Mini Minds Hub · Free printable
Who Helps in Our Town?: Free Printable Worksheet for Reception
- ForReception
- StageEarly Years
- CostFree
- FormatPrintable PDF
Who Helps in Our Town? is a free printable worksheet for Reception (ages 4 to 5). Children join each place to its tool, then draw a helper in a box. It gets children talking about jobs and the people who work in a community. It needs only a pencil, and page 2 gives the grown up notes, help ideas, a stretch idea and the answers.
It comes from the Mini Minds Hub, the free library of printables from Jaques of London, the British games and toy company that has been making games for families since 1795. Print both pages, give page 1 to your child and keep page 2 for yourself. Black and white printing works well.
What is on the sheet
Children look at places in a town and the tools that belong to the people who work there. They join each place to its tool with a line, and say out loud who they think works there. Then they draw a helper from their own town in the box provided. The sheet has room for drawing or notes, so children can show what they know in pictures or words.
- A helper in my town
- The tool they use
Why talk about helpers in our town?
A town works because many people do different jobs. Some people help us stay safe, some help us stay well, and some bring us things we need. Four and five year olds meet these helpers every week, at the shop, the park, the doctor or the school gate. Naming them and their jobs helps children see how a community fits together.
Matching places to tools gives children a clear reason to think and talk. A tool is a clue about a job. When a child asks why a helper needs a certain tool, they begin to link what people do with how they do it. Drawing a helper afterwards lets them show their own ideas and the people they know.
Did you know?
- Many helpers wear special clothes so that people can recognise them.
- Some helpers work in the day and some work at night.
- Some helpers work indoors and some work outdoors in all weathers.
- In an emergency in the UK, an adult can call 999 to ask for help.
- Many jobs in a town need people to work together as a team.
Skills and curriculum link
- Matching
- Talking about jobs
- Drawing people
- Listening and speaking
- Knowing our community
Ideas for the grown up
- Start with people they knowAsk who your child has met in town this week. Talking about real people makes the sheet feel familiar before any lines are drawn.
- Ask about the toolInstead of naming the answer, ask what the tool is for and when someone might need it. Let your child explain in their own words.
- Look around on a walkNext time you are out, point out places and workers you can see. Ask what each person might need to do their job.
- Accept all drawingsA drawing of a helper does not need to look perfect. Ask your child to tell you about it and write down a few of their words if they like.
Key words
- HelperA person whose job is to help other people.
- CommunityThe people who live and work together in the same place.
- ToolSomething a person uses to do a job.
- JobThe work a person does, often to help others.
- UniformSpecial clothes that some workers wear for their job.
- MatchFind two things that belong together and join them.
How to use it
- Print both pages. Page 1 is for your child. Keep page 2, which has the notes and answers.
- Read each place aloud. Ask who works there and what they do.
- Let your child draw the line to the tool they think belongs with that place. Work through it together the first time.
- Ask your child to draw a helper from their town in the box, then tell you about the picture. Check the matching against page 2.
- Come back to the sheet another day. Repeating a familiar activity builds confidence.
Help, stretch and game ideas
If it feels too hard
Say the name of each tool together and point to the matching picture or word before drawing the line. Start with the place your child knows best. Ask, "Have you seen someone using this?" Come back to the harder ones afterwards.
To stretch confident children
Ask your child to name another helper in town that is not on the sheet. Can they say where that person works, what tool they use and how they help people? They could draw a second helper on the back.
Make it a game
Take turns acting out a helper's job without speaking while the other person guesses who it is. Use only actions, not the name of the tool. Swap roles after each guess and see who can guess the most.
Mistakes to watch for
Watch forA child joins a place to a tool because the pictures look alike, not because of the job.
Try thisAsk what the helper does at that place. Then ask which tool would help them do it.
Watch forA child joins every line quickly without talking about it.
Try thisSlow down. Read one place at a time and ask who works there before the line is drawn.
Watch forA child says they do not know a helper because they have not met them.
Try thisAsk who they have seen near that place, or who they think would work there. Guessing is fine.
Talk about it
- Which places in our town have you visited?
- Who works there, and how do they help people?
- Why do you think this helper needs this tool?
- What would happen if this helper was not here?
- Which helper would you like to be, and why?
- How could you say thank you to a helper?
Take it off the page
Helper dressing up
Find hats, bags and clothes at home. Dress up as a helper and show what they do. Ask someone to guess the job.
Town from boxes
Use small boxes to build a pretend street. Add toy people and talk about who works in each building.
Thank you cards
Draw a card for a helper your family knows, such as a teacher or a neighbour. Say what you would like to thank them for.
Who it is for
Parents
Sit beside your child for the first go, then let them lead. Talk about each choice and praise their thinking, not only the right answers. Link the sheet to people you meet in your own town.
Teachers
Use it as a starter, plenary, early finisher task or table activity. It needs no preparation beyond printing. It suits Understanding the World, and page 2 gives support and stretch ideas for mixed groups.
Home educators
Pair the sheet with a walk around your local area, a visit to the library or books about jobs. Print it again for brothers and sisters, or return to it a few weeks later to see what your child remembers.
Where this fits in learning
In the Early Years Foundation Stage, Understanding the World includes learning about people, culture and communities. Children begin by talking about the people they know and the places they visit. This sheet is a gentle step in that direction, using helpers and tools as a way into talk about community.
Later, in Key Stage 1, geography includes learning about the local area, such as the main features of the places around school and home. Children who can already name places in a town and say what happens there have useful ideas to bring to that learning.
Questions parents and teachers ask
- What age is Who Helps in Our Town? for?
It is written for Reception, ages 4 to 5, in the Early Years Foundation Stage. It is designed to be shared with a grown up, so younger children may enjoy it with help and older ones may finish it more quickly.
- What will children practise?
Children practise matching places in a town to the tools their helpers use. They also talk about what different people do in their community and draw a helper from their own town.
- How do I use it?
Print both pages and give page 1 to your child. Read each place aloud, ask who works there and what they do, then let your child draw the line. Check against the answers on page 2.
- What if it feels too hard?
Say the name of each tool together and point to the matching picture or word before drawing the line. Start with the place your child knows best, and come back to the others another day.
- Is it free?
Yes. It is free to print for home and classroom use. You can print it again for brothers, sisters or another group, and use it as often as you like.
- Do I need to print in colour?
No. It prints well in black and white on plain A4 paper. Children can add their own colour to the drawing box if they want to.
- Can teachers use it in class?
Yes. Teachers can use it as a starter, plenary, early finisher task, homework or table activity. It needs no preparation beyond printing, and page 2 has help and stretch ideas for mixed groups.
Preview the full PDF
Made by Jaques of London, making games for families since 1795. A printable supports classroom learning and does not replace a teacher.