Fifty optional Foundation / Prep invitations for a parent, carer, educator or child. Choose any card in any order. Each uses a made-up situation and a pencil, fingers or spoken words. No purchase, screen, internet, printout, household information or returned homework is needed. These are small practice invitations alongside the Weeks 31–38 route, Week 39 and Week 40 teaching guides, not a home assessment or a promise that five minutes completes a curriculum point. A child can watch, point, sign, use AAC, tell the adult where to draw, or stop.
Adult move: Read the little scenario; pause. Ask “What in the words helped you decide?” rather than supplying the answer. If an answer differs, let the child show their model. A hand-drawn box or number line works as well as cards. Keep pieces broad if making them, and supervise as you normally would. Never photograph or upload a child's work for these cards.
| Pick | Say this aloud or show the words | Child's choice and small next step |
|---|---|---|
| 151 · Three ways home | “In a made-up story, a book and a loose page go in one wide return box. A sign says ‘Keep the page with the book.’ A paper screen says ‘Choose: ask for help / place both together.’” | Choose which message would help an imaginary new visitor and point to the exact helpful part. Another choice can be right with a reason. This is a paper screen, not an app. |
| 152 · Make a kinder sign | “The pretend shelf has a sign: ‘DO IT.’ What is missing?” | Make or dictate a clearer sign for putting a broad paper game card back. You can add what, where or ask an adult. A sign can be clear without shouting. |
| 153 · Number trail | “A pretend book cart has 5, 12 and 19 on three large labels.” | Put the numbers in order and say where each might sit on an imaginary 0–20 track. Draw the track, use fingers for smaller numbers or direct an adult; checking by counting is fine. |
| 154 · Spread does not grow | “Imagine 14 broad paper squares in a close row. Now imagine the same squares spread apart.” | Will there still be 14? Explain, or draw a mark for each and match them one by one. The card tests the count, not a guess about how big the row looks. |
| 155 · Choose your message | “An imaginary class has a wide game-card shelf. Someone new wants to return a card.” | Tell, draw or direct a two-frame paper message for that person. Ask a willing listener what they understood, or play the listener role yourself. Change one word or frame if it helps. This is practice after any class check. |
| 156 · One more label | “A made-up desk has 2 big paper labels. One more arrives.” | Show first, action and then with fingers or broad marks. There are 3 now. Ask what the story does not tell us, such as who brought the new label. |
| 157 · Moved, not vanished | “A pretend box has 6 broad cards. One moves to a pretend display.” | Show five still in the box and one at the display. Say why there are 5 in the box but 6 cards still in the room. Nothing was thrown away. |
| 158 · Same ending, different story | “Story A: 4 cards, then 2 more arrive. Story B: 7 cards, then 1 leaves.” | Both end at 6. Tell one event accurately with first/action/then. If the child makes a different sensible story ending at 6, model it together. |
| 159 · Two pockets | “A paper helper has pockets marked IN BOX and OUT OF BOX. Which words would make it easier for someone new to use?” | Draw or direct one label change. Ask a willing person what they think goes in each pocket; if nobody is free, say what you predict instead of claiming you tested it. |
| 160 · Your own little event | “Make up an event with no more than 10 broad cards. Some arrive or some move away.” | Tell who, what was there first, what changed and what is there now. Show the pieces or marks. A different answer is welcome if its story and count agree. This is play after any class check. |
| 161 · What is drawn? | “Imagine one picture card with two long leaf shapes. Does that tell us how tall a real plant will grow?” | Name the two visible shapes and one thing still unknown. No actual plant needs to be found or touched. |
| 162 · Choose a counting question | “Draw seven large circles: four with a dot, three without. Which group has more cards?” | Point to each once, name the group and say “on these seven drawings.” The dots tell us nothing about real flowers. |
| 163 · A caption with a source | “An imaginary page shows a paper drawing with three oval shapes.” | Dictate or draw a caption beginning “This drawing shows…” Then make one question that the drawing cannot settle. |
| 164 · Same cards, another question | “Make six broad marks: two round and four pointed. Add a border to three marks.” | Sort once by shape, then reset and sort by border. Does the total stay six? The two questions can produce different groups. |
| 165 · What we can say | “A made-up poster has eight picture cards. Five show a square pot; three show no pot.” | Say which pictured group is larger and what you would need to know about real plants. This is play after any class check, with different cards. |
