# A tiny setup, then let the play happen

Pick a card that fits the child's interest today. Read its short invitation,
then wait. A blank page and a comfortable place are enough; you can also
tell a story with no materials. Keep a familiar adult present to support the
child's chosen way of communicating and any actual materials or screen use.

## The quick version

1. **Offer one idea.** “Something tiny has arrived. Where could it stay?”
2. **Follow one choice.** The child might make a doorway, name a resting spot,
   direct your drawing, choose another idea or finish.
3. **Use it in play.** Become an imaginary visitor, follow their route or
   ask what their message means. Take their lead.
4. **Keep, change or stop.** Ten minutes is a loose option, never a timer.

The card's one-sentence opening is enough. Longer prompts are optional;
you do not have to ask every question. The child's familiar communication
supports, including augmentative and alternative communication (AAC), stay
available. Here, no materials means no additional play materials.

For a nonverbal no-print entry, offer one clearly named idea at a time using
the child's established yes/no or selection signal. Wait, then confirm a
clear choice. An unclear or absent reply is not agreement; offer another
entry, pause or finish. Do not invent a new sign system for this activity.

You do not have to finish a card, teach every listed intention, record a result
or catch up after missing a day. Repeating a favourite is a useful option.
If an earlier drawing is gone, every card offers a fresh start.

## A gentle sequence, if you want one

During a first week, try a place, a visitor, a route, a message and a small
fictional problem. During another week, try grouping, a change, a guide,
another form and a repeat choice. Swap the order, linger on a favourite or
follow a new interest. These are ten reusable starts, not an attendance plan.

An interesting place can be a bus shelter, pretend library, imaginary garden,
space room, workshop, quiet music room or something only this child has
thought of. A practical outcome is immediate: a place to use in a story,
a message with a meaning, a route to trace or a guide for a willing play partner.

## Your help counts as your help

Ask before adding a mark or changing the child's creation. If they direct
you to draw, their decision and meaning matter; your pencil work remains
yours. If you tell the whole story, leave room for a small genuine choice
instead of treating your story as their achievement.

An imagined test is a story. A real trace of a drawn route is an actual
pretend-play action. A plan that has not been tried stays a plan. None of
these proves a real-world repair, access improvement or another person's
experience. Enjoy the story without turning it into an evidence exercise.

## Keep the setup ordinary

Use broad flat-page drawings or familiar communication. No small loose
objects, cutting, food, tied cords, tools, raised structures or obstacle
course are needed. Choose any existing materials only if suitable for this
individual child and setting. The no-material route is complete.

The optional screen helper works locally without an outside connection.
An adult opens it, supports use and chooses whether screen play is useful
today. It has no audio, flashing animation, saved child input, recording,
account or completion reward. Printing is optional; the supplied PDFs are
untagged, with [complete linear alternatives](print/TEXT-ALTERNATIVES.md).

Use the child's familiar home language when a competent speaker is available.
Their existing signs or AAC remain available. The pack has no certified
translations, and it invents no First Nations language, story, symbol or
community practice. Invite community-authorised material through its own
permission and context, rather than treating an invented scene as that material.

There is no home paperwork. Educators who want an occasional note can use
[noticing and next moves](OBSERVE-AND-NEXT.md).