PARENT CHILD ACTIVITY
Allen, Kathryn Madeline. A Kiss
Means I Love You. Ages 2-5.
• Standing in front of a mirror, make the facial
expressions illustrated in the book. Talk about how
our faces and body language show our feelings.
• Discuss multiple ways we can show our feelings.
For example, we show that we love someone by
giving them a kiss and also by giving them a hug
or taking care of them when they are sick.
• Using child-friendly magazines cut out pictures of
people showing different emotions. Then group
the pictures together and glue them to a large piece
of paper to create a Feelings Chart.
Websites:
http://pbskids.org/arthur/games/aboutface/about
face.html
http://tinyurl.com/awjd9c8
Apps: iTouchiLearn Feelings – Free app via iTunes App
Store, Amazon Apps, & Nook App Store
Touch and Learn Emotions – Free app via iTunes
App Store
PARENT CHILD ACTIVITY
Cecil, Randy. Horsefly &
Honeybee. Ages 3-7.
• Horsefly and Honeybee have a fight after landing
in the same flower. Talk about different strategies
for handling this situation. (Example: sharing,
taking turns, etc.)
• Help your child conduct simple research about
horseflies and honeybees.
• Talk about the importance of working together to
accomplish a goal. Share examples from your life
and ask your child to share examples from his/her
experiences.
• Draw a picture of yourself and your friend
participating in your favorite activity.
Website: http://www.randycecil.com/
Author/illustrator Randy Cecil’s website
PARENT CHILD ACTIVITY
Bingham, Kelly. Z is for Moose.
Ages 4-7
• Moose can’t wait for the M page in Zebra’s
alphabet book. What event or special day is
difficult for you to wait for? Discuss things you
can do to help the waiting time pass more quickly.
• Create your own ABC book using an old coloring
book or pictures from magazines. Include an
unexpected character like Zebra to add some
excitement to the story.
• When Moose doesn’t get his letter page, he throws
a temper tantrum. Discuss how he could have
handled the situation without destroying the other
pages.
Websites:
http://tinyurl.com/zelinsky
http://tinyurl.com/zformoose
PARENT CHILD ACTIVITY
DePalma, Mary Newell. Bow-Wow
Wiggle-Waggle. Ages 3-7.
• Before reading, predict which animals are in the
story based on their sounds and action words.
Don’t peek at the pictures!
• The author uses onomatopoetic words (words that
imitate the sound they represent) to help describe
each animal in the book. What onomatopoetic
words can you use to describe your daily
activities? For example: a creaking door or a
booming voice.
• Look closely at the illustrations and use the
characters’ expressions to retell the story using
emotionally descriptive words. How do you think
the dog felt when he realized he had lost his boy?
How did the cat feel about being chased by the
dog? How did the boy feel while he was searching
for the dog?
Website:
http://tinyurl.com/mndepalma
PARENT CHILD ACTIVITY
Elya, Susan Middleton. Fire!
Fuego! Brave Bomberos.
Ages 4-8.
• Make sure that your family has a fire plan and
knows what to do in case of a house fire.
PARENT CHILD ACTIVITY
Frost, Helen. Step Gently Out.
Ages 4-8.
• Go on a nature walk and look for insects in your
yard.
• Draw a picture of your favorite insect.
• Talk about community helpers . . . who else in
your area is working to keep you safe and healthy?
• Help your child conduct simple research on a
variety of insects in which he/she is interested.
• Some words in this book are in Spanish? Do you
know another language? Try learning some basic
phrases.
• Visit a local natural history museum or zoo that
has an insect exhibit.
• It’s a fun exercise that can save your child from a
scary situation, so practice STOP DROP COVER
AND ROLL!
Websites:
http://www.sparky.org/index.html
http://www.dicts.info/picture-dictionary.php
Websites:
http://animals.nationalgeographic.com/animals/bugs/ National Geographic’s website about insects.
http://www.amentsoc.org/bug-club/ - The Amateur
Entomologists’ Society’s Bug Club
Apps: FSC Wildlife Guides – Free app via iTunes App
Store, and Google Play for Android; Insects Memory Card
Game – Free app via Google Play; Bug Games by Busy
Bee Studios – Free app via iTunes App Store
PARENT CHILD ACTIVITY
PARENT CHILD ACTIVITY
Gershator, Phillis and Mim Green.
