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Help the child identify the animal play figures (horse, cow, goat, pig), and the animals inside each door. Ask him or her to find other animals on the outside of the barn. Talk about the role of each animal on the farm and ask the child to make each animal sound!
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Talk about how baby animals often have different names than full-grown ones. For example, a young pig is called a piglet and a young sheep is called a lamb. Ask the child to find animals in the barn using both the parent's name and the baby's name.
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Help the child to identify the many colors seen on and inside the barn. Point to a color on the outside of the barn and ask him or her to find something the same color inside the barn. For instance, you might say, "Here is a yellow sunflower. Can you find something yellow inside?"
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Ask the child to count the number of doors on the barn. Ask him or her to unlatch and open a specific number of doors and then to tell you how many are open and how many are closed.
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Ask the child to unlock the hook latch on the double doors, and then to find the flocked animal figure that matches the pictures inside the barn doors (cow). Talk about which cow is "outside" the barn and which are "inside." Have the child put the cow figure inside the barn through the open door and then re-latch it. Repeat this with other doors and animals that match the pictures.
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Help the child to tell a story using the animal play figures and the barn. For instance, you might start by saying, "One morning, the animals were outside when it began to rain. The horse decides to go inside the barn, but needs help opening one of the barn doors. Who does the horse ask for help?"
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Approx. Product Dimensions: 31 x 24 x 22cm
Age Guide: 3 years +
Brand: Melissa and Doug