Week 15: Helpers and jobs — preschool theme plan for parents

Ten words to use this week

doctor teacher farmer driver police cook help work tools thank you

Use them in your home language first. A word heard twenty times in real moments — at the sink, on the road, at dinner — sticks far better than a word drilled twenty times in a row. You do not need to teach; you only need to talk.

Three things to say

"Who helped us today?" at dinner — the bus driver, the shopkeeper, the sweeper.
"What does a farmer need to do her job?" Tools and places are rich vocabulary.
"Shall we play doctor? You be the doctor, I am poorly."

This week on the site

Golu's Day picks from these automatically, one short session a day. If you would rather choose yourself, here is everything for the week.

Picture books (4)

Songs to sing (3)

Games (12)

The same theme at different ages

A two-year-old is collecting names: point, say the word, wait, and celebrate any attempt to say it back. A three- to four-year-old is ready to sort and compare — which is bigger, which go together, which one does not belong. A five- to six-year-old wants reasons: ask "why do you think…?" and "what would happen if…?", and let them explain it to a younger child or a grandparent. If you have two children at different ages, the older one teaching the younger is the best lesson either will get this week.

A simple rhythm for the week

You do not need a timetable, but a loose shape helps on tired days. Here is one that fits around school and work; move anything anywhere.

Day 1 — open the theme. Read Who helps us? together, twice. The second reading is where the words go in.
Day 2 and 3 — play. Let Golu's Day choose, or pick a game from the list above. Fifteen minutes, then stop while it is still fun.
Day 4 — sing and move. Learn Knock, Knock, Postman well enough to sing it without the screen — in the bath, on the stairs, in the car.
Day 5 — hands. Do one off-screen activity. Expect mess; mess is the lesson working.
Weekend — the real world. Try a walk down your street naming every helper you meet, and a thank-you to one of them. This is the day the week's words stop being screen words.
Last day — tell it back. Ask your child to tell someone what they did this week. Retelling is how short-term memory becomes long-term, and it costs nothing.

Missed three days? Nothing is lost. The themes come round again, and a relaxed week with two good conversations beats a full one done through gritted teeth.

What to notice

Can your child name five helpers and what they do (three to four)? Do they act out a job in pretend play, with a beginning and an end (four to five)?

These are things to notice, not things to test. Children develop in bursts and at very different speeds, and a skill that is missing this month often appears overnight the next. If a worry stays with you for a few months, that is reason enough to mention it to your child's doctor or teacher.

If this week is hard

Some children are frightened of doctors, dentists or police. Play the visit at home first, with a toy, many times. Read the clinic book this week before a real appointment, not after.

The other weeks

This is week 15 of 24 in the weekly plan for parents. The weeks run in a loop and each age band meets different games inside the same theme, so the second time round — three months later — your child is doing harder things with familiar words. Next week: Sun, moon and space.

Now do it for real

When the screen goes off, do something with your hands. Try 🥛 Dancing colours in milk — an easy science experiment for ages 3-6, with every step read aloud in your language. You will need a plate with a thin layer of milk, two or three food colours, a drop of dish soap on a cotton bud; nothing that needs a trip to a shop.

There are 56 more on the things to do at home page, and free printable worksheets if you would rather have something on paper. Ten minutes on a screen and twenty minutes off it is a good shape for a day at this age.

Week 15: Helpers and jobs: questions parents ask

What should my child learn about helpers and jobs?