| 166 · A fair length look | “Draw two line segments starting at different places on a page.” | Predict which looks longer. Then ask an adult to draw a shared starting line or imagine moving both ends together. A drawing helps discuss length; a real direct comparison needs real aligned strips. |
| 167 · Prediction or result? | “Someone says, ‘This paper roof will always stay whole.’ They have not tried it.” | Call it a prediction, not a result. Suggest one safe question they could test with an adult at school. No test or purchase is expected at home. |
| 168 · A cup question | “One cup is tall and narrow. Another is short and wide. Which holds more?” | Say why looking alone may not settle it. Describe how a teacher could safely compare with real cups. There is no home water task and no result to report. |
| 169 · Same-size parcels | “Two pretend parcels look the same size. One might be heavier.” | Say how a safe adult-run balance could help. Appearance is only a clue, not proof of mass. Nothing needs to be lifted or weighed at home. |
| 170 · What did we actually do? | “Imagine making a paper roof for a toy. You have only drawn the plan.” | Say one prediction and one test you have not done. Leave the result blank. This is practice after any class check, not a report of a real trial. |
| 171 · What do they want? | “In an invented story, two paper puppets want the same wide mat for different games. Neither has tried a plan yet.” | Name both wants. Ask one question you would need answered before saying a plan worked. A puppet story does not tell us what a real child wants. |
| 172 · Same number, different question | “Imagine eight broad paper tickets shared between two labelled pretend trays.” | Describe how to deal one to each. If both get four, the count is equal; ask separately whether the people could use the tickets. No real household or class sharing is required. |
| 173 · Make groups | “Picture twelve broad cards placed into groups of three.” | Say how many complete groups there would be and how to check each has three. Draw broad boxes or direct an adult; no small pieces needed. |
| 174 · Where is it? | “On a pretend paper map, a puppet sits between two labelled desks.” | Tell an imaginary helper exactly where to put a broad card: between the desks, beside the puppet, or another clear place. The paper objects stay still. |
| 175 · A plan to ask about | “Two imaginary readers want the same paper book mat.” | Make a kind request and one question you could ask after trying a plan. Do not say everyone liked it unless someone really answered. This is play after any class check. |
| 176 · What repeats? | “Say or draw: circle, triangle, circle, triangle.” | Name the whole two-shape part and the next two shapes. A point, AAC choice or adult drawing counts as participation; sound is optional. |
| 177 · Clearer words | “A pretend helper is told, ‘Put that over there.’” | Add a shape and a fixed place: “Put the triangle above the square” on an upright page. Ask if a listener would know exactly where to put it. |
| 178 · Did the listener really try? | “Say: square, circle, square, circle. Ask a willing person which two come next.” | Compare their answer with the repeating part. If nobody is free, predict a possible answer and label it a pretend listener, not real feedback. |
| 179 · A shape reason | “Imagine a paper theatre with a roof made of three straight sides and a round window.” | Name the roof/window shapes and say which boundary helps you decide. A child can point, describe or tell an adult where to trace. |
| 180 · Give the next step | “A made-up border says triangle, circle, square; triangle, circle, square.” | Tell an imaginary helper the whole repeating part and next three cards. Add a way to check the order. This is play after any class check with a different pattern. |
| 181 · What can the picture answer? | “A pretend page has seven large balloon drawings: four with a line, three without.” | Ask a question this page can answer, then one it cannot answer about what anyone likes. Count only the drawn balloons. No real person's preference is requested. |
| 182 · Match once | “Draw nine wide marks in two labelled boxes, five LOOP and four CORNER.” | Point to each mark once and say which label has more on this page. Move or spread the marks without changing the count. |
| 183 · Reset, then sort again | “Make six broad paper marks: two round with a stripe, one round plain, one square with a stripe, two square plain.” | Sort by shape, reset the same six, then sort by stripe. What changed: the question or the number of marks? An adult can move each mark where the child directs. |
| 184 · Give a clue | “A fictional board has three large arrows and five large rings.” | Say which kind appears more and point to the two counts as the clue. Add “on this pretend board” so the sentence does not claim anything about real signs. |
