Book: In The Park, Mandy Stanley

Summary: Board Book/ There are bright colorful pictures of things you would see in the park with one word on each page.

Activity: Photograph a walk in park

Materials: Camera, small photo book or baggies with ring fastener, local park area

Steps: Take your child for a walk in a local park. Take pictures of the things you encounter on your walk. Put the pictures in a small photo album or in plastic baggies. If you use baggies, punch a hole in one corner of each bag and put them together on a ring. Look at the pictures together with your child and talk about what you saw on your walk.

Book: Numbers 1 – 2 – 3, Baby Genius

Summary: Board Book/ This book has colorful pictures of objects a baby is familiar with. The objects are counted up to five. The words rhyme and are descriptive words of the object.

Activity: Count objects that baby is familiar with

Materials: An assortment of toys that baby plays with

Steps: Start with 1 -2 objects and count them with your child. Add more objects as your child is able to remain focused with the counting. Have fun together.

Book: Olivia’s Opposites, Falconer

Summary: Olivia the pig illustrates opposites for the reader on each page. There is a one word description on each page that tells what she is doing.

Activity: Opposites Game

Materials: none

Steps: The adult says, “Put your hands up.” Then asks, “What is the opposite of up?” Child responds with “down”. If child does not respond the adult would say “down” and put her hands down. Continue with other opposites that had been read in the book or that are familiar to the child.

Book: Nicky, 1 – 2 – 3, Cathryn Falwell

Summary: Board Book/ This book focuses on the child counting familiar parts of the body, such as, nose, eyes, and teeth. Counting is limited to three.

Activity: Count with your child

Materials: mirror (optional)

Steps: In front of a mirror help your child touch and count his/her ears, nose, mouth, etc.

Book: Busy Fingers, C.W.Bowie & Fred Willingham

Summary: Board Book/ Action words are used for what your fingers can do such as touch, wave, squish, push, poke and hold. The sentences are short and the words rhyme.

Activity: Shaving cream play

Materials: shaving cream, flat surface to work on (would not use an area where the child eats) an old shirt because this can get messy

Steps: Put an old shirt on your child, because it’s going to get messy. Squirt some shaving cream on an easy to reach flat surface for your child and you to work at. Play together in the shaving cream. Use some of the words from the story squish, touch, push etc as you have fun together.

Book: The Itsy Bitsy Spider, Iza Trapani

Summary: Familiar story about the spider who went up the water spout and his other adventures.

Activity: Sing the song

Materials: none

Book: Shake My Sillies Out, Raffi

Summary: Sing along as the animals in the woods sing and dance their sillies, crazies, and sleepies away.

Activity: Make shakers

Materials: an empty small water bottle, stones, glitter, white glue Steps: Together with your toddler put small stones and glitter into the empty small water bottle. Fill about 1/3 full. Put white glue in the top and attach to the bottle. The bottle will be glued shut. Use the shaker as you reread the story together and shake your sillies out.

Book: Moo, Moo, Peekaboo!, Jane Dyer

Summary: This book progress through a variety of farm animals and the sounds each one makes. There is a hole in each page to provide a glimpse of the next animal.

Activity: visit the public library

Materials: none

Steps: Take your child on a trip to the library to find other books about farm animals.

Book: Five Little Pumpkins, Dan Yaccarino

Summary: A counting book about five pumpkins looking for some fun.

Activity: Finger play the story

Materials: none

Steps: You and your child can read the story and put motions with the words. Use your arm as the gate and the pumpkins sit on the gate. Put your hands on your cheeks for “oh my it’s getting late” Make a witches voice as they fly through the air Wave both hands in front of your chest “we don’t care” Stomp your feet and move your arms as you ‘run and run and run’ Point to yourself when you’re ‘ready for some fun’. Blow in the air (wind) and clap your hands together ‘out went the light’ Make a rolling motion with your arms as they roll ‘out of sight’

Book: I Went Walking, Sue Williams

Summary: A child takes a walk and encounters many different farm animals along the way. It is written in a repetitive format which enables the child to become familiar with the book. Each page has picture clues leading into the next page. The book also focuses on the color of each animal.

Activity: Take a walk (at the local zoo or in your neighborhood)

Materials: none

Steps: Walk with your child watching and looking for different animals. Talk about the animals, color, sound they each make, color, legs, tail, eyes, ears etc.

Book: Clap Your Hands, Lorinda Bryan Cauley

Summary: This book is full of different animals that do fun activities with three children. From clapping hands to counting your toes, it is fun and full of action.

Activity: Imitate the animals

Materials: none

Steps: Read the story, then reread it and act out what each animal does through the book. Have fun together.

Book: Here Are My Hands, Bill Martin Jr. & John Archambault

Summary: This book encourages very young children to respond spontaneously and creatively as they learn the parts of the body. The rhyming text and bold illustrations are a great way for children to learn the different part of their body.

Activity: Show me your …….(hands, eyes, nose, etc.)

Materials: a doll (optional)

Steps: Your child could point to the parts on the doll as you ask “Show me the dolls hands…eyes…nose…etc. Or the child can touch his/her own hands, eyes, nose etc.

Book: Head, Shoulder, Knees, and Toes, Jill Weber

Summary: This book uses children and animals to show parts of their body. The text is rhyming and repetitive with bold amusing pictures for very young children.

Activity: Sing and move to the Head, Shoulders, Knees and Toes song

Materials: none

Steps: With your child stand and sing the song Head, Shoulders, Knees and Toes touching each body part as it is named.