Basic Concepts — Big Small Hot Cold
Concept vocabulary flashcards for young learners.
Session summary (SOAP)
Stays on this screen. Nothing is saved or sent.
Mark a card Correct, Correct with cue or Incorrect and the summary writes itself here.
How to run it
Demonstrate before you ask. Pour a full cup and an empty one, open and close the door, and let the words attach to something the child watched happen. Then ask for the concept receptively — show me the empty one — before asking them to name it, because comprehension precedes production and asking for the word first often produces a guess. Eight minutes covers a handful of pairs properly; twelve pairs in one session is too many for this age.
Cueing ladder
Start at the top. Add support one step at a time.
- IndependentPresent the item and wait 5 seconds of quiet before helping.Log as correct
- HintReread the key sentence, or point back to the clue in the text or picture.Log as cued
- Two choicesOffer two answers, the right one not always second.Log as cued
- ModelThink aloud: say how you worked it out, then the student says the answer and why.Log as cued
Adjust it
Read it aloud to the student and offer two choices from the start.
Ask the student to say which words gave them the clue, not just the answer.
Matching IEP goal
Given short texts or spoken prompts, Student will show understanding of basic concept words in 8 of 10 opportunities across 3 consecutive sessions, given no more than an indirect cue.
Send it home through the parent portal →About this activity
Twelve concept pairs presented together rather than singly: big and little, hot and cold, up and down, fast and slow, open and closed, wet and dry, full and empty, happy and sad, in and out, long and short, loud and quiet, hard and soft. Concepts are learned in contrast — you cannot really know big without small — which is why the pairs stay together on the card.
What to listen for
Watch for one half of the pair carrying both. Many young children use big for both ends and modify it — big and not big — which tells you the contrast is understood and the second word is not yet available. Notice which pairs are physical and which are abstract: wet and dry are learned early because they are felt, while full and empty require a judgement about a container, and they usually come later.
Carrying it home
These concepts live in ordinary routines and need no cards. Narrating them is the whole method — the bath is full, now it's empty; the door is open, now it's closed. Saying both halves in the same minute is what builds the contrast.
What's in this activity
- big / little
- hot / cold
- up / down
- fast / slow
- open / closed
- wet / dry
- full / empty
- happy / sad
- in / out
- long / short
- loud / quiet
- hard / soft
Questions
- What ages is this for?
- Kindergarten and first grade, and older students working on early concept vocabulary.
- Do I need to sign in?
- No, the whole set plays free in the browser.
- My student says 'not big' instead of 'little'. Is that a problem?
- It shows the concept is there and the word is not. Work on retrieval — a forced choice between two words usually helps more than more exposure to the concept.
Use this board with your caseload
With a free account, every correct, cued and incorrect mark is saved to the student and scored against their IEP goal, with the data written up for you. Assign it as home practice through the parent portal.
Track progress freeFree for SLPs. No card, no trial clock.