| 185 · An answer after the check | “A made-up box drawing has two smooth shapes and six pointed shapes.” | Ask which is more in the drawing and show one mark per shape. This is optional play after any class check, with a different source. |
| 186 · Check a number label | “Draw eight large blank boxes and a separate label saying NINE.” | Count the actual drawn boxes once. Does the label match? Change the label only if the count asks you to. |
| 187 · Spread can trick us | “Imagine seven close dots on one line and four wide-spaced dots on another.” | Predict which line has more, then match/count each dot. Say whether your guess was confirmed or changed; both are honest. |
| 188 · A drawing is a drawing | “One pretend picture has two leaf outlines; another has four. Neither has a date.” | Name what the drawings show. Ask what you would need before saying one real plant grew. There is no home plant task. |
| 189 · Keep the moved ones visible | “A pretend paper pocket starts with ten broad cards. Two move to an OUT pocket.” | Show eight still IN and two OUT using fingers or marks. Tell what the count proves about the paper story and what it does not tell you about a real pocket. |
| 190 · Say what was checked | “A fictional game sheet starts with six marks and adds four. A sign says there are nine.” | Show the start, added group and checked ten. Revise the sign if needed. This is different practice after any class check, not a second score. |
| 191 · Count for the visitor | “A pretend page has thirteen broad blank labels and a separate THIRTEEN card.” | Make one mark per label, then tell an imaginary visitor why the numeral fits this page. No reading test or real display count is needed. |
| 192 · Two parts, one set | “An invented paper box has three circles in one side and five in the other.” | Show 3+5=8 without using one circle twice. Explain where a newcomer should look first and what to check at the end. |
| 193 · Fix the place word | “A pretend helper hears ‘put the triangle near the board’.” | Draw a fixed BOARD and choose above or to the left. Tell the helper which side you mean and why the triangle has three straight sides. |
| 194 · Answer the given question | “A made-up page has six open-window icons and four closed-window icons. Which appears more on this page?” | Track the ten drawings once each and answer with both counts and “on this page”. It says nothing about real windows. |
| 195 · A new case after the check | “A pretend page has three balloon outlines and seven kite outlines.” | Ask which outline appears more on the page, show a count trail and tell a fictional visitor your reason. This is optional play after any class check, with a different source. |
| 196 · Story or instruction? | “Story: a paper maker added two red cards to four yellow cards. Direction: add two red cards to four yellow cards.” | One text reports an imagined event; one tells someone what they could do. Show 4+2=6 and say which text proves the pretend event happened. |
| 197 · Give the whole next part | “A paper border goes dot–dot–line / dot–dot–line.” | Say or draw all three positions in the next repeating part, not only the first mark. A paper listener can stay imaginary. |
| 198 · Start together | “Draw two straight lines from one shared start, one shorter and one longer.” | Compare where the right ends land on this drawing. If the starts differ, repair them before deciding. No ruler, printer or home measurement is required. |
| 199 · Six little pairs | “Imagine twelve broad marks, two in each paper box.” | Show six boxes and check that every mark is used once. If you want, tell someone which move helped you avoid skipping a mark. |
| 200 · What can this sign show? | “A fictional flag page has five curved-outline and two pointed-outline flags. A sign says ‘Ask before moving a flag.’” | Count the page, answer which outline is more, then say whether the sign proves anyone actually moved a flag. This is different play after any class check, not a year-end score. |
For educators: These optional cards revisit language, order, counting, add-to/take-away, source-bound description, sorting, length, equal groups, location, instructions, repeating parts, given questions, one-to-one checks and the distinction between prediction and result in tiny, varied contexts. They do not establish independent reading, digital-system use, direct capacity/mass comparison, real Science observation, social sharing or a formal achievement level. A carer's report can tell you what a child enjoyed; it is not a scored observation under class conditions. Invite families to adapt with their own language where they wish, but no translated text here has been checked or supplied. Never require the activity, a particular family member, materials or internet access.
Original SubjectNest scenarios and wording © NeuroForgeIO Pty Ltd 2026, CC BY 4.0; credit SubjectNest, link the licence and indicate changes. Source context and local holds are in the Term 4 guide.