Bus journeys are full of exciting talking opportunities for your child.
Chat about what they can see through the window and keep responding to what they're saying, like grandma in the video below.
The video below has lots of different example of fun bus games you can play together.
Why chat to your child on a bus journey?
- Bus journeys are full of exciting sights and sounds for your little one.
- While you're on the bus, you can talk about the outside world and interact with other people like the bus driver.
- Talking your child through a bus journey can help build their confidence and social skills.
- Taking the same bus journey regularly will help your child learn through repetition. You can use more descriptive words as your child learns.
Ideas for chatting on the bus
Even before you get on the bus, you could chat to your child about what your plans are for the day. Ask them what they want to do in town, where they want to go, who they might see. This is a great opportunity for children to practise thinking about the future and using the future tense.
When you get on the bus, encourage your child to speak to the driver and other passengers. This will help build their social skills.
Talk to children about what they can see out of the window. Ask them what they can see. Depending on what they answer, you can add extra detail to any words or phrases they use. For example, if they say they can see 'chimneys', you could say 'yes, there are chimneys on those houses'.
You could encourage your child to count something they can see out of the window, for example, red cars.
You could ask them about the weather.
A bus journey is a great opportunity to sing rhymes together, especially The Wheels on the Bus! Can your little one come up with their own ideas of things that you might see or hear on the bus?
You could play a game of I Spy, taking turns to spot different things out of the bus window.
Games to play on bus journeys
| I spy | Wheels on the bus | Spot the colours |
| Pretend play | Bus journey bingo | Talk about opposites |
Image caption, A bus trip is a great chance for your little one to chat about the world around them.
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- Going on a long journey with your little one? Check out our ideas to keep children entertained on longer trips
