Awareness of emotions
A toddler participates in a book sharing focused on different feelings experienced by a little fox.
[Invite a toddler to read a book about a mama fox and her little fox.]
Our book is about a mama fox who loves her little fox.
[Show book cover. Point to the mama and little fox.]
Here is Mama Fox. Here is Little Fox.
Mama Fox and Little Fox love each other! Let’s find out more about the mama and her little fox.
[Use the following strategies to emphasize Little Fox’s different feelings:
Little Fox had many different feelings. What are some of the ways Little Fox felt in our story? Did Mama Fox ever stop loving Little Fox? (no!)
A one-to-one setting for sharing this book will help you tune into a toddler’s understanding of the range of feelings explored in the story and his/her reactions to the story’s events and messages. Toddlers differ in their awareness of and interest in different emotions. Give more attention to Little Fox’s situations and feelings that seem to be of particular interest to the toddler. The Recap question of what feelings Little Fox experienced in the story is intended to support the toddler in recalling the book’s attention to feelings of interest to the toddler. It is not expected that a toddler will recall the full range of feelings described in the book.
Extra support
Enrichment
Awareness of emotions
A toddler recalls and talks about different feelings experienced by a little fox in a book sharing.
Be Prepared: This is a follow-up activity for a toddler who has participated in Option 1.
Invite a toddler to help you remember what happened in the book read together recently. Sit next to the toddler so each of you can hold the book and turn pages.
Select and adapt one of the following basic ways to approach the activity: (1) look at each page and encourage the toddler to tell what happened, or (2) look at pages that show situations you anticipate are of special interest to the toddler.
Support the toddler in being the teller of situations that occur in the story. Use open-ended questions to support the toddler’s descriptions, with a focus on feelings experienced by Little Fox:
When appropriate, use a closed-ended (yes/no) question to help a toddler focus on a specific aspect of a situation or emotion. A closed-ended question can help set the stage for an open-ended question. Example: “Do you think Little Fox is feeling happy or sad? Why?”
Review as much of the story as the toddler wishes. Conclude the session by enthusiastically acknowledging the toddler’s efforts in remembering and telling what happened in the story.
Offer generous help in describing a situation that a toddler does not remember. Each situation in the story can be explored on its own. The activity’s primary focus is a toddler’s awareness of different feelings, how they are communicated (mostly facial expressions), and the reason(s) for Little Fox’s feeling. A secondary focus is support for recall and language skills.
Toddlers will differ in their interest in and readiness to talk about feelings represented in the story. Basic feelings of happy and sad will be easier to explore than more nuanced emotions, such as bashful. Similar to Option 1, focus on emotions of interest to the toddler. It is not necessary for a toddler to become familiar with all emotions explored in the book. It also is not necessary for all aspects of a situation to be described. What’s important is how a situation is connected to an emotion Little Fox is communicating.
If a toddler shows no recollection of the book, promptly transition to Option 1 or a combination of Option 1 and the current option. Perhaps the biggest challenge of the activity is remembering that your role is to support the toddler in being the teller of situations in the story.
Extra support
Enrichment
Materials Needed: I Love You Because You’re You by Liza Baker, paper and crayons or markers
Place the book and drawing materials on a low table. Remind toddlers that Little Fox had many different feelings in our story. Would a little child show a feeling the same way Little Fox shows a feeling? Invite a toddler to select a book picture of interest and draw his/her own picture of how a person would show the feeling experienced by Little Fox. Example: “You turned to the picture of Little Fox looking down the dark stairs. He is scared. Would you like to draw a picture of a little child who is scared of something?” Offer to write a toddler’s words on the front or back of his/her picture.
Materials Needed: I Love You Because You’re You by Liza Baker, paper and crayons or markers, bookmaking supplies including a cover and binding of pages
Babies may enjoy holding a teddy bear or other stuffed animal during Option 1. A preschool-age or older child may enjoy participating in Option 2 with you. Adapt the Interest Area suggestion by inviting a preschool-age or older child to draw a picture about a time that he/she felt an emotion similar to what Little Fox is experiencing.
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