Social interaction skills
A toddler participates in a book sharing that emphasizes how children may look different but do the same things.
To Be a Kid by Maya Ajmera and John D. Ivanko
[Invite a toddler to read a book about children doing different kinds of things.]
Our book has pictures of children doing many things. The children live with their families in many different parts of the world. We know that the world is a very big place.
[Point to children shown on the book’s front cover.]
[Read the book’s text and on each page invite the toddler to describe what he/she sees in the picture(s). Repeat and expand the toddler’s words, and especially connect the picture content to the toddler’s experiences and understandings. Examples: “The children in our picture are playing ball. You like to play ball on our playground! What is your favorite thing to play with a ball?” “The children are taking care of animals. You are pointing to the dogs. Do you like to play with a dog? What does the dog do?”
During the book sharing, acknowledge that some of the children shown in our book look different than some children in our room or other children we know. The children shown in our book live in different parts of our big world. The children are doing the same things lots of children like to do. Some of the things children are doing in our book are the same things you like to do.]
The children shown in our book live in many different parts of the world. They may look different than some children we know. But they all do the same kinds of things. We talked about ways you are the same as children in our book. What was your favorite picture?
As toddlers learn about themselves and others, they begin to notice how they are the same as, and different from, other children. Toddlers are likely to vary in how much they pay attention to differences across children shown in the book. If a toddler mentions a difference, use it as an opportunity to explain a key theme of the session (see second paragraph in ACT). Otherwise, introduce this theme toward the end of the session. Most toddlers will readily identify with children in the photographs because the pictures depict interests and activities that are universal for children.
Follow the toddler’s pace with the book. Stay on a page that is of particular interest to the toddler. It is not necessary to finish the book in order to have a meaningful conversation about the book’s pictures.
Extra support
Enrichment
Social interaction skills
Toddlers participate in a book sharing focused on activities children like to do, with a follow-up opportunity to make a list of favorite activities in our room.
Invite several toddlers to read a book about things that children like to do. Use the Option 1 strategies to pursue the book. Help toddlers connect activities shown in the book’s pictures to their own interests and activities. Example: “The children in our picture are dancing. You like to dress up and dance in our room, Marcella!”
Point out that some of the children shown in the book look different than some children we know. At the same time, encourage toddlers to think about how the children shown in the book do the same things the toddlers (or children they know) like to do. Example: “The children in this picture are painting. We like to paint in our room, too! We have an easel to paint on. The girl in this picture is using an easel, too. What do you think she is painting?”
At the conclusion of the book, talk with the toddlers about activities they like to do together with other children in the room. Some activities may be the same as those in the book, others may be new ideas. Invite toddlers to help you make a list of all the favorite activities. You may wish to limit the list of favorite activities to outside play or activities inside the room. Emphasize activities toddlers like to do together. Example: “We are going to write down all the favorite things we like to do in our room together! Then we can look at the list and see what makes our room special!” For each activity you list, draw a simple picture to represent the words so toddlers can “read” their list. Example: Several stacked blocks can represent the block area. Do not worry about your drawing skills. Toddlers will enjoy your drawings.
During or after the list-making process, show book pictures of activities that are the same or similar to activities on the list.
After each toddler in the room has had an opportunity to share their ideas, post the list for everyone to “read.” Review the list with all interested toddlers, emphasizing the theme of playing together. Remind toddlers of activities that were also shown in the book.
This activity provides the opportunity for toddlers to feel part of the larger community in your room while also connecting to activities shown in the book. Some toddlers will share their ideas verbally. Others may point or walk to a favorite place to play. Acknowledge each response. Example: “Ava, you are pointing to the dollhouse. You like to play with the dollhouse every day with your friends! I will write that down on our list.” Describe your drawings to toddlers so they can “read” the list themselves. Example: “This word says ‘dollhouse.’ I am drawing a small house with two people figures. This drawing can help us remember the words say ‘dollhouse.’” Some toddlers will enjoy seeing their ideas and those of their friends written and represented on the large paper. Others may prefer to share an idea and then move on to another activity. Thank each toddler for helping to create a list. Emphasize how some of the activities on the list are the same as some activities shown in the book.
Extra support
Enrichment
Social interaction skills
Toddlers describe how they played with another peer(s) in the room as part of making a book of brief text and photos of children engaged in play.
Be Prepared: Take photos of toddlers engaged in play together in your room. Ensure each toddler is included in at least one photo of two or more children playing together. Affix each photo to a piece of paper near the top. Use large, clear letters to write the names of toddlers shown in the photo at the top of the paper. Secure supplies for making a book, including a cover and binding.
Select a photo and invite toddlers shown in the photo to join the session. Across several days, many toddlers may wish to participate. It is best if toddlers shown in a photo participate in the same session. Open each session by reading To Be a Kid and talk with toddlers about the activities the children in the photos are enjoying together. Use strategies suggested in Option 1 for sharing pages of the book. If toddlers have reviewed the book previously (Option 1 and/or 2), you may wish to move directly to the photo (see below) and refer to book pictures after working with the photo, as described below.
Show toddlers the photo. Emphasize the toddlers are playing together. Invite toddlers to describe what they can remember doing (or use the photo to describe what they see happening). Explain that we will make a book of all of the pictures of toddlers playing together. The pages of our book will have words that tell what is happening in the picture.
Ask the toddlers what they would like you to write on the paper about the photo. Offer prompts when needed. Example: “This picture shows you working with play dough. Do you want me to write what you were making with the play dough?” Keep the written statements brief. Example: Jamarcus and Asia are building a castle with blocks. Read the words aloud as you write them. When you finish writing the description, repeat what you wrote while pointing to each word.
After writing a description on the page, show a picture from the To Be a Kid book that shows children engaged in the same type of play. Encourage toddlers to describe what they see in the book picture.
After each toddler in the room has had an opportunity to talk about their photo, create a book that can be placed in the book area for toddlers to enjoy. Read the book with interested toddlers during an informal gathering.
Toddlers generally value books made in their room and especially enjoy looking at photos of themselves and their friends. The book-making activity suggested in Block 9 (Social-Emotional) emphasizes a toddler’s view of his/her individual characteristics, whereas the book-making project in the current activity emphasizes the theme of playing together. Although toddlers like to look at pictures of children in their room, they will differ in their interest in contributing to the book’s text. It is fine if only one child shown in a picture describes what happened. This activity can foster a toddler’s sense of belonging to the community in your room and provide another direct way to help toddlers reflect on their activities in comparison to children shown in the To Be a Kid book. Encouraging toddlers to watch you write their dictated words offers an obvious opportunity to enhance awareness of how print works.
Extra support
Enrichment
Materials Needed: variety of early learning catalogs and magazines, paper, glue
Arrange the items on a low table. Invite several toddlers to tear pictures from the catalogs and magazines that depict favorite activities with friends. Toddlers may need assistance tearing out pictures of their choice. Offer to help them tear around the edges of their pictures so there is room to glue several pictures to their paper. If toddlers may need support for using a glue bottle, demonstrate how to make a “dot” of glue and then help the picture stick to the dot.
Materials Needed: see Option 3
Be Prepared: See Option 3 preparations.
The Option 3 activity can be adapted for each age group in your setting. Older children may wish to write their own name on the paper and form some letters in the description of the photo. You may wish to laminate or use contact paper to protect photos of babies ahead of time so they may look at and hold their pictures during the activity. Children will enjoy looking at the book independently and/or in small groups at a later time.
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