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Oops moments — print pack

Print, cut, and talk about it together. · Ages 5–9 · Roo Bloom

How to use these pages

  1. Print on A4, single sided, at 100% — not “fit to page”.
  2. Cut along the dashed lines to make the cards.
  3. Ask the question, then ask “what can you see?” before anything else.
  4. The last page is for you, not for the wall.

Four things to ask

“What can you see?” “What happened?” “What clue helped you?” “So why did that happen?”

Why cards

Cut these out. Show the picture, read the question, and talk.

  • A boy walking towards a lunch table with a cloth in his hand. A cup lies on its side on the table with drink running out of it. A girl sits beside it.

    What happened to Mei's drink?

    Oops moments · 1

  • Two children sitting on a bedroom floor. A tower of blocks lies knocked over across the floor between them.

    What happened to Tabi's tower?

    Oops moments · 2

  • Two children standing in a playground, both looking down. An ice block is lying on the ground between them, and an open lunch box is on the ground nearby.

    What happened to Arlo's ice block?

    Oops moments · 3

  • A boy and his grandad on a couch. A toy car is lying in pieces on the boy's lap, and his grandad is reaching towards it.

    Why is Sam frustrated?

    Oops moments · 4

  • Two children at a classroom desk. A pencil lies on the desk in two pieces, with a sharpener sitting further along. Ravi's paper is in front of him.

    What happened to Ravi's pencil?

    Oops moments · 5

  • Two children at a craft table. A painting lies on the table ripped into two pieces, with a glue stick further along.

    What happened to Mei's painting?

    Oops moments · 6

  • Two children in a school hallway. One is leaning forward and looking down, and a lace on her shoe is trailing loose on the floor.

    Why is Jo looking at her shoe?

    Oops moments · 7

  • A classroom. A chair is lying on its side on the floor, and the teacher is leaning down with her hands towards it.

    Why is Ms Bell picking the chair up?

    Oops moments · 8

  • Two children standing on the oval, both looking the same way. One of them is pointing. A ball is sitting right over at the far edge. A drink bottle stands on the grass beside them.

    Why has Tabi stopped playing?

    Oops moments · 9

The three answers

Cut these into strips and lay the three out under the matching card.

  • 1

    • It has spilled on the table.
    • She has finished it all.
    • It is still in her bag.

  • 2

    • It has fallen over.
    • It has been packed away.
    • Arlo has finished building it.

  • 3

    • It fell on the ground.
    • He has put it away.
    • He has swapped it with Kit.

  • 4

    • His toy car has broken.
    • He wants to watch something.
    • He is waiting for his turn.

  • 5

    • It has snapped in two.
    • He has lost it.
    • He has lent it to Kit.

  • 6

    • It has torn in half.
    • It has got wet.
    • Jo has taken it home.

  • 7

    • Her shoelace has come undone.
    • She has stepped in mud.
    • She is changing into her gumboots.

  • 8

    • A chair has tipped over.
    • She is tidying the books.
    • It is nearly home time.

  • 9

    • The ball has rolled away.
    • The bell has rung.
    • It has started raining.

Why → Because

Say the first half and let your child finish it. That is the whole exercise.

  • 1Sam is getting a cloth because

  • 2Tabi is upset because

  • 3Arlo is upset because

  • 4Sam is frustrated because

  • 5Ravi has stopped drawing because

  • 6Mei is upset because

  • 7Jo is looking down because

  • 8Ms Bell is picking the chair up because

  • 9Tabi has stopped playing because

For grown-ups: the answers and the clues

The clue is the useful column. If your child is stuck, point at the clue rather than saying the answer.

  1. 1. What happened to Mei's drink?

    It has spilled on the table.

    Clue: Look at the table beside Mei.

    Ask what you both do first when something spills.

  2. 2. What happened to Tabi's tower?

    It has fallen over.

    Clue: Look at the floor between them.

  3. 3. What happened to Arlo's ice block?

    It fell on the ground.

    Clue: Look at the ground between them.

  4. 4. Why is Sam frustrated?

    His toy car has broken.

    Clue: Look at what is on his lap.

  5. 5. What happened to Ravi's pencil?

    It has snapped in two.

    Clue: Look at the desk in front of Ravi.

  6. 6. What happened to Mei's painting?

    It has torn in half.

    Clue: Look at the paper on the table.

    Ask what the two of them could do to mend it.

  7. 7. Why is Jo looking at her shoe?

    Her shoelace has come undone.

    Clue: Look down at her feet.

  8. 8. Why is Ms Bell picking the chair up?

    A chair has tipped over.

    Clue: Look at the floor beside her.

  9. 9. Why has Tabi stopped playing?

    The ball has rolled away.

    Clue: Look at what Arlo is doing.

    Ask what the two of them could do to get it back.

Roo Bloom · roobloom.com

This is an educational resource, not therapy or medical advice.