Usborne Talkabouts: The Zoo

We are in such a FUN phase of loving all things animals here in our home with my two-year-old. The language that is elicited when he is reading a book about animals or playing with his animal toys warms my speech language pathologist heart!

This simple six page board book is a perfect book for a 0-3 year old child. I like the tabs on each page which help little ones turn the pages easier. Each page is filled with so many colorful images – perfect when working on language use and understanding!

Here are some speech and language tips as you read this book:

/m, b, p/ are some of the first sounds children typically produce correctly
- banana, bunny, baby, bear, bird, mouse, mama, panda, penguin, parrot, pelican
Simple concepts – on (the girl is on the camel, the bird is on the alligator), off (the boy fell off the log), in (the bear is in the water, the joey is in the pouch), out (the lion is out of the cage)
Following simple directions (point to a bear, find a dolphin with a ring on its nose)
Expand expressive language and vocabulary – start by labeling pictures using single words and model how you can combine words using negation and verbs
- “penguin”, “a penguin”, “look a penguin”, “a penguin is swimming”
- “lion”, “baby lion”, “no baby lion”, “baby lion biting tail”
- “dolphin”, “dolphin jumps”, “I see dolphin”, “dolphin has a ring”
Categorizing – can your child separate animals into different groups? Try using the printable below to put animals in the following categories – animals that fly/swim, animals that live on land, mammals, animals that lay eggs
Introduce your child to a variety of verbs: riding, jumping, eating, pointing, watching, playing, growling, climbing, swimming, feeding, splashing, smiling, swinging, sleeping, riding, falling, kissing
Ask open-ended questions – this leads to such great language opportunities (i.e., What is silly on this page? Who else do you think will ride the camel?)

I would love for you to check out this free printable zoo packet that I created for my Teachers Pay Teachers site. I have included activities for categorization, rhyming, beginning sounds and syllabification. You can also print off two copies of the animals to create your own memory or go fish game!