Cambridge Starters: Family, Home & Toys

These three topics -- Family, Home, and Toys -- are tested together frequently in Cambridge Starters because they all relate to a child's everyday world. The speaking test almost always includes personal questions about family and favourite toys. The reading and listening tasks love rooms of the house.

Master these and you've covered a huge portion of the Starters exam.

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Part 1: Family & Friends

Vocabulary List

Key Describing Words for People

• Appearance: tall / short, long hair / short hair, big / small
• Age: young / old, [number] years old
• Actions: sleeping, eating, reading, playing, running, smiling

Family Tree Practice

Draw a simple family tree with these labels: ``` Grandpa + Grandma | Dad (+ Mum) ------- Uncle / Aunt | Me + Sister + Brother ```

Practise saying: "This is my [family member]. He/She is [age/description]."

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Exercise 1 -- Read and Answer (Starters Reading Part 5 style)

Read the story. Answer the questions.

> This is the Kim family. Mum's name is Lan. She has long black hair. Dad's name is Nam. He is tall. They have two children. The girl's name is Mai. She is seven years old. The boy's name is Duc. He is five. Grandma lives with them too. She is old and kind.

What is the mum's name? _______________

What does Dad look like? _______________

How old is Mai? _______________

Who is five years old? _______________

Who lives with the family? _______________

Answers: 1. Lan 2. He is tall 3. Seven 4. Duc 5. Grandma

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Exercise 2 -- True or False?

Mai is the mum's name. ___

Dad has long black hair. ___

The family has two children. ___

Duc is seven years old. ___

Grandma lives with the family. ___

Answers: 1. False 2. False 3. True 4. False 5. True

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Part 2: Home & Rooms

Rooms of the House

Furniture & Objects

Prepositions (Crucial for Starters!)

Cambridge Starters tests prepositions constantly. Learn these with real objects:

Practice tip: Take any room in your house. Use a toy animal or small object. Move it to different positions and describe where it is: "The toy is on the chair. Now it's under the table. Now it's between the books."

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Exercise 3 -- Where Is It? (Starters Listening Part 1 style)

Have a parent read these instructions. Draw a small picture or point to the right place in a room picture.

"Put the cat on the sofa."

"Put the ball under the table."

"Put the book next to the lamp."

"Put the dog behind the chair."

"Put the cup in front of the TV."

This directly practises the Starters Listening Part 1 task.

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Part 3: Toys

Toy Vocabulary

Colours + Toys = A Very Common Exam Combination

Cambridge loves asking about toy colours. Practise describing toys with colour + size:

• "It's a big red ball."
• "It's a small blue car."
• "It's a yellow kite."
• "It's a pink doll."

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Exercise 4 -- Complete the Sentences (Starters Reading Part 4 style)

Choose the correct word from the box to complete each sentence.

Word box: bedroom, living room, kitchen, ball, doll, under, on, red

The children play in the _______.

Mum cooks in the _______.

My _______ is round and I can kick it.

My sister has a pink _______.

The toy car is _______ the bed.

The book is _______ the table.

My favourite colour is _______.

Dad watches TV in the _______.

Answers: 1. living room (or bedroom) 2. kitchen 3. ball 4. doll 5. under 6. on 7. red 8. living room

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Speaking Practice: Questions Cambridge Will Ask

These are real-style questions from the Starters speaking test. Practise them every day for one week.

Family questions:

• "What is your mother's name?" -- "Her name is ___."
• "Do you have brothers or sisters?" -- "Yes, I have one sister/brother." / "No, I don't."
• "How old is your brother/sister?" -- "He/She is ___ years old."
• "Who do you live with?" -- "I live with my mum, dad, and ___."

Home questions:

• "What is your favourite room?" -- "My favourite room is my bedroom / the living room."
• "What is in your bedroom?" -- "There is a bed, a bookshelf, and a lamp."

Toy questions:

• "What is your favourite toy?" -- "My favourite toy is my [ball/doll/car]."
• "What colour is it?" -- "It is [colour]."
• "Do you like playing games?" -- "Yes, I love playing games!" / "Yes, I like [game]."

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Fun Games for Home Practice

Room Scavenger Hunt

Say: "Find something in the kitchen that is on the table!" Your child runs to find it and says: "The [object] is on the table!" Then switch -- let the child give instructions to you.

Toy Colour Game

Collect 5-6 small toys. Ask: "Give me the big red toy." "Find a small blue toy." "Put the yellow toy on the chair." This combines colours, sizes, and prepositions simultaneously.

Family Photo Quiz

Look at family photos together. Ask Cambridge-style questions: "Who is this?" "What is her name?" "Is he tall or short?" "Does she have long hair or short hair?" Encourage full sentence answers.

Draw and Describe

Ask your child to draw their bedroom (or any room). Then describe it: "This is my bedroom. There is a bed next to the window. There is a lamp on the table. My toys are under the bed."

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Common Mistakes to Avoid

Mistake 1: "My sister name is..." Correct: "My sister's name is..." The possessive 's is tested frequently at Starters.

Mistake 2: "There are a sofa..." Correct: "There is a sofa..." (singular) "There are two chairs." (plural)

Mistake 3: "The ball is in the table." Correct: "The ball is on the table." "On" for surfaces, "in" for inside/enclosed spaces.

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Coming Up Next in the Starters Series

• Numbers & Classroom -- Counting to 20, alphabet, school objects
• Food & Drink -- Fruits, meals, and the classic "Do you like...?" exercise
• Full Starters Mock Test -- Complete practice exam with all parts