This lovely book is a firm favourite with Speech and Language Therapists for 2 reasons: Firstly it uses nice and simple language so even a very young child can follow the story, and secondly it contains lots and lots of verbs (action words). Speech and Language Therapists love verbs, because they are the building blocks of sentences (try saying a sentence which doesn't contain any action words). The verbs in this story are especially interesting because they aren't words that your child will necessarily come across every day, so it is a great opportunity to expand your child's vocabulary.
This story is perfect for children from about 20 months to 3 years old. Here are some tips to make the most of reading it with your child:
1) Act out the action words as you read them. These are the words such as 'planted' 'dug' 'raked' 'watered'. Acting them our gives your child 2 chances to learn them: Firstly by hearing you say the words, and secondly by experiencing what it feels like to 'do' the action.
2) Relate the days of the week to your child. Talk about what you usually do on a Monday or a Saturday. This will help your child learn the different days of the week.
2) Get in the garden and start digging! When you have read about how Jasper grew his beanstalk, pick a nice sunny day and do some planting yourself. Talk about how the soil feels in your hands, how the plants smell and what happens when it rains. There is no substitute for learning language in the real world!
If you don't have a copy of the book and would like to buy one, it is available on Amazon here
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