Problem-solving
A toddler picks one toy for one teddy bear.
Be Prepared: Include some toys that will appeal to the toddler and are smaller than the teddy bears or dolls. Place toys in the basket. Putting some distance between the bears and placing one toy clearly in front of a bear during the activity will help the toddler see there is one toy for one bear.
[Invite a toddler to join you to play with some teddy bears (or dolls). Give the toddler two teddy bears to place next to him/her, with some distance between each bear/doll. Display two more teddy bears and place them next to you, with some distance between each of your two bears/dolls. Point to the teddy bears and the basket of toys as you describe each, as suggested below.]
You have two teddy bears. I have two teddy bears. Here is a basket of toys. Let’s pretend our teddy bears would like a toy to play with. You can pick one toy from our basket for each of your teddy bears. I can pick one toy from our basket for each of my teddy bears.
Look at the fun toys in our basket!
[Pick up and name 2–3 toys, one at a time. Return toys to the basket.]
I want to pick one toy for one bear.
[Point to one of your bears.]
I am going to pick the (name of toy) for this bear. I think my bear will like to play with this toy!
[Put the toy directly in front of the teddy bear. Then point to your bear that does not have a toy.]
Now I am going to pick one toy for this bear. One toy for one bear. I am going to pick the (name of toy). My bear will have fun with this toy!
[Put the toy directly in front of your second bear.]
Now it is your turn to pick toys for your teddy bears.
[Put the basket in front of the toddler. Point to each of the toddler’s bears as you mention them, as suggested below.]
You have two bears. You have this bear. And you have this bear.
[Encourage the toddler to select one toy and put it next to the bear the toddler selected to first receive a toy. Name the selected toy. Example: “You picked a toy car for your teddy bear. I think your teddy bear will have fun playing with the toy car!” Encourage the toddler to put the toy directly in front of the bear for which it was selected.]
Look at our bears and their toys! Each bear has one toy.
[Point to each bear and its toy when you describe the following, beginning with the toddler’s two bears:]
One bear, one toy. One bear, one toy. One bear, one toy. And, one bear, one toy!
We picked toys for our teddy bears to play with. We picked one toy for one bear. What do you think our teddy bears would like to do with their toys?
[If time and interest permit, engage the toddler in a brief period of play with the teddy bears and toys. Maybe the teddy bears would like to exchange toys.]
Look for opportunities to emphasize the idea that we pick one toy for one bear. The repetitive pointing and description of “one bear, one toy” is at the heart of the activity. This summary occurs prior to the possible pretend play with teddy bears and toys in order to make good use of the physical arrangements of one toy sitting in front of one bear. It is inappropriate, at this age, to formally introduce the mathematics skill of one-to-one correspondence, but activities like the current one can support a toddler’s beginning awareness of this important cognitive concept.
Your primary contribution to the activity is to demonstrate picking one toy for one teddy bear (the reason you go first) and to facilitate the toddler’s selection of one toy for each bear. Putting the basket of toys in front of the toddler when it is his/her turn is a concrete action that represents your words “now it’s your turn.”
Extra support
Enrichment
Problem-solving
A toddler picks one toy for each of four teddy bears.
Be Prepared: Include some toys that will appeal to the toddler and are smaller than the teddy bears or dolls. Place toys in the basket. During the activity, putting some distance between the bears and placing one toy clearly in front of a bear will help the toddler see there is one toy for one bear.
Invite the toddler to pick some toys for four teddy bears/dolls to play with. Put the basket of toys in front of the toddler. Invite the toddler to pick up and look at the toys. Name (or invite the toddler to name) each toy he/she picks up or looks at. The toys are to return to the basket after exploring them. Then give the toddler the four teddy bears/dolls to put in clear view to his/her side, perhaps two bears on each side of the toddler.
Explain that each of the bears would like a toy to play with. The toddler can pick one toy for each of the bears. Point to one of the teddy bears. Invite the toddler to pick one toy from the basket for the bear to play with. Name (or invite the toddler to name) the toy as you describe the toddler’s action. Example: “You picked one toy for the teddy bear. You picked a (name of toy) for this bear to play with.” Encourage the toddler to put the toy in front of the bear you point to. Repeat this process for each of the remaining three teddy bears. Consistently emphasize that the toddler picked one toy for one bear.
After the toddler has picked one toy for each of the four bears, summarize the toddler’s actions by emphasizing one toy for one teddy bear. Point to each bear and its toy as you say repetitively “You picked one toy for this bear.”
