Social interaction skills
A toddler participates in pretend play with a caregiver focused on a dog and a baby.
Be Prepared: This activity is a follow-up to a toddler’s participation in the shared reading of Good Dog, Carl, which is offered in the current block (Communication/Language). Secure animal and people figures that can be used to represent a dog (Carl), a baby, and a mom.
Open the session by showing the book cover and reminding the toddler that we had fun reading about a dog taking care of a baby. Show and briefly describe selected pages of the book to refresh the toddler’s memory. Invite the toddler to contribute to your review of the book. Example: “What is Carl doing in this picture?”
Explain that we can make up our own story about Carl and the baby. Introduce the toy dog, baby, and mom figures. Point to each figure and describe its pretend role in your play. Example: “We can pretend this is Carl. Remember, Carl is the dog. We can pretend this is the baby. We can pretend this is the mom.” Give each figure to the toddler after you describe its role.
Ask the toddler what name we should call the baby. (It is not necessary to use the book’s name, Madeleine.) Offer several suggestions for the toddler’s choice if he/she does not offer a name.
Introduce the dollhouse. Explain that we can pretend that Carl, the baby, and mom live in this house.
Ask the toddler what he/she would like Carl, the baby, and the mom to do in our pretend story. If the toddler seems uncertain about how to respond, consider using the following scaffolding sequence:
Encourage the toddler to manage the animal and people figures, such as putting them in the desired room. Offer to help, such as holding the baby on Carl’s back while the toddler moves Carl to take the baby for a ride. Listen and watch carefully for hints of what the toddler might like to do with the figures. Acknowledge an utterance or gesture and ask what might happen. Examples: “You said ‘hide.’ Is the baby going to hide somewhere?” “You pointed to a bed. Is it time for someone to sleep?”
Conclude the session when the toddler begins to lose interest. Briefly summarize what happened. Emphasize how you played together with Carl and the baby.
Social interaction skills
Toddlers participate together in pretend play focused on a dog and a baby.
Be Prepared: This activity is a follow-up to a toddler’s participation in the shared reading of Good Dog, Carl, which is offered in the current block (Communication/Language). Secure for each toddler a set of animal and people figures that can be used to represent a dog (Carl), a baby, and a mom (three figures each).
Invite 2–3 toddlers to join you to play with a dog and baby figures. Show the book cover and remind toddlers our book told how a dog named Carl took care of a baby. Display selected pages of the book and invite toddlers to tell what happened. Toddlers’ responses may be based on recall of the shared reading and/or what they currently see in a picture.
Explain that we can make up our own pretend story about Carl and the baby. Give each toddler a set of figures. Then display the dollhouse and explain that the dog, baby, and mom live in this house.
Use Option 1 strategies to initiate play. Talk with each toddler about his/her play and then play along briefly if you anticipate it will help a toddler pursue his/her interests. Describe what each toddler is doing. Look for opportunities to promote shared activities. Help toddlers resolve possible conflicts about using of rooms or furniture in the house. Conclude the session by describing what each toddler did, emphasizing shared experiences with you or a peer.
The direction and complexity of the two activities will depend partly on toddlers’ experiences with pretend play and language skill. Look carefully for hints of how you can build on the toddlers’ interests. Yes-or-no questions can often help establish some basic elements of a pretend story. Asking a toddler to name the baby is one way to promote the toddler’s investment. It is fine if a toddler wishes to enact some of the scenes from the book. What’s important in the Option 1 activity is the shared experience of pretend play. One simple way to support joint activity is coordinated manipulation of the figures, as suggested in the activity description example of the baby riding on the dog’s back. What’s important in Option 2 is noticing how peers approach the play and sharing the house space. Option 2 is set up for parallel play but there may be opportunities for toddlers to engage in a joint effort. Most likely the mom figure will not be a part of most toddlers’ play, although a toddler might have fun imagining how mom reacts to some of the dog’s adventures.
Extra support
Enrichment
Materials Needed: see activity description
The Communication/Language Interest Area suggestion in this block involves other wordless books for toddlers to pursue, including a second book about Carl. Secure simple props and people and animal figures that toddlers can use for pretend play related to one or more of the books. Engage in pretend play with a toddler or support several toddlers in playing with the items. Initiate the play by briefly reviewing some of the pictures in a book and drawing attention to materials that relate to the story.
Materials Needed: see activity description
Preschool-age children can readily participate in either activity option. An infant may enjoy holding a soft toy dog or baby while watching the pretend play.
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