Social interaction skills
Toddlers participate in a book sharing focused on actions of children and teddy bears, and watch a caregiver-held teddy bear do similar actions.
Be Prepared: The book includes some basic sign language that is optional for you to include in the activity. You may wish to introduce none, some, or all of the sign vocabulary included in the book. The book offers nine illustrations of “teddy bear” (including the cover), one illustration of “light,” and one illustration of “sky,” all in American Sign Language and with italicized captions. Omit the illustration of “turn out the light” if you opt to not introduce the sign vocabulary for “light.”
[Prominently hold the teddy bear in your hand and invite several toddlers to join you to read a book about teddy bears.
Move the teddy bear in your hand as you enthusiastically welcome toddlers to the gathering. Say each toddler’s name as he/she joins. Example: “Josiah is joining us to hear about a teddy bear. Cassandra is joining us to hear about a teddy bear.” Make eye contact with each toddler.
Show the cover of the book.]
The teddy bears in our book do different things. What do you think the bear on the cover of our book is doing? (waving, holding out arms, smiling)
[Display the teddy bear in your hand.]
I am holding a teddy bear. I will use my hand to move my teddy bear during our story. The teddy bear in my hand can do some of the same things the bears in our book do.
Let’s open our book and find out what the bears do!
[Read the text and use your own words to describe what the child and corresponding teddy bear are doing. Help toddlers focus on the pictured child’s action, such as “touch your nose” (the first image of the child on each page shows sign language for “teddy bear”).
Move the teddy bear in your hand to do things described and shown in the book.
Draw attention to actions of the teddy bear you are holding. Example: “The child and teddy bear in our book are touching their toes. The teddy bear in my hand is also touching his toes!”
Ask questions about (a) what the teddy bear in your hand is doing, and (b) what the teddy bear in your hand should do. Examples: “The child and teddy bear in our book are turning around. What is the bear in my hand doing?” “The child and teddy bear in our book are touching their nose. What should the teddy bear in my hand do?”
Emphasize rhyming words. (nose/toes, around/ground, high/sky)]
The children and teddy bears in our book did many different things. What did the teddy bear in my hand do? (the same things as teddy bears in the book) We had fun looking at pictures of teddy bears in our book and watching the teddy bear in my hand.
Toddlers will enjoy the rhyming text of this book and watching the teddy bear in your hand do actions described in the book. Pay close attention to toddlers’ eye engagements to ensure you are providing sufficient time and verbal support for looking at both the pictures of child and bear actions in the book and the teddy bear in your hand. Also, watch for indications of unclear understandings of some phrases used in the book, such as touch the sky. The book is not based on a plot and it is fine to pause on pages that may require a little more description or discussion.
Your important roles in this activity include fostering an enjoyable atmosphere for participants and explicitly inviting their active involvement with different types of questions, including those suggested in the activity plan. Use questions and comments to encourage toddlers to compare the actions of the toy bear in your hand to the actions of children and teddy bears in the book. Avoid approaching your contribution to the session as one of entertaining toddlers.
Look for opportunities to acknowledge and extend comments of toddlers in the session. Draw attention to their participation, beginning with use of their names as they join the session (see BEGIN).
Extra support
Enrichment
Social interaction skills
Toddlers manipulate a teddy bear in ways described and shown in a book, with opportunities to also notice what peers are doing with their teddy bears.
Be Prepared: The book includes some basic sign language that is optional for you to include in the activity. You may wish to introduce none, some, or all of the sign vocabulary included in the book. The book offers nine illustrations of “teddy bear” (including the cover), one illustration of “light,” and one illustration of “sky,” all in American Sign Language and with italicized captions. Omit the illustration of “turn out the light” if you opt to not introduce the sign vocabulary for “light.”
Prominently hold 3–4 teddy bears in your hand. Invite several toddlers to join you to move a teddy bear the same way teddy bears in a book move parts of their bodies. Explain that the children and teddy bears in the book do many different things. Each of us can hold a teddy bear and do the same thing with our bear.