Ask the toddler how the teddy bears might play with their toys. If the toddler is interested, engage in parallel or joint play with the bears and toys.
Look for ways to promote the process of picking one toy for one teddy bear. As described in Option 1, this emphasis can help a toddler develop beginning awareness of the concept of one-to-one correspondence, an important math skill that is more formally introduced when children are 3–4 years old. See Scaffolding Tips if a toddler picks more than one toy for a bear or seems uncertain about some aspects of the task.
Extra support
Enrichment
Problem-solving
Toddlers take turns selecting one toy for each of two teddy bears.
Be Prepared: Select three toys for each of the number of toddlers you anticipate will participate. Example: Select nine toys if three toddler participants are expected. This gives each toddler some choices in toy selection as part of the activity. Include some toys that will appeal to toddlers and are smaller than the teddy bears or dolls. Place toys in the basket. During the activity, putting some distance between the bears and placing one toy clearly in front of a bear will help the toddler see there is one toy for one bear.
Invite 2–3 toddlers to help pick toys for teddy bears to play with. Explain that we will take turns picking one toy at a time. Put the basket of toys in front of the toddlers and invite toddlers to pick up or look at the toys. Name (or encourage toddlers to name) each toy that is explored. Toddlers are to return all toys to the basket after a brief period of becoming familiar with items in the basket.
Give each toddler two teddy bears/dolls. Invite toddlers to put one bear in one hand and the other (second) teddy bear in their other hand. Then encourage toddlers to put their two bears next to them, with a little distance between each bear so we can easily see which bear has which toy (after toys have been picked).
Next, put the basket of toys in front of one toddler and invite him/her to pick one toy for one of his/her bears. Say (or invite the toddler to say) the name of the toy and encourage the toddler to put the toy in front of one of his/her teddy bears. Describe the toddler’s actions. Example: “You picked one toy for one of your teddy bears. You put the (name of toy) in front of one of your bears.”
Invite the toddler to pass the basket to another toddler (preferably a toddler sitting in closest proximity), who is encouraged to pick one toy for one of his/her teddy bears. After all toddlers pick one toy for one of their bears, pass the basket a second time for each toddler to pick one toy for his/her other (second) bear. Describe each toddler’s actions, as suggested above.
After one toy has been picked for each bear, draw toddlers’ attention to the bear-toy arrangements in front of them. Point to each bear and its toy and say repetitively “One bear, one toy.”
After one toy has been picked for each teddy bear, invite toddlers to change around the toys already picked for the bears. Example: Bear A and Bear B swap toys. Some toddlers may not wish to participate in this segment of the activity.
Pay close attention to the relationship skill dimensions of the activity. The involvement of turn-taking with peers increases the challenge of this option compared with actions of a sole toddler in Option 2. In addition to accommodating the expectation of picking one toy at a time, toddlers have the potential challenges of (a) preferring a toy already picked by another toddler and (b) waiting patiently for a turn, including the second round of toy selection for the second teddy bear. Using two rounds of toy selection offers practice in waiting patiently and also provides some equity in the process by preventing the first toddler from picking two desirable toys at once before anyone else has a turn. See Scaffolding Tips and remember that an understanding of turn-taking takes time and repeated practice to develop. Limiting the gathering to 2–3 toddlers at a given time is also a practical way to reduce tensions in sharing an activity without eliminating the practice of sharing.
Although managing the turn-taking aspect of this activity might dominate the experience of some toddlers, look for opportunities to promote the concept of one toy for one teddy bear. Your suggested summary review “one bear, one toy” helps emphasize the valuable result of toddlers’ actions. Although less prominent, the suggestion that a toddler place one teddy bear in each of his/her hands in the opening segment of the activity is a way to communicate the idea of one bear, one hand.
Extra support
Enrichment
Materials Needed: 6–8 teddy bears and/or dolls, assorted toys, basket or container for each toddler
Provide 6–8 teddy bears and/or dolls in a designated area. Give participating toddlers a basket or container for collecting toys in your room that the bears/dolls could play with. Encourage each toddler to pick one toy for one bear/doll from the collection assembled in their respective basket or container. If toddlers have more toys in their basket/container than available bears/dolls, invite all participating toddlers to place their “leftover” toys on an adjacent table. Toddlers can then “trade” one toy given to a bear/doll with one leftover toy. This does not increase the number of toys given to one bear/doll, but encourages toddlers to experience an equal exchange of one toy for another toy.
Several older children in your setting may enjoy selecting toys for Options 1–3 and taking turns passing the basket of toys among toddlers in Option 3.
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