body part toddler time

I got 2 kids and 2 adults.

I changed my plan a bit and added Eric Carle's Head to Toe. The girl who is about 30 months did well listening to the stories and doing the fingerplay. The boy (20 months) only paused from exploring the room for brief periods. He loved the bean bags and decided to keep them for a while. I added Body Rock by Hap Palmer and skipped Body Talk. I didn't do Head Shoulders Knees and Toes or Akien Drum since my opening and closing songs are also body parts songs.

Here is what it looked like:

Open shut them

Book #1 – My octopus arms by Baker

-I like the ending of this one.

Book #2 - Head to Toe by Carle (big book)

Action Song-Hokey Pokey by Hap Palmer

-everyone liked this...this is my favorite version

Book #3 – Here are my Hands by Bill Martin Jr.

-Not much interested, a bit of a dud.

Finger Play

On my Face

On my face I have a nose (point to nose) 

And way down here, I have ten toes. (point to toes)  I have two eyes that I can blink (blink eyes)  I have a head to help me think (put hands on head)  I have a chin and very near (point to chin)  I have two ears to help me hear (put hands to ears)  I have a mouth with which to speak (point to mouth)  And when I run I use my feet. (pretend to run in place)  Here are my arms to hold up high (put arms up high)  And here’s a hand to wave goodbye (wave) 
-The girl liked doing this so we did it twice.

Book #4 – We’ve All Got Bellybuttons by David Martin

- this story is too much like Head to Toe, I felt like I was repeating myself.

Dance – Bean bag Boogie by Learning Station and Body Rock by Hap Palmer  

-they both loved these

Closing song – Oh what a miracle

Early Literacy tips:


1)Vocabulary is knowing the names of things, not just things, but concepts, feelings, and ideas. Researchers have found that children with a large vocabulary, to have heard a lot of different words, find it easier to read when that time comes


2)Go ahead and use words that are unfamiliar to your child. Don’t replace words in books that they may not understand, just explain them.


3)The first time you read a book you can read that book from start to finish. Read it again and stop and talk about the pictures. This will help increase vocabulary.


Coloring sheet: