by Bill Martin Jr.
illustrated by Eric Carle
A classic.
Repetitious text and brightly colored animals
makes it enjoyable for babies and toddlers,
and an "easy" reader for school-aged children.
A very quick and easy activity that teaches animal names, fine motor skills, and colors. The stampers we used are from Melissa & Doug. Make up a story like we did that mirrors the rhythm of Brown Bear Brown Bear!
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| Blue horse blue horse what do you see? I see a green turtle... |
by Keith Baker
A cute book about the uniqueness in everything
This activity will give your child a little practice in fine motor and matching, and all you need are some scissors, a hole puncher, and white paper.
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| Fold your paper into the shape of a square and use scissors and hole puncher to make snowflakes |
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| Our snowflake masterpieces - no two are alike! |
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| I cut the snowflakes in half down the center |
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| Then baby bookworm matched the second half of the snowflake to the first |
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by Christopher Santoro
A lift-the-flap book
This activity is not only science related, but math, too! And aside from the HUGE mess, was a lot of fun. Don't forget to make connections back to the book. If you have a baby, you could probably try this activity with jello (an idea that I can't take credit for because my friend mentioned her infant did this at day care).
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| Our materials for the dig included - a rake, shovel, sand, Popsicle sticks (bones), a large bowl, magnifying glasses and a little water |
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| Hide all of the Popsicle sticks in the sand. Add a little water. Then let your child dig for "bones" with the tools |
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| When you find a bone, mark it with a number like a real Paleontologist |
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Little Scholastic
Learn all about the parts of a snowman in this board book perfect for
babies and toddlers
A fun way to build your own snowman without the snow! We used a sock, cheerios for stuffing, and pipe cleaners, paint, googly eyes, and markers to decorate. Inspire your child's creativity.
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| Sock snowman filled with Cheerios |
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by Oliver Jeffers
A tale of a boy and his penguin friend who is on a quest to fly.
A story of friendship at heart.
Penguin Craft
Aside from being a cute craft, making this penguin is a lesson in size! Arrange the ovals by size and talk about bigger and smaller.
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| All you need to make the penguin (plus some glue) |
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| Have a conversation about size while you create your penguin |
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| All finished! |
Why is it a good idea to pair a book with an activity or craft?
- it's a great way to spark interest in a topic. For instance, reading about what a Paleontologist does may not be as fun as "doing" what a Paleontologist does.
- it can motivate a child to read; after doing an activity, a child may be more interested in reading the book again and again, or other books on the topic.
- it helps to build connections between a child's knowledge base and new learning
- it helps with the transfer of knowledge; learning concepts and skills in different contexts will help your child transfer their knowledge from one situation to another
- it aids learning through repetition of concepts and ideas
What books and activities have you paired recently? Please share!
