Pre A1 Starters Vocabulary: A Practical Guide for Parents

What is Pre A1 Starters vocabulary?

Pre A1 is an entry point for children who are beginning English. At this stage, useful success means recognising a familiar word, following a short instruction, naming a common object and answering a very simple question with support. Cambridge English describes its Pre A1 children's activities as based on the words used in the Pre A1 Starters test. Parents can explore the official Cambridge Pre A1 activities and consult the official Starters wordlist picture book.

A wordlist is a map, not a daily lesson. Avoid asking a child to memorise an alphabetical page. Topics create helpful connections: “apple,” “banana” and “milk” belong together; “eye,” “hand” and “foot” can be pointed to; “jump,” “run” and “swim” can be acted out.

Start with vocabulary children can see and use

Choose topics that are easy to demonstrate at home. Body words work with a pointing game. Clothes can be practised while getting dressed. Food words appear at breakfast. Toys, rooms and classroom objects are also concrete. Animals and transport may rely more on pictures and video, but they provide strong motivation and lead naturally to sounds, movement and simple descriptions.

Within a topic, begin with four to six words. Present nouns with a clear picture and audio. Use short video for movement or context. Then mix recognition and recall. “Point to the frog” is easier than “What's this?” Both are useful, but the first builds confidence before the second tests retrieval.

A four-week Pre A1 vocabulary plan

1. Week 1: me and my family

   Practise body parts, clothes and close family words. Point, draw a person and label pictures orally. Finish sessions with two instructions such as “Touch your nose” or “Show me your shoes.”

2. Week 2: home and food

   Choose words the learner can find in the room or kitchen. After visual flashcards, run a 60-second object hunt. Use a tiny request such as “Milk, please” when the word is familiar.

3. Week 3: animals and actions

   Pair animals with simple movement. Watch a short vocabulary video, then mime a word for the other person to guess. Mix old colours and numbers into prompts: “two blue birds.”

4. Week 4: school and mixed review

   Practise classroom objects and revisit earlier topics. Use quizzes or puzzles with mixed words, but keep most questions achievable. End the week with a picture scene and ask the child to find everything they know.

Use a seven-minute “look, listen, find” session

Spend two minutes revisiting yesterday's pictures. Add no more than three new words, using audio and short video where helpful. Follow with one quiz or puzzle. For the final two minutes, move away from the app: find a real item, mime an action or draw one word. A short session can be repeated later; stopping before attention disappears helps protect motivation.

When an answer is wrong, give a meaningful clue instead of simply supplying it. Replay the sound, show two pictures or demonstrate the action. Then ask again. This keeps the child participating and turns the correction into another useful encounter.

How to know when a word is becoming secure

Track flexible use, not a one-time correct tap. Can the learner recognise the word in a different picture? Can they find the object after hearing it? Can they name it the next day? Can they use it in a two- or three-word phrase with help? If only the first answer is yes, keep the word in review. Once several forms feel easy, add a few new items or move towards A1 Movers vocabulary.

Capybara English is an independent learning app and is not affiliated with, endorsed by or an official product of Cambridge University Press & Assessment. It can support vocabulary practice, but it is not complete exam preparation. Use official Cambridge resources for current test content, format and preparation guidance.