Object inquiry skills
Toddlers explore pictures of two cats in different locations.
[Invite several toddlers to join you in looking at pictures of cats in different places. Show book cover. Point to each cat as you name it.]
Our book is about two cats. One cat is black. One cat is white.
Here are the two cats. The black cat is up. The white cat is down. The words up and down tell us where the cats are.
The cats do different things on each page. Let’s find out what the cats do.
[Use the following approach to each illustration:
Two cats did different things in our book. Sometimes one cat was up and the other cat was down. Up and down are different places. Let’s all put our arms up. Now let’s all put our hands down.
Toddlers are likely to enjoy the colorful illustrations in this board book. The intent is to introduce position words, known as spatial prepositions. In addition to drawing attention to the different location of each cat, pause on each page so toddlers can look closely at what the cats are doing in their respective locations.
It is not necessary or appropriate for toddlers to learn all of the position words used in the book. Up and down are emphasized in the activity description because they are often among the first position words toddlers learn. Seeing and hearing the location of the two cats can help toddlers understand that some words tell us where things are located. The book also offers contrasting descriptions of objects, including big/small and tall/short.
Extra support
Enrichment
Object inquiry skills
A toddler puts a teddy bear in different locations suggested by a caregiver after a book sharing on location words.
Invite a toddler to look at pictures of cats with you. Share the book near a doll bed and small table, perhaps in the housekeeping area. Use the strategies suggested in Option 1 for sharing the book.
At the end of the book, give the toddler a teddy bear and invite the toddler to move his/her teddy to different places with you. Use your teddy bear to demonstrate and lead. Accentuate the location word. Offer the two opposite locations consecutively and pause briefly between each set of locations. Example: Move bears up and down, then pause, put bears on and off the table, then pause. During the pause, explain that we put our bears in different locations. Location possibilities are listed below:
Show book illustrations that correspond to the positions used with the teddy bears if time and toddler interest permit after you and the toddler put the teddy bears in different locations.
This activity offers active experiences with location words. Use a pace that follows the toddler’s pace. Pursuing two sets of locations (a total of four different locations) may be sufficient for most toddlers’ interest levels. If a toddler remains interested, pursue more complex locations, such as close/far apart, only after a toddler has engaged in the simpler locations suggested in the activity plan.
Extra support
Enrichment
Materials: Cat Up, Cat Down by Catherine Hnatov, several baby dolls, doll bed, small table
Place the book and dolls in the housekeeping area. Invite toddlers to play with the dolls using the available props. Describe toddlers’ actions with the dolls, emphasizing location words when appropriate.
Materials Needed: Cat Up, Cat Down by Catherine Hnatov
Invite a preschool-age or older child to be the leader in Option 2. Whisper locations to the leader. Also, preschool-age children may enjoy moving a toy to the more challenging spatial positions shown in the book, such as close/far apart and inside/outside. You or an older child may offer the location requests.
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