Receptive language, Expressive language
Toddlers participate in a book sharing focused on head, shoulders, knees, and toes.
[Invite several toddlers to join you to read a book.]
Our book is about a song. Some of us may know the song!
[Show book cover. Point to the baby.]
Look at the baby in the picture. The baby is touching his toes!
Let’s point to the baby’s toes.
The baby is doing part of the song in our book. The words of the song tell about toes. The words of the song also tell about other parts of our body.
I am going to open our book, so we can learn more about the song.
[Use a singing voice, especially for the text on the first page. Use the following strategies to engage toddlers in the book:
Our book was a song about different parts of a body. The pictures in our book showed babies touching their head, shoulders, knees, and toes. Some of the pictures were silly!
Receptive language, Expressive language
Toddlers point to their head, shoulders, knees, and toes as part of a book sharing.
Invite several toddlers to read a book with you. Use strategies suggested in Option 1 for sharing the book. At the conclusion of the book, ask toddlers if they would like to join you in pointing to some parts of our body shown in our book. Some toddlers may prefer to move to a different activity.
Invite interested toddlers to stand with you and touch or point to a part of their body that you name. Example: “When I say ‘toes,’ we can all touch our toes.” Demonstrate each requested action. Follow the order used in the book (head, shoulders, knees, toes). Request pointing to or touching each shoulder and each knee. Whether it is a right or left shoulder or knee is not important.
If toddlers remain interested, repeat the activity with body parts in the opposite order, from toes to head.
Singing adds value to the book sharing. Some toddlers will be familiar with the song and may readily point to body parts featured in the book. Others may prefer to watch and listen. Toddlers are not expected to sing along, although some may sing or say some key words. Positively acknowledge all forms of participation.
Extra support
Enrichment
Materials Needed: Head, Shoulders, Knees and Toes by Annie Kubler, assortment of books with pictures of bodies
Place the books on a blanket on the floor. Invite several toddlers to point to different body parts shown in book pictures. Include a mix of familiar and less familiar parts. Some toddlers may want to point to some body parts shown in a picture and have you say the name(s).
Materials Needed: Head, Shoulders, Knees and Toes by Annie Kubler
Children of all ages will enjoy participating during this song. Older children can demonstrate the body parts to touch, and younger children can watch and imitate their older peers. You may wish to gently touch some body parts of babies as you sing the song. Older children will enjoy singing the song in different ways, such as fast, slow, loud, and quiet.
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