The contrasting positions of the cats in each of the book’s illustrations offer appealing problems for toddlers to solve. Practice using the opposites of spatial concepts emphasized in this book will eventually make it easy for toddlers to understand contrasts in locations. If one cat is up, for example, then the other is down. Young children enjoy exploring these concepts in their play, such as Hide-and-Seek. The current activity provides words for spatial positions that are familiar to most toddlers.

Children who are learning words for spatial concepts can easily confuse the terms, saying up when they mean down or in when they mean out. Providing explicit practice with the terms in different contexts is one way to help toddlers remember which word represents which spatial position. The activity description suggests simple examples to complement the book’s illustrations, such as asking whether a raised hand is up or down.

Toddlers may want to add some meaning or story to some of the illustrations. The cat behind the plant may be playing Hide-and-Seek with the cat in front of the plant, for example. Connecting the cats’ activities to toddlers’ experiences can strengthen understanding of the concepts promoted in the book. Questions can enrich the connections. Example: “What do you hide behind when you play Hide-and-Seek with your friends?”

Extra support

• Reinforce toddlers’ understanding of spatial concepts plus the colors black and white by asking which cat (black or white) is in a pictured location. Example: “Which cat in our picture is inside the small box? The white cat or the black cat?”

Enrichment

• In the opening segment, when you describe how the cats are looking up or down, ask toddlers which cat is looking down and which cat is looking up. Follow up with a question about why the cat at the top of the climber needs to look down and why the cat lower on the climber needs to look up.

Play with blocks and toy vehicles is well matched to the goal of helping a toddler understand spatial concepts. Deciding what to build from the perspective of the vehicles is a good way to plan for uses of the vehicles and to ensure some spatial concepts are described and explored in the activity. A limited number of spatial terms will likely be explored, but they can be done so with repetition and creative variation.

Look for opportunities to put vehicles in opposite positions with the toddler. Examples: If you move a vehicle under a bridge, suggest the toddler move a vehicle over the bridge. If a toddler puts a vehicle on the road, put a vehicle off the road.

Welcome another toddler who wishes to join the activity and indicate you are part of play focused on doing things with the toy vehicles. Remember this is guided play. Your role is not to provide a launch to free play, although the activity may eventually transition into free play (see Interest Area suggestion).

It is fine if a toddler wishes to put a vehicle in an unconventional location, such as on top of a wide tower.

Extra support

• Keep the book close at hand, for use as a reference to a specific illustration. Example: “Let’s look again at how the cats were in and out.”

Enrichment

• Children enjoy identifying and correcting adult errors. Intentionally do the opposite of what you say you’ll do. Example: Announce you are going to put your car under the bridge but place the car over the bridge. Ask: “Did I put my car under the bridge?”
• Invite the toddler to choose other items for play, such as farm animals in a barn, baby dolls under a blanket, or a family figure on a bed in a dollhouse. Be sure to draw attention to the spatial positions.