Time For A Hug. Ages 3-5.
• Create a clock together using materials around the
house such as a paper plate.
• Discuss how to tell time to the hour.
• Talk about daily routines and the times in which
activities occur during the day
• Use words like today, tomorrow, next week with
your children to introduce them to time vocabulary
• Create a countdown calendar
Websites:
http://gershator.com/phillis/phillis-timeforahug.html
http://tinyurl.com/a5ft3x9
Jenkins, Emily. Lemonade In
Winter. Ages 3-7.
• Identify coins and discuss the value of each one
• Make lemonade together.
• Make rubbings of coins.
Websites:
http://www.prekinders.com/preschool-money/
http://www.emilyjenkins.com/lemonade.html
http://www.omsi.edu/exhibits/moneyville/activities/
lemonade/lemonadestand.htm
PARENT CHILD ACTIVITY
PARENT CHILD ACTIVITY
LaRochelle, David. It’s a Tiger!
Ages 3-7.
Klassen, Jon. This Is Not My Hat.
Ages 3- 7.
• Look at the expression of the eyes of the fish. Talk
about how facial expressions tell others how
people are feeling.
• Discuss the idea of taking something that belongs
to others and the feelings associated with those
actions.
• Draw faces to show emotions such as happy, sad,
angry, and disappointed.
• Talk about what might have happened in the
seaweed that the reader couldn't see.
• This story starts in the jungle and goes lots of
places, where else can you imagine the tiger?
Create your own scenes where the tiger can jump
out at you and think of what he might do. Try
putting him in the snow, a hot air balloon,
underwater, or anywhere else you can imagine.
• If your story is great try drawing it, too! Make
your own book that goes places.
• Tigers can be scary, can’t they? What else are you
afraid of? Try talking about it, which usually
makes it less scary.
Websites:
Websites:
http://www.preschoolexpress.com/toddler_station07/
hats_mar07.shtml
http://www.chroniclebooks.com/it-s-a-tiger.html
http://tinyurl.com/b8rnspd
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SHXo-BpE8T8
PARENT CHILD ACTIVITY
Mack, Jeff. Good News Bad News.
Ages 2-6.
“Is your glass is half empty or half full?” Have a
conversation about how sometimes unpleasant
things will happen in life and that you have to
“Take the good with the bad” and “Try to find a
silver lining”.
• What was the worst thing that happened to you all
day? Have a family conversation about how the
day went and what could have happened to make
it better.
• If your day was not so great try some humor.
Knock-knock jokes are my favorites!
•
Websites:
http://www.chroniclebooks.com/titles/kidsteens/subject/animals-science/good-news-bad-news.html
http://www.childhoodbeckons.com/2012/07/30-jokesyour-kids-will-love.html
PARENT CHILD ACTIVITY
Mack, Jeff. Frog and Fly.
Ages 4-7.
• What is the grossest thing you’ve ever eaten? That
you would eat? HINT: Don’t say “Mom’s Famous
Lasagna”!
• Maybe you don't like bugs, but frogs and other
animals do. What an animal eats and what eats
that animals is part of the food web.
• Maybe you don’t eat bugs, but other people do,
check out the website below for culinary
delicacies around the world.
Websites:
http://video.nationalgeographic.com/video/places/cult
ure-p laces/food/us_insects/
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wc00Rsb3jE0
http://teacher.scholastic.com/activities/explorer/ecosy
stems/be_an_explorer/map/foodweb_play.htm
PARENT CHILD ACTIVITY
PARENT CHILD ACTIVITY
Mortensen, Lori. Cindy Moo.
Ages 4-7
• Recite the nursery rhyme "Hey Diddle Diddle."
Talk about how a cow could jump over the moon.
• Talk about why Cindy Moo didn't give up.
• Talk about the moon and how it glows at night by
reflecting the sun's rays.
• Using a mirror, talk about reflections and how
they gave Cindy Moo a way to reach her goals.
• Make stick puppets and recreate the scene of the
cow jumping over the moon.
Website:
http://preschoolbookclub.blogspot.com/2012/11/
cindy-moo.html
App: Cow Says Moo –free app via iTunes app store
Norman, Kim. I Know a Wee
Piggy. Ages 3-5
• The wee piggy had a wonderful time “painting”
himself at the fair. What art media do you enjoy
using to create at home or at school? Make a piece
of art to share with someone special.
