• large soup pot
• large spoon
• objects that begin with the same sound
• basket
• plastic bowls

Preparation

Step 1: Gather several items or toys that begin with the same sound (e.g., ball, banana, bear, bib, bottle). Place the items in a basket.

Activity

Step 1: Tell your child that today you are going to make “Silly Soup.” Explain that the items in the basket will be used to make her pretend soup.

Step 2: Let your child choose an item from the basket and talk about what she chose. For example:

“You chose a /b/ /b/ bear, can you say /b/ /b/ bear?” Encourage your child to say the sound and word. Instruct your child to put the item in the pot and stir with the spoon. “Stir your soup and say /b/ /b/ bear.”

Step 3: Continue to choose items from the basket and encourage your child to repeat the sound and word. When all the items from the basket are in the pot, the soup is done!

Step 4: Encourage your child to serve you some soup into a bowl. Have fun talking about what kind of silly soup you are having. For example: “Look, you gave me banana, bib soup! Yummy! Look at your bowl. You have bear, ball soup!”

To make it easier, encourage your child to take out just one item at a time and serve it in a bowl. As she does, say the name of the item, emphasizing the beginning sound. For example: “Look, you gave me banana soup! Yummy! Look at your bowl. You have bear soup! What funny, silly soup!”

Ask your child to find a particular item in the basket. For example: “Can you find the /b/ /b/ bear? Look in the basket for the /b/ /b/ ball.”

After she has served you a bowl of soup, encourage her to tell you what kind of silly soup she gave you. Let her name the items in the bowl. Talk about how that silly soup may taste!