P2 Read Write Count Activity Bag

Drawing our feelings can be a great way of expressing ourselves when we can’t think of the words. Ask your child to draw what their wobbler would look like. Then next time they throw a wobbler, you can remind them of it and it may make them laugh! 

You could have a look at all the bad moods at the back of the book and draw your versions of them together. What about good moods? How would your child draw happiness or excitement?

Our page on talking about mental health has more advice for helping children identify their emotions and talk about their feelings.

Practising ways of keeping their cool can help your child head off a wobbler if they feel one coming on. Our page on helping children deal with worries has lots of ideas for staying calm, like taking deep breaths, stretching like a cat or making a glitter jar.

Barbara’s friends are kind to her even when she’s yelling at them. Why not help your child practise their friendship skills by being kind? They could make a special card for someone (maybe with a drawing of a happy mood on it) or help someone with a chore. We’ve got more tips for helping your child to make friends here.

How about asking your child to make their own version of Cactus Joe, using a toilet roll as the body? They could cut out arms, a hat and face from paper or card and stick them on. They could even draw different expressions for his face – is their Cactus Joe happy or sad? 

Can your child remember all the different birds in the story? You could try reading the book together and then challenging them to see how many they can name. Memory games like this are great for helping children learn to concentrate and pay attention to details. 

Cactus Joe loves to sing his theme song. Could your child make up a song about themselves – or someone else in your family? Maybe they could set it to the tune of their favourite song? 

When they’re thinking about what to put in the song, you could talk about all the things you love about them – like their happy smile, or how they’re kind or always try their best. Not only will this give them some ideas for their song, but it’ll also help boost their confidence. You can find more tips to help children’s confidence here.

When you’re out in the garden or the park, your child could use their binoculars to see what bugs and beasties they can find. Just move a stone and you’re bound to find some! Ask them to look at them carefully and when you get home, they could draw a picture of what they’ve seen.

Next time you go for a walk, take the binoculars with you and see how many different birds you can spot together. You could make bingo cards of common birds and see who can get the most. Have a look at the RSPB website for some inspiration, and to draw or print out some pictures for your cards.

It doesn’t have to be birds! Your bingo card could be of cars, or dogs, or trees, or anything else you can spot in your area.

Pretend your child is heading off on an expedition with their binoculars. What snacks would they need to pack? You can find lots of easy, fun recipes here that you could make together, then enjoy as a picnic in the park, on the bus or on the living room floor!

Pick a character, item and setting from the story cards and see what tales your child can come up with. Select one of each at random and then let your imaginations run wild! You could take it in turns with your child to build the story sentence by sentence, and to pick more cards to add to the story.

Try and get the family together for dinner and then use the Talk it Out cards to start a conversation. You could ask your child to pick the first card, so they feel in charge. 

Have a look at the Act it Out emotion cards and have a chat with your child about how they think each character is feeling. How do they feel inside when they’re upset, or happy, or angry? Our page on talking to your child about mental health has more tips for helping them talk about how they’re feeling.