Receptive language, Expressive language
Toddlers participate in a shared book reading focused on animal mothers and babies at bedtime.
[Invite several toddlers to read a book with you. Show the cover of the book. Point to sheep on the cover as you introduce the book.]
Our book is about animal mothers and babies. Here is a mama sheep on the cover of our book. There also is a baby sheep.
What kind of noise do sheep make?
[Pause for responses.]
Sheep say “baa-baa, baa-baa.” Let’s all make a “baa-baa” sound.
[Encourage toddlers to say “baa-baa, baa-baa.”
Point to the baby sheep on the book cover.]
Here is the baby sheep. The baby sheep’s eyes are closed. It is time to go to bed! The mama sheep is saying goodnight to her baby sheep.
Our book is about animal mothers saying goodnight to their babies. Our book has pictures of different animals going to sleep.
What happens to our eyes when we sleep?
[Pause for toddlers to respond. Repeat and extend responses. Example: “Harper said ‘close.’ Our eyes close when we sleep.”]
Let’s find out how some mother animals help their babies go to sleep. I wonder what animals we will see in our book!
[Open the book and hold it for each toddler to see. Use strategies, such as the following, to engage toddlers in the book:
We looked at pictures of animal mothers and their babies. The animals in our book were going to sleep. The animal mothers were saying goodnight to their babies! “‘Night night’ baby animals!”
Toddlers generally enjoy looking at pictures of animals, and the focus on mothers and their babies will appeal to many toddlers. The illustrations in this book are rich in details that may need your attention. Example: the little fish in the dark water may be difficult for toddlers to find. Notice what animals are of interest to toddlers and spend more time talking about pictures of these animals. There are opportunities to use a range of different words to describe the animals, including color, characteristics, and behavior. Some toddlers may actively participate verbally. Others may prefer to watch and listen. Positively recognize each toddler’s participation. Example: “David, you are looking closely at the picture of the dog. Do you know a dog that looks like the dog in this picture?”
Extra support
Enrichment
Receptive language, Expressive language
Toddlers participate in a shared book reading that includes saying goodnight to each pictured animal and to toddlers in the gathering.
Invite several toddlers to read the book Time for Bed. Show the book cover and explain that in our book animal mothers are saying goodnight to their babies. Help toddlers connect the book focus to their experiences by asking how their parent helps them get ready to sleep at night. Encourage toddlers to look at and talk about what is happening in the pictures of animals. Name the animals and point to (or invite toddlers to point to) both mother and baby animals. Spend more time on illustrations of animals that seem to be of greater interest to toddlers in your gathering.
After reading the book, invite toddlers to help the animal mothers say goodnight to their babies. Return to the beginning of the book and encourage the toddlers to say “night night” to the baby animals pictured. Example: “This is the little mouse. Let’s all say ‘night night (or ‘goodnight’) little mouse!” Include the specific animal’s name in the phrase you invite toddlers to say. Toddlers may need a prompt from you about the name of the pictured animal. At the end of the book, invite toddlers to pretend they are going to sleep. Encourage toddlers to say “night night” (or “goodnight”) to each toddler in the gathering. Example: “Goodnight, Aaron! Goodnight, Mila!” Use a predictable arrangement for who is to hear “goodnight.” Example: go in a circle if toddlers are sitting in a circle, or put your hand over the head of the toddler who is the recipient of a “goodnight” message.
Toddlers will likely enjoy the pictures of animal mothers and babies as well as the familiar theme of bedtime in this book. Many toddlers will connect with the experience of a parent saying goodnight at the end of the day. Toddlers will enjoy listening to the rhythmic, repetitive text describing the animal mothers saying goodnight to their babies. Emphasizing the repeated phrases at the beginning of each page will help toddlers understand the theme of the book.
