Opposites
Designed to meet these objectives:
Language
• Students will expand their vocabulary.
• Students will understand the concept of opposites.
• Students will improve language and communication skills.
Your new Early Learning Tub is full of materials designed to boost
communication skills and help little ones understand opposites—an
essential element of reading! With books, miniatures, stamps, and
games, the tub provides plenty of different ways to reinforce this
important concept. It’s perfect for small groups or individual students.
What’s Included
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4 different “Opposites” picture-word books
4 “Memory Match” card games in vinyl pouches
8 stamps and a stamp pad
8 miniatures
Easy-to-play board game with spinner
Durable plastic storage tub
Before You Begin
Before children begin using the materials, you will need to attach the
spinner to the game board. Push the stem of the spinner through the
board from the front, and then snap on the back to hold it in place.
© 2007 Lakeshore
(800) 428-4414
www.lakeshorelearning.com
JJ733
Ages 3+
Printed in China
Getting Started
The tub includes a variety of materials that focus on opposites. Each
of them provides plenty of opportunities for verbal communication!
You might want to choose different activities on different days to
keep children’s interest high. Before you place an activity in your
language center, be sure to model its use.
Opposites Books
Written for very early emergent readers, these books are great confidence builders! Before reading one of the books, reinforce concepts of
print by having a volunteer show you the front cover of the book.
Ask questions such as, “Where should we start reading? Where does
the book end?” Help students identify the picture on the cover, and
then read the title, pointing to each word as you say it. Page through
the book with students, asking questions about what they see in the
pictures. Discuss ways in which the objects are opposites. Ask, “How
are these things different from each other? Are they alike in any way?”
(For example, the moon and the sun are both things we see in the
sky, but one is seen at night and the other in the day.)
Memory Match Games
Each of the vinyl pouches has 4 pairs of cards showing objects that
are opposites (8 cards altogether). Talk about the pictures on the
cards and encourage a child to match them up. Afterwards, ask the
child to explain why the pairs are opposites.
Once children are familiar with the cards, they might enjoy playing a
“memory” game. (If two children are playing, combine cards from
two or more pouches.) Mix up the cards and then set them facedown
in orderly rows. Direct one player to turn two of the cards faceup,
leaving them in place. If they are a pair, the player takes the cards and
takes another turn. If the cards are not a pair, the player turns them
facedown again, and another player takes a turn. When all the cards
have been removed, the player with the most pairs wins the game.
Stamps & Stamp Pad
Place the stamps and stamp pad in your language center along with
paper and crayons or markers, if desired. Prompt students to use the
stamps to create pictures of pairs of objects that are opposites. Then,
ask them to explain what their pictures show. You might also want to
have children dictate a sentence about their pictures for you to write
at the bottom of the page. Invite children to share their work with
their classmates, or display their pictures on an “Opposites” bulletin
board.
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Opposites Board Game
Before children play this game, set out the miniatures and invite
children to explore them. Encourage children to talk about the objects
by asking questions such as, “What do we call this? What do people
do with it?” Be sure to ask questions that get children thinking about
opposites, such as “Ice is very cold, isn’t it? What is the opposite of
cold? Can you think of things that feel hot?”
Next, review the pictures on the game board and help children identify
each one. Talk about the pictures. For example, you might say,
“This mug is full. What would we say about a mug that was not
full? What word means the opposite of full?” When students
respond, prompt them to find the corresponding miniature and place
it on the game board next to its opposite.
For a one-player game, have the child spin the spinner and identify
the picture it points to. Then, prompt the player to find the miniature
that shows the opposite of the picture and place it on the board.
Continue until all the miniatures are sorted onto the board.
For a competitive two-player game, divide the miniatures evenly
between the players. Have the children take turns spinning the spinner.
If a player has the miniature that is the opposite of the picture she
spun, she may place it on the board. If not, the other player takes a
turn. The first player to place all of his miniatures on the board wins
the game.
Extension Activities
• Reinforce children’s understanding of opposites by playing “What’s
the Opposite?” Call out a word, such as “day,” and challenge
students to shout out a word that has an opposite meaning, such
as “night.”
• Play “Opposites Charades”—with no sounds! Explain that you will
do something, such as frown, and children should respond by doing
the opposite thing (smile). Try other actions, such as these:
stand up/sit down
raise hands high in the hair/hold hands down by the floor
point to the left/point to the right
open eyes wide/close eyes
laugh/cry
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