Week 7: Vehicles and going places — preschool theme plan for pare

Ten words to use this week

car bus train boat aeroplane wheel fast slow stop road

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

"Red means…? Green means…?" at every signal, every time.
"How many wheels does an auto have? And a bus?"
"We hold hands near the road. Always." A rule with no exceptions is easier to keep than a rule with some.

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 (7)

Songs to sing (7)

Games (7)

Off the screen (3)

The part that matters most. One of these in the week is plenty.

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 Wheels go round 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 On the Way to School well enough to sing it without the screen — in the bath, on the stairs, in the car.
Day 5 — hands. Try paper boat race. Expect mess; mess is the lesson working.
Weekend — the real world. Try a vehicle count from a window or a bus stop: tally cars, autos, buses and bikes for five minutes. 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

Does your child stop at the kerb without being pulled? Name five vehicles? Sort them by where they travel? Know left from right (often not secure until six or seven, which is normal)?

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

Road safety is taught by your feet, not your words. Stop at every kerb yourself, look both ways out loud, never cross on red while holding a small hand — they copy what you do, not what you say.

The other weeks

This is week 7 of twelve 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: Birds, insects and water.

Now do it for real

When the screen goes off, do something with your hands. Try 🚤 Fold a paper boat — an easy craft for ages 4-6, with every step read aloud in your language. You will need one rectangular sheet; 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 7: Vehicles and going places: questions parents ask

What should my child learn about vehicles and going places?