Let's Talk About Celebrations: Picture Comprehension and Verbal Reasoning Questions

480 questions about weddings, birthdays and festivals, at three levels of reasoning

Celebrations turns the busiest, happiest days of the year into language practice. It has 20 detailed picture scenes across six celebrations: a wedding, a birthday, Diwali, Christmas, Ramzan and a harvest festival. Every scene comes with 24 questions covering What, Which, Who, Where, When and Why, plus wild cards. The questions move from naming what you can see ("Which animal is the groom sitting on?") to explaining and predicting ("Where do you think this procession is heading?"). The same picture is repeated on the back with the key words labelled, and a memory game and trophy cards make it a game children want to play.

At a glance

• 20 large picture-scene cards, 18 × 12.5 cm, across 6 celebrations: a wedding, a birthday, Diwali, Christmas, Ramzan and a harvest festival
• Back of each scene card: the same scene with the key words labelled, such as sparklers and spent fireworks
• 80 small question cards, 6 × 9 cm, printed on both sides: 480 questions in total
• Each question card covers one question type (What, Which, Where, Who, When or Why, plus two Wild Cards), with a question at each of three levels
• Each card gives a hint for the kind of answer, such as "Answer with a thing, object, or action"
• Three levels of questions, based on Blank's levels of reasoning, a framework used by speech and language therapists
• 11-pair memory game set in the same celebrations
• 6 trophy cards, 6 × 9 cm, such as Best Speaker and Funniest Answer
• Sturdy glossy laminated card with rounded corners
• Ages 4 to 7
• Designed by speech and language professionals

Six celebrations, 20 scenes

• A wedding: the procession, the ceremony, the group photo and the feast
• A birthday: at school, decorating, cake and party, cards and gifts
• Diwali: getting ready, celebrating with family, fireworks
• Christmas: getting ready, carol singing, the nativity play
• Ramzan: praying together, the feast, celebrating with everyone
• A harvest festival: celebrating the harvest, dancing around the bonfire, decorating the cattle

Children from any background will recognise most of these scenes, and they get to talk about celebrations that are new to them.

Three levels on every card

Each question card asks the same type of question three ways, getting harder as you go down:

1. Level 1: "What is the man in the orange turban playing?" The answer is right there in the picture.
2. Level 2: "What are the three children chewing on?" The child has to look more closely and describe.
3. Level 3: "What do you think is boiling over in the pot near the fire?" The child has to think beyond the picture and work it out.

Choose the question that suits your child's age and ability, and move down the card as they grow.

Why the picture is on both sides

The front is the scene for talking and answering questions. The back shows the same scene with the key words labelled. Use it to teach new words before you start the questions, or to help a child who gets stuck: turn the card over, find the word, then try again.

Make it a game

• Trophy cards: hand out Best Speaker, Funniest Answer and the other trophies as children answer. Brothers and sisters, or a therapy group, will all want to win one.
• Memory game: 11 pairs set in the same celebrations. Turn two cards over, find a match, and name what you see.

What's inside

1. 6 celebrations: a wedding, a birthday, Diwali, Christmas, Ramzan and a harvest festival
2. 20 large picture-scene cards, 18 × 12.5 cm
3. 80 double-sided question cards, 6 × 9 cm, with 480 questions
4. An 11-pair memory game (22 cards)
5. 6 trophy cards, 6 × 9 cm

How to use it

1. Pick one scene and talk about it freely first: "What's happening here?"
2. Choose a question card and ask the level that suits your child. You don't need to use every card at once.
3. Wait. Give your child time to look at the picture and think.
4. Accept sensible answers. For "what do you think" questions, a good reason counts more than a set answer.
5. Link it to real life. "What did we do on your birthday?"

Who it's for

• Children who need help practising longer sentences
• Children who need help using language to reason: explaining, predicting and working things out
• Children with speech and language delays, including children with autism
• Children with social communication delays
• Children learning English as an additional language
• Children with attention and listening difficulties
• Families, preschools, speech therapy clinics and special education settings

Where it fits

• Before: WHAT? Verbal Reasoning Part 1, WHICH? Part 2 and WHO? People and Their Jobs, one question type at a time
• Use alongside: WHY? Verbal Reasoning Part 3 and WHEN? Time, Day and Season, for practising single question types
• Use alongside: Super Thinker Puzzles, picture puzzles with questions based on Blank's levels
• Next: Super Solver 1: How Do You Know?, using clues to explain your thinking

Who made it

Brainy Bug Resources decks are designed by speech and language professionals with extensive clinical experience in mainstream schools, special schools and community clinics. Each deck follows how children's language actually develops, from single words to two-word phrases, sentences and reasoning.

Frequently asked questions

What age is it for?

4 to 7 years. Every question card has three levels, so you ask the question that suits your child's age and ability.

How many questions are there?

480: 24 for each of the 20 scenes, on 80 double-sided question cards.

Is there only one right answer?

For the simpler questions, usually yes. For the reasoning questions ("What do you think…?"), any sensible answer that fits the picture counts. What matters is that your child can explain their thinking.

What are the trophy cards for?

Small rewards to hand out during play, such as Best Speaker or Funniest Answer. They keep children motivated and make the deck work well with siblings or a group.

Does it have audio?

No. It's designed for an adult and child to talk through together.

Can it be used with a group?

Yes. Each scene has enough questions for several children to take turns, and the trophy cards make it a game.

Is it only for festival time?

No. Weddings and birthdays happen all year, and each celebration can be used whenever it comes up, or simply for the conversation.