Post Office: Ideas for a theme based approach

Picture of Post Office

This resource provides a wealth of rich learning opportunities and a theme based approach. It is important for the child to visit the Post Office as this offers a rich concrete learning experience which can then be played out through role play. It is essential that labels are made to go with each component part of the resource, encouraging the child to match initial letter sounds, whole words or Braille contractions (dependent on learning stage) before they play with or use the resource.

You will need some or all of the following:

 Letter size guide (Amazon)

 Sack for parcels (Potato sack - local garden centre)

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 Range of different sized parcels

 Range of different sized envelopes/letters

 Stamps

 Talking weighing scales

 Money

 Till (Amazon)

 Mat (IKEA)

 Pen in holder (Amazon)

 Thimblettes (Amazon, pack of 10)

 Sponge damper (Amazon)

 Desk tidy - paper clips, rubber bands, thimblettes (Amazon)

 Leaflet holder (Amazon)

 Post Office – Front of shop (Supplier Hobbycraft)

 

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Leaflet stand Parcels Model of Post Box

Post bag Talking calculator and desk tidy

Till Ink stamp, pen and stand, sponge damper

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Tactile Feel textures of wrapping papers – Bubble wrap, tissue paper, brown paper, string, sellotape, elastic bands, jiffy bags

Explore the objects in the Post Office – letter guide, stamps, PAID stamp, pen in stand, mat, money, leaflets, paper clips, stapler, till, damp sponge

Explore Post Office van, postman/woman model, post bag

Letters, parcels of different shapes and sizes, feel, explore, experiment – match, order by size

Explore post box – find out which letters fit/ don’t fit and make two piles

Categorise by posting letters and parcels in the post box/letter sack

Explore the lumpy sack full of parcels. Lift the sack, attempt to carry!

Fill the post bag with letters, explore contents, listen to the sound of the letters rustling against each other

Place different textures (packaging materials) on outside of different shaped parcels - explore

Create fans using different packaging materials – tissues, bubble wrap, brown paper, cardboard

Explore the steering wheel of the Mail Van (Place a steering wheel on a Lazy Sue with a light

in the middle of the wheel, spin round to simulate the idea of the turning wheel)

Visual ( some of these ideas would also be used in the tactile section also)

Shine lights on fluorescent strip (on postman’s bag) Scan and search post office shop for specific

articles and items Visual skill development activities: Wrap parcels in

bright shiny paper and shine light on them, add sounds to parcels to gain attention in first instance

Place 3 objects from the Post Office on a black background and encourage child to scan, fixate, visual direct reaching

Sound Make musical instruments with parcels Listen to sound of post van engine setting off and

stopping Listen to sound of ‘PAID’ stamp being used Rustle and make sound with wrapping papers –

tissue, brown paper, bubble wrap etc.

Taste Make surprise tasting parcels, fill with different foods to open and taste

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Smell Make sensory parcels - fill parcels with different scents

Literacy Match the word labels to each object Role play visiting the Post Office, Role play the Post Office Clerk or the customer,

developing speaking and listening skills, use of good body language, facial expression and voice tone during the activity

Play the Post Office game (detailed below) Make up a story about the Postman/woman and

the funny happenings in the Post Office Read a story about a postman Make up a poem about the Post Office, using the

letters of the word to form the poem Numeracy Count, match and sort the paper clips, rubber

bands, thimblettes in the desk tidy Count the money in the till Create activities to support addition, subtraction,

multiplication etc Weigh the parcels, order by weight/size Measure the length and width of the parcels Measure the length and width of the letters Order letters by size and weight

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