Toddler Two: Fun with Felt

Book Title: Toddler Two

Author: Anastasia Suen

Illustrator: Winnie Cheon

Type of book: Concept book

Book age range: Birth to three

Activity age range: Eighteen months and up

*Please note that this activity includes glue and small parts and is only intended as a supervised activity for toddlers and their caregivers to perform together

Why we like it: Anastasia Suen’s Toddler Two is the perfect book to share with a child who is learning numbers and one who is age two or getting ready to turn two.  Throughout the pages of the book, two toddlers explore many different pairs, such as eyes, ears, arms and legs. Winnie Cheon’s fabric and felt illustrations are not only adorable but also precisely depict outdoor playtime in the life of toddlers. Because of these playful and engaging illustrations, this is a book that is just as much fun for toddlers to examine on their own as to hear it read aloud.

Fun with Felt: Create a Toddler Two Ball

You will need:

For preparation (Do this ahead of time so your toddler won't have to wait.)

• Two sheets of felt, each a different color

• Scissors

For the activity

• Four pre-cut felt shapes (see Step 1)

• Felt glue

Step 1: Preparation – Cut a circle shape from one piece of felt, and cut two crescent shapes representing stripes as well as a number two from the other piece. Be sure to use two different colors. Sheets of felt can be purchased in a craft store for around $.10 - $.20 each.

Step 2: Activity – After reading Toddler Two, arrange the pre-cut felt shapes in front of your toddler. Allow him or her to explore the shapes and colors and talk about their appearance and texture.

Step 3: Help your toddler glue the stripes and the number two onto the ball. Talk about the ways the ball represents the number two – it has two stripes, is made up of two colors, and is marked with a number two.

Your toddler now has his or her very own felt ball cutout, similar to the ball in Toddler Two. Reread the story with your new prop in hand and help your child enact the outdoor play scenes with the ball.


References

Suen, A. Cheon, W., illus. Toddler Two. (2000). New York: Lee & Low Books.