MSU Extension Child & Family Development

BEFORE READING:

• Show the children the front of the book. Ask them to guess what the book is about.
• Ask them what the sheep is wearing and why.

WHILE READING:

• Stop at any time if there is something you or the children would like to talk about.
• Ask them questions so that they can connect what is happening in the book to things they already know about. Try some of these ideas:
  • What do you drink when you are thirsty?
  • What foods do you to eat at a feast?
  • What do you like to wear when you dance?

AFTER READING:

• Spend some time talking about the story. Ask the children things like:
• What was the warthog wearing? 
• What were the frogs frightened of?
• How many sheep were singing?

Read this book several times to the children. Hearing the same story again and again helps them learn new words and understand the ideas the hear better. Each day, pick a different activity to do with the children after reading.

MATH AND SCIENCE

Read the book backward. Start with “ten tigers in tutus” and ask the children how many animals there would be if one left the room. Turn the page backwards to the “nine polite pigs.” Again, ask how many animals there would be if one left the room and turn the page to eight. Work backward until there is only one.

READING READINESS

Help the children to trace the numbers with their hand as you read them on each page. Every time you see that number — on a box, a sign or in the newspaper — have them trace with their finger again. Practice writing the number by tracing your fingers in sand, in a bowl of sugar, or in the bubbles of the sink or a bucket.

ART

Make your favorite animal. Have the children d raw an outline of their favorite animal and help them cut it out. Use fabric scraps, yarn, ribbon, colored tissue paper or other things around the house for the children to “dress” their animals. Help them (if needed) to glue the different items on