Imagine you’re going to visit your grandparents. Think about how you get to your grandparents’ house. Do they live in the same town as you? Can you walk to their house, or catch a bus? Or do they live in a different place? Do you have to go there by car, or train, or even plane?

You arrive at your grandparents’ house. Look at the building. What’s it like? Is it a house or do they live in a flat? Are there lots of windows? Do they have a garden? Or a garage?

When you go to the front door, do you ring a doorbell (ding dong) or knock (toc toc)? What does it sound like?

What’s the first thing you see when the door opens? What can you smell?

Look around the different rooms in your grandparents’ house. Which is your favourite? Why? Do you have a favourite object in their house? Pick it up – what does it feel like?

How do you feel when you go to your grandparents’ house?

Imagine you’re on the beach. It can be any beach in the world. Perhaps it’s a beach you know and you’ve been to, or maybe it’s an exotic beach on a tropical island.

Look around you. What can you see? Are there other people on the beach or are you alone? Are there any buildings near the beach? Is the beach next to a beautiful jungle?

What can you hear? Can you hear any birds? Listen to the sound of the ocean. Is it calm or are there big waves crashing onto the beach?

What’s the weather like? Is the sun hot against your skin? Or maybe there’s a little bit of wind blowing against your face.

Imagine you take off your socks and shoes. What does the sand feel like under your feet? Is it warm or cool? Imagine you’re walking along the beach. Are you walking in the sea, with the water around your ankles? Are you on the wet sand next to the water? Are you on dry sand? Is it easy to walk?

How do you feel right now? Relaxed? Energetic? Happy?

Today we need to go shopping. But before we go, we need to decide what to buy, so imagine you’re walking into the kitchen and looking in the cupboards and the fridge. What can you see? What can you smell? Can you open all the doors? Do you need to stand on a chair or stretch up tall?

So, it’s time to go shopping. Do you walk to the supermarket? Do you go by car? Or on the bus?

Remember to pick up your shopping bags. What colour are they?

What do you see when you’re going to the supermarket? Are there lots of houses? Is the supermarket near other shops?

Now we’re there and we have to get a trolley or a basket to put all the food in. Is it a noisy trolley or is it quiet and easy to push?

Let’s look at the shopping list. What’s the first thing we need? Imagine you’re going to pick up that item. What can you smell? What can you hear? Are there lots of people in the supermarket? Walk around the supermarket and pick up the food you need.

Now we’ve got everything, it’s time to pay. Take everything out of the trolley and listen to the beep, beep as it goes through the machine. Put the food in your shopping bags – are they very heavy?

And now we can go home. What’s your favourite thing on the shopping list?

Imagine it’s time to go to school. Do you need to put on your coat? Have you got your school bag? Is it big and heavy?

We leave the house and close the door. What can you see on the street? Are there lots of cars and people? What can you hear? Are there birds singing?

What’s the weather like today? Is it cold and windy? Is it raining? Do you need to put up your umbrella? Or is it a beautiful sunny day?

Do you walk to school? Do you take a bus? Do you go by car? Do you ride your bike?

Think about the trip you take to school. What do you see? Are there lots of shops? Do you walk past a bread shop and smell delicious, hot bread? Do you go past lots of houses? What do they look like? Do you see lots of people? What are they doing?

What do you do when you get to school? Do you play with your friends? Do you go into class? What’s your favourite thing about going to school?

Now more than ever, it seems like a good time to get our students to close their eyes and visualise the wider world. If you’re new to visualisations, here are three quick tips before you start:

1. Speak slowly and calmly, pausing to give students time to think between each phrase.
2. Grade your language so that they aren’t distracted by unknown vocabulary.
3. Try to include as many senses as you can.

Here’s an idea for a visualisation with younger learners about playing in the park.

Imagine you’re in the park. Who did you go with? With your mum? Your dad? Your grandparents?

When you walk into the park, what can you see? Are there lots of trees? Is there a big area to play in?

What can you do in the park? Can you play football? Can you climb? Can you run around really fast?

Imagine you sit down in the park. Are you sitting on the ground? What does it feel like? Is there grass? Are there stones?

What’s the weather like in the park you’re in? Is it a hot and sunny day? Or is it cold? What clothes are you wearing? Shorts and a T-shirt? Are you wearing a coat? Look down. What colour are your shoes?

What can you hear in the park? Are there other children playing? Is the park next to the road or is it very quiet?

You spend lots of time playing in the park and now it’s time to go home. How do you feel? Are you tired? Thirsty and ready for a big glass of juice? Are you hungry after running lots?