Making mini-books for repeated practice of early morphological endings

Early morphological endings are the small grammatical pieces children add to words, such as -s for plurals or third-person agreement, -ed for past events, -ing for ongoing actions, and the possessive marker ’s. A mini-book turns one of these forms into a short, repeatable story. The child hears the ending in context, sees what it means, and takes several turns using it without moving on to a new page each time.

The aim is not rapid worksheet completion. It is meaningful, supported participation that connects sound, spelling and grammar. A book also gives parents, teachers and therapy teams a shared object for practice. Start with one ending and one job, select words the child understands, and change only one feature at a time. Repetition then becomes a familiar route to communication rather than a test of memory.

Ending	Meaning	Example	Practice focus
Possessive ’s	Ownership or relationship	Dad’s hat	Add an ownership marker to a familiar noun
Plural or third-person -s	More than one or subject agreement	Two birds; bird calls	Keep the grammatical job clear
Past -ed	A completed action	We played	Pair the ending with a finished event
-ing	An ongoing action	Mia is painting	Show that the action is still happening

Decide on the grammatical job

Choose the meaning you want to teach before deciding which sound or spelling to practise. Plural -s and third-person -s may look identical, but they express different ideas. A child who says “two bus” may need help seeing that the picture contains more than one object, while “dog run” may require support with subject-verb agreement. Separate books can keep these targets clear.

Australian English has recognisable vowel patterns, including a broad vowel often heard in words such as “hot.” This changes vowel quality rather than the grammar attached to a word. In everyday Australian conversation, forms such as “gonna” and “wanna” are also common. An omitted ending in quick speech should not automatically be interpreted as difficulty understanding or using grammar.

Check what the child understands and produces across the languages used at home and school. Ask families which words and sentence patterns matter most. This information helps you select meaningful vocabulary and avoids treating a difference between language systems as an error.

Design one meaning per mini-book

Keep the visual design predictable. Each page should contain a clear picture, one short sentence and the target ending in a consistent position. Colour can highlight the ending, but excessive decoration may distract from the word or action. Leave enough space for the child to point, act, use a communication symbol or attempt the spoken form.

Build each sentence around a frame that carries the meaning. For past -ed, “We ___” followed by “played” provides a completed-event context. For -ing, “Mia is ” links the ending with something happening now. For possessives, pair “’s” with an owner and an object. Change the picture while retaining the frame so the child can predict what comes next.

Before practice, make sure talking is comfortable. Persistent mouth pain, unusual drooling or feeding difficulty needs assessment by an appropriately qualified professional. Families can use buccal health information as general background, while local dental, medical or speech pathology services address the individual concern.

Make the book Australian and child-led

Turn familiar places into opportunities for repeated language. A Sydney harbour ferry, a Melbourne tram, a Canberra kookaburra or the red landscape around Uluru can each become the setting for a tiny book. A sequence such as “The tram is moving,” “We visited Uluru” or “Mum’s camera” provides a meaningful context for -ing, -ed and possession.

Follow the child’s interests rather than relying on generic reading themes. A child who likes Australian rules football might enjoy “The player kicks,” “Two players run” and “Mia’s club.” Another child may prefer animals, cooking, buses or gardening. The topic matters less than whether the child recognises the pictures and wants to communicate about them.

Australian homes and classrooms include many linguistic backgrounds. Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander languages, English and other community languages may all shape a child’s early communication. An English ending should not be judged by whether it follows the conventions of another language. Include important family words, invite contributions from the child and consult family members or community language experts when a child’s communication is being assessed.

Build a short repeated-reading routine

Choose a practice period the child can tolerate, often only a few minutes. When brief oral-motor warm-ups are needed, timed articulation drills offer a practical visual-timer format. Use the timer to mark the beginning and end of the warm-up rather than as a test of the child.

A simple book needs:

• One target ending with one clear grammatical meaning
• Six to eight pages using the same sentence frame
• A final page for the child to turn, point or complete

Each turn can stay simple:

• The adult reads the sentence while highlighting the ending
• The child points, acts, vocalises or attempts the target word
• The adult models again, gives specific praise and closes the turn

Repeat the same pages across several days rather than expecting the book to be completed in one sitting. If the child omits the ending, wait briefly, model it and accept an intentional response before moving on. Keep the interaction warm, and do not turn informal Australian speech into a target for accent correction.

Include AAC and nonverbal communicators

Shared reading should remain a collaborative activity in which the child has choices and influence. A nonverbal relationship support approach can guide the adult towards following the child’s attention, responding to attempts and making communication enjoyable. The mini-book provides structure without requiring the child to produce a spoken sound on every page.

Make each grammatical meaning visible. For -ed, place two or three pictures showing an action before and after completion. For -ing, show the action happening. For a possessive ending, connect the owner to the object. The child can then select the correct picture, turn the page or complete the sentence using speech, gesture, eye gaze or an AAC device.

Individual goals should reflect how the child currently communicates. Producing a spoken suffix may be one objective, while identifying the owner, communicating an event or sequencing an action may be more meaningful and achievable. A speech-language pathologist can adapt the book so that participation is successful without removing opportunities for expressive language growth.

Fit practice into Australian services

Australian families may fund speech pathology through an NDIS plan, eligible Medicare rebates following a GP referral, private health extras or education services. Telehealth has also improved access for families in regional and remote areas. Eligibility, waiting times and billing arrangements vary between states, providers and plans, so check current funding conditions before assuming a particular service or rebate is available.

In early childhood settings, practice can align with the national Early Years Learning Framework and its emphasis on belonging, communication and participation. Schools may use the Australian Curriculum and support children who are learning English as an additional language or dialect. Visual mini-books can provide predictable access to the content while allowing children to demonstrate understanding through their strongest language and communication methods.

Auslan has its own grammar and ways of marking time and agreement. Children who are Deaf and bilingual may communicate more effectively in Auslan than in spoken English. An English mini-book should therefore supplement rather than replace Auslan access. Family preferences, teacher knowledge and interpreter support can help decide how the child responds to the book and which forms are most useful to practise.

Track change and keep the routine going

Keep progress records simple and functional. Note whether the child produced the ending independently, needed a prompt or followed an adult model. A brief weekly record can show whether the routine is becoming easier and whether the child is beginning to use the ending in spontaneous speech. It is also useful to share observations with the family and therapy team without turning every attempt into a scored test.

Choose one ending, make a six-page book and write the target sentence on each page. Read it with the child for a few minutes, then return to it on another day. Printable materials from the Let’s Talk Speech Therapy shop can also be adapted with local pictures and meaningful sentence frames. Choose one ending, print or assemble three copies, and begin a five-minute shared-reading routine with a child this week.