Tom’s Picnic Cups

Reading together

Reading age 3–4 describes the audience for this adult-led Shared Reading book, not an independent reading-level assessment. This is a read-aloud story for ages 3–4, not an independent reading-level text. Read at the child’s pace. Children can listen, point, gesture, sign or join in with familiar words. Joining in is optional.

Before reading

Look at the title and cover. Introduce the characters and setting. Explore these five words with pictures, actions and familiar examples: cup, mat, basket, empty, three. Invite a prediction about what might happen.

During reading

Use Talk Together for a prompt on each page. Talk about counting, matching, shapes, positions, quantities and patterns. Compare what the characters expected with what they noticed. Invite children to join in with repeated words or gestures.

After reading

Use three safe cups and three toys to retell how Tom makes sure everyone has one. Describe what the characters noticed and how their ideas changed. Invite different experiences and respect a child’s choice not to share.

Explore and play

Numeracy idea

Match one object to each place and count a small set up to three.

Notice together

Use the pictures and real objects. Invite pointing, moving, gestures or words; an adult can model the idea.

Try together

Give one cup to each of three toys. Touch each cup once while counting; stop at the last number to name the total.

Adult support

Model slowly. Children may point or move objects without saying number words. Use unbreakable cups and do not require independent reading.

Activities with an adult

The eleven separate question cards include recall, word meaning, observation, “why”, inference and evidence questions and discussion. Read the questions and choices aloud and offer picture support. Explore five vocabulary words, build them from movable letters and order three story pictures. Model a vocabulary word for the child to copy; letter recognition and independent decoding are not required. Mouse dragging, finger dragging, tap controls and keyboard controls are available. Use the light green and red feedback as a chance to look at the story again.

Choose a few activities that suit the child’s interest. Offer pictures, drawings, gestures or spoken answers, and model word building when useful. Activities are optional.