Give a teddy bear to each toddler who joins the gathering. Encourage toddlers to look at their bear and move it around any way they wish. After a brief period of exploring the toy bears, display the book and ask what toddlers see on the cover. Positively acknowledge and expand upon their comments. Explain that we will look at pictures in our book, talk about what is happening in the pictures, and then do some of the same things with the bears in our hands. Also, explain that toddlers may watch you move the bear in your hand.
Use strategies offered in Option 1 to support toddlers’ participation. Offer verbal guidance on how to move the toy bears held by toddlers, if appropriate. Encourage toddlers to look at the book’s picture of the action and watch your bear. Include strategies, such as the following, to draw toddlers’ attention to others in the gathering:
At the conclusion of the book, announce that it is time for the teddy bears to rest. Place your bear on the floor, face down. Encourage toddlers to do the same thing with their bears. Comment on the “resting” teddy bears. Example: “Our teddy bears played hard. Now they are sleepy. They are taking a nap. Let’s pat our teddy bears on the back to help them sleep.” Demonstrate patting your bear on the back and encourage toddlers to do the same.
This activity is designed to promote interpersonal connections among toddlers as everyone attempts to move a toy bear the same way teddy bears in a book move. Fostering an atmosphere of “we’re doing this together” and acknowledging individual efforts are central to the activity. Some toddlers may prefer to hold their bear and watch and listen. Acknowledge their involvement with comments, such as “Connor is having fun watching our bears move in different ways.” Watching others is a useful way to learn about positive social interactions. Some toddlers may do some, but not all, of pictured actions with their toy bear. Recognize and acknowledge all forms of participation.
Extra support
Enrichment
Social interaction skills
Toddlers pay attention to the actions of their peers as they act out the movements of children and teddy bears described and shown in a book.
Be Prepared: The book includes some basic sign language that is optional for you to include in the activity. You may wish to introduce none, some, or all of the sign vocabulary included in the book. The book offers nine illustrations of “teddy bear” (including the cover), one illustration of “light,” and one illustration of “sky,” all in American Sign Language and with italicized captions. Omit the illustration of “turn out the light” if you opt to not introduce the sign vocabulary for “light.”
Invite several toddlers to look at a book about different things teddy bears do and act out some of the movements of the teddy bears. After several toddlers have joined the session, display the book and describe the actions of the pictured child and teddy bear on each page. Approach the book as a review (but not too quick of a review) if toddlers have recently read the book (Option 1) or used a toy teddy bear to mimic the teddy bears (Option 2).
After reading (or reviewing) and talking about pictures in the book, explain that we will try to do some of the same things done by teddy bears in the book. Show and describe a picture in the book. Demonstrations of each action are key to the activity. Use one or a combination of the two approaches to demonstration described below:
Use selected pages of the book if time is limited or you anticipate use of all pages may be too exciting for toddlers. Conclude the session by describing what happened, making sure to include each toddler’s name in your summary.
Watching and imitating others is an early step in learning how to play with others. Describe how toddlers are paying attention to the actions of a peer or adult. Example: “Gavin, you watched Amira touch her nose. You are doing the same! You are touching your nose like the child and teddy bear in our book!” Toddlers are likely to vary in their interest in the activity. Keep in mind that watching others is a beneficial way to learn about getting along with others. If you use selected pages, note that some actions, such as pointing to our nose or eyes, are easier than others for toddlers to do.
Extra support
Enrichment
Materials Needed: several teddy bears, common items in housekeeping area
Place 2–3 teddy bears in the housekeeping area and invite several toddlers to play with them. Talk with toddlers about what they are doing with a teddy bear. Mimic what a bear is doing. Example: “Your teddy bear is eating corn. I am going to eat corn, too, like your bear!” Invite toddlers to make the teddy bears imitate an action you offer. Example: “I am going to drink some juice from this cup. The teddy bear has a cup, too. Maybe the teddy bear would like to drink juice with me!”
Materials Needed: Sign and Sing Along: Teddy Bear, Teddy Bear! by Annie Kubler
Preschool-age children in your setting may enjoy joining toddlers in Option 1 or 2. Older children may enjoy reciting some of the words of the rhyme with you. Babies may enjoy holding a teddy bear or being held and moved around with the words of the rhyme.
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