Including the name of an animal and toddler in the “goodnight” activity is a way to help toddlers focus on book content and the recipient of the message. Toddlers will enjoy having their peers say goodnight to them! Using a predictable arrangement for saying goodnight to peers in the group will help toddlers know and think about “who is next.” Toddlers will participate in the “goodnight” activity in different ways. Some may say the words ‘goodnight’ or ‘night night’, whereas others may use gestures, such as waving or blowing a kiss. (See Extra Support tip below.) Some toddlers may prefer to watch and listen during the activity. Positively acknowledge all forms of participation.
Extra support
Enrichment
Receptive language, Expressive language
Toddlers participate in book-focused play with animal figures, felt squares, and blocks.
Be Prepared: Include figures of some animals represented in the book. Arrange the animals, blocks, and felt squares on a low table. Encourage play and exploration by creating several simple block structures and placing some of the animals on and under the felt squares.
Invite two toddlers to join you to look at pictures of animals in the book. Talk with the toddlers about how different animals in the book say ‘goodnight’ as their baby animal goes to bed.
Introduce the animal play materials and invite the toddlers to play with the items at the table. Encourage the toddlers to interact with the animal figures. Draw attention to figures of animals that are also in the book. Provide suggestions for incorporating the felt squares into the play. Some toddlers may enjoy using the felt squares to cover a sleeping animal, or as a soft place for an animal to lay on. Some toddlers may use the blocks and felt squares together to create a house or bed for the animals.
Talk with each toddler about his/her ideas and describe what each is doing with the animals and materials. Examples: “I can see you are lining the blocks up, Luke. You have a horse that you are putting on the blocks! What is your horse going to do on the blocks?” “Camila is putting felt squares on top of her animals. It looks like your cow and your sheep are sleeping, Camila! What do you think you’ll do next?”
Offer questions that encourage more than a yes or no response. Examples: “You are lining the blocks up. You have a horse and a sheep. What are you building for your animals?” “You are stacking the felt squares. That looks like a soft place to lay down! What are you going to do next with the felt squares?”
Repeat and extend a toddler’s comments. Examples: A toddler places a horse on a stack of felt squares and says “night night,” and the caregiver says “You said ‘night night!’ You made a soft bed for your horse. Now your horse is sleeping. Night night, horse!” A child picks up a horse, says “up,” and points to a collection of blocks. The caregiver says “Now your horse is up! I think you are going to build something for your horse. What are you going to build?”
Pretend play with animal figures and blocks may be new for some toddlers. Providing interesting materials, such as felt squares, can encourage toddlers to explore and interact with the animals in new ways. Some toddlers may focus on one type of material, such as building with the blocks or playing with the animal figures. Toddlers may act out a theme similar to the book, such as the animals going to sleep. Encourage toddlers to interact with the materials in the ways that they choose. Pay attention to opportunities to connect toddlers’ play to the book. Look for opportunities to talk with a toddler about his/her plans with the materials.
Extra support
Enrichment
Materials Needed: Time for Bed by Mem Fox, several stuffed animals that represent the animals in the book, several small blankets or scarves
Arrange the book, animals, and blankets on the floor. Invite several toddlers to touch and hold the animals. Review the book with the toddlers, emphasizing the animal mothers saying goodnight to their babies. Invite the toddlers to place a blanket over their animals to go to sleep. Invite the toddlers to say ‘night night’ to the animals. Some toddlers may enjoy listening to some of the words of the book while they interact with the animals. Example: repeat the phrase from the book using the toddler’s animal—“It’s time for bed, little cat, little cat.”
Materials Needed: Time for Bed by Mem Fox, assortment of animal figures, assortment of felt squares, block play area
Arrange the animal figures and felt pieces in the block area. Consider sharing the book with all children in your care. Invite older children to help you “read” the book by reciting the repeated phrases (“It’s time for bed, . . . ” “It’s time to sleep, . . . “) at the beginning of each page and say the names of pictured animals. Invite children to play in the block area with the new materials. Watch for opportunities to connect the children’s play to the pictures and goodnight theme of the book. Infants will enjoy interacting with age-appropriate animal figures during the activity. Talk with children about their ideas and actions.
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