.teacherspayteachers.com) includes a booklet featuring the character of Emma looking all over the house for her pet.
It also includes a lift-the-flap activity page and a handout explaining aided language stimulation. This interactive resource is loaded with opportunities to target core vocabulary. Prepare the activity page and help your AAC user look for Bunny. Model “where” and “not there” as you lift each flap until you find her.
Where can you find more core vocabulary resources? Look no further than my Teachers Pay Teachers store.