• The wee piggy won a plain blue ribbon for his
artwork at the fair. Design an award that
represents the wee piggy’s painting technique or
that shows off your own artistic style.
• Learn the “This Little Piggy” nursery rhyme
which can be found at
http://tinyurl.com/piggycount
• Have fun changing where the piggies go and what
they do.
Website:
http://tinyurl.com/iknowaweepiggy
PARENT CHILD ACTIVITY
PARENT CHILD ACTIVITY
Reagan, Jean. How to Babysit a
Grandpa. Ages 5-8.
• The boy in the book makes lists to things to do during
his grandpa’s visit. Make a list of things to do today.
Make a list of fun activities to do when you have a
babysitter.
• The boy in the book knows how to babysit a grandpa.
What do you know how to do? Teach someone how
to do what you can do.
• Saying goodbye to someone you love can be difficult.
Reynolds, Aaron. Creepy Carrots.
Ages 4-8.
• Create a drawing using only black, white, and one
other color to mimic the illustration style of this
book.
• Have carrots – both raw and cooked – for a snack.
Which do you like better?
• Write your own version of the story using another
vegetable.
• Discuss how children and adults can make saying
goodbye easier.
• This book won a Caldecott Honor Medal in 2013.
Discuss this award and read other books that have
received this distinction http://tinyurl.com/a39p84c
Websites:
http://www.grandparents.com/grandkids/activitiesgames-and-crafts/100-things-to-do-with-yourgrandchild-th
Websites:
http://www.cfpic.org/kcan/files/1108/Grandparents_1
00FREEThings.pdf
http://www.aaron-reynolds.com/ - Author Aaron
Reynolds’ website
http://www.peterbrownstudio.com/ - Illustrator Peter
Brown’s website
PARENT CHILD ACTIVITY
PARENT CHILD ACTIVITY
Schwartz, Corey Rosen. Three
Ninja Pigs. Ages 4-8.
• Read the traditional version of The Three Little
Pigs. Discuss how the traditional version is
similar to and different from this story.
• Practice saying the Japanese words aloud. Visit a
dojo and observe a karate or jujitsu lesson.
• In this story the pigs use martial arts to scare away
the Big Bad Wolf. Draw a picture that shows
other strategies for dealing with a bully.
• Discuss the ending where the sister pig’s hard
work and dedication helped her defeat the wolf.
Talk about a time when you have worked hard to
accomplish a goal.
Websites:
http://coreyrosenschwartz.com/Entry_Page.html
Author Corey Rosen Schwartz’s website
http://dantat.typepad.com/ - Illustrator Dan Santat’s
website
Sutton, Sally. Demolition.
Ages 2-6.
• Demolition is a story about reusing materials; it is a lot like
recycling! Do you recycle at your house?
• Go build something (blocks, rocks, sand) and then knock it
down and rebuild. Remember, nothing lasts forever.
• Next time you take a car ride pay close attention to any
construction on the road, a building, a garden, or even parks
and playgrounds.
• Do you have a box, crayons, and scissors? Well, recycle
that cardboard into just about anything you can imagine.
Websites:
http://spoonful.com/crafts/recyclable-projects
http://www.creativegamesforkids.com/design_building.htm
http://thinkgreen.com/recycle-what-detail
PARENT CHILD ACTIVITY
PARENT CHILD ACTIVITY
Thomas, Jan. Let's Sing A Lullaby
with the Brave Cowboy. Ages 3-7.
•
Talk about what brave means and what might
makes people afraid.
•
Talk about rhyming words, poetry, and songs.
•
Talk about what it means to interrupt.
•
Name each of the items the cowboy thought he
saw and what they actually turned out to be.
Websites:
Whamond, Dave. Oddrey.
Ages 4-7.
•
•
•
Create the tree costume you would wear if you
were cast in a play. What materials and symbols
show your unique personality?
Play hopscotch using a mat that you create.
Oddrey saves the school play when she helps the
other actors who are having trouble on stage.
Discuss how you can help others when they are
having trouble.
Websites:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MjrwEvEbsHA
http://tinyurl.com/owlkidsoddrey
http://www.janthomasbooks.com/Home.html
http://tinyurl.com/playhopscotch
http://homeschoolcreations.com/CowboyPrintables.
html