Choose and Tell: Nursery Rhymes

Article contents

1. Overview
2. Who's it for?
3. Using the product
4. Options
5. Printing pictures
6. System requirements
7. Downloads and documentation
8. Useful support articles
9. Troubleshooting

1. Overview

The Choose and Tell series is a collection of fun, story-based activities designed to develop choice-making, listening, and storytelling skills.

Each title encourages children to make decisions that influence what happens next in the story - helping them learn that their choices have consequences.

The Choose and Tell titles are perfect for learners using switches, touchscreens, or pointing devices, and are especially popular in early years and special education settings. With engaging animation, clear narration, and bright visuals, they provide a motivating way to practise language development, cause and effect, and turn-taking.

Other titles in the series include:

• Choose and Tell: More Nursery Rhymes
• Choose and Tell: Legends
• Choose and Tell: Fairy Tales

Each follows the same simple, accessible format - ensuring consistency for learners and flexibility for educators.

2. Who's it for?

This program is suitable for:

• Early years and primary-aged learners
• Learners with SEND who benefit from clear cause-and-effect activities
• Learners developing early communication, attention, and sequencing skills
• Switch users and learners who need alternative access methods

It works well in classrooms, therapy sessions, and at home with adult support.

3. Using Choose and Tell: Nursery Rhymes

When the story begins, the learner is guided using spoken and visual prompts.

Moving the story on

• When a simple press is needed, a mouse icon appears on screen
• If switch access is enabled, a switch icon appears instead

The learner presses their mouse button, switch, or key to continue.

Making choices

When the learner needs to choose between options:

• Move the mouse pointer over an item
• The pointer changes to a hand
• A scan outline appears around the item
• Click (or activate the switch)

For switch scanning:

• Each option is highlighted automatically, one at a time
• The learner activates their switch when the correct option is highlighted

Story stages (what the learner chooses)

1. Choose a character

The learner chooses one of the following:

• Old King Cole
• Humpty Dumpty
• Old Mother Hubbard
• The Grand Old Duke of York
• Baa Baa Black Sheep

They then hear the original nursery rhyme, illustrated on screen.

2. Choose how they travel

The character goes on a journey. The learner chooses how they travel.

Possible options include:

• Skateboard
• Rocket
• Sports car
• Green boat
• Motorbike

The program randomly offers two or three options (this can be adjusted in Options).

3. Choose a destination

The learner chooses where the character goes, such as:

• Castle
• Forest
• Beach
• Playground
• Garden

4. Choose a treasure

The learner decides what treasure the character finds, for example:

• Gold
• Ice cream
• Chocolate
• Pizza
• Chips

5. Choose a monster

A monster steals the treasure. The learner chooses which one appears:

• Tiger
• Dragon
• Pirate
• Giant spider
• Alien

6. Choose a solution

The learner chooses how the character solves the problem, such as:

• Magic wand
• Black hole
• Monster mask
• Cage
• Mobile phone

The story then plays out using the learner’s choices.

Replay the story

At the end, the learner can replay their full story without making choices again.

This is helpful for:

• Reinforcement
• Shared storytelling
• Encouraging recall and sequencing
  
  

4. Options

Number of choices

• Choose whether the learner sees two or three options on decision screens
• Character choice always shows all five characters

Back button

• Allows the learner to go back and change a choice
• Can be turned off if this causes confusion
• Not available when switch scanning is enabled

• Mouse
• Touch screen
• Keyboard

• One switch
• Two switches

• Controls how long each option is highlighted
• Slower speeds give more thinking time
• Faster speeds suit confident switch users

• Changes the colour of the scan outline
• Useful for visual clarity and contrast

• Reads out the name of each option as it is highlighted
• Also reads options when using the mouse
• Helpful for learners with visual difficulties or early literacy skills

Acceptance delay

This helps learners who make brief, unintentional switch presses.

• Only switch presses longer than the set delay are accepted
• Example: set to 0.4 seconds to ignore very quick presses

5. Printing pictures

You can print pictures from the program at any time.

1. Hold Ctrl and press P on the keyboard
2. Choose your printer
3. Click Print

Printable resources include:

• Colour images
• Black-and-white images for colouring

These can be used away from the computer for follow-up activities.

6. System requirements

• Compatible with: Windows: 7 / 8 / 10 / 11
• Activation key delivered by email.
• MSI installer is available for site licence customers.
• An active internet connection required for installation/activation.
  
  

7. Downloads and documentation

• Choose and Tell: Nursery Rhymes EXE (34.9 MB)
• Choose and Tell: Nursery Rhymes Manual (1.3 MB)
• Choose and Tell: Nursery Rhymes - Assessment Sheets (3.4 MB)
  
  

8. Useful support articles

• Using switches with Inclusive Technology software
• Deploying Inclusive Technology software using Group Policy
• Potential issues with multi-touch touchscreens on Windows 8 and 10

9. Troubleshooting

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If any part of this article was unclear, or you think there is something missing (extra steps, examples or images etc.), let us know and we'll update the article:
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