Developing understanding of ‘he’ and ‘she’.
Strategies:
Correct him during the day if he uses the incorrect pronoun. Do so in
a positive way by simply repeating what he has said using the correct
pronoun e.g.
Child:
Adult:
“He’s eating”
“Yes, she’s eating, isn’t she?”
Activities:
Use boy and girl action pictures attached:1
Sort the pictures into ‘he’ and ‘she’ piles. Show him a picture and ask him
whether is it a boy or girl. Then tell him which pronoun should be used and
get him to place it on the picture of the boy or girl e.g.:
Adult:
Child:
Adult:
2
Place a pair of pictures on the table, e.g. boy sitting and girl sitting. Ask him
to find one of the pictures, e.g. “He’s sitting”, and put this on the boy/girl
picture. Correct as required, then ask where the remaining picture goes,
e.g.:
Adult:
Child:
Adult:
3
“Is this a boy running or a girl?”
“A boy.”
“Yes, so we say he’s running (-pause-) can you put
him with the other boys?”
“Is this a boy or girl?”
“Girl.”
“Yes, so it’s she’s sitting and it goes here!”
Place paper clips on the pictures and scatter them face up on the floor or
table.
Make a ‘fishing rod’ by suspending a magnet from the end of a pole.
Tell him which picture to try and catch, e.g. “He’s jumping.”
4
Make a post box from an old shoe box.
Place a pair of pictures face up in front of him, e.g. he’s sleeping and she’s
sleeping.
Tell him to post a picture, e.g. she’s sleeping. Remove the remaining picture
and place another pair in front of him and repeat until one of each pair has
been posted away.
NB
Do not worry about him using the correct pronouns at this stage. These
activities are to develop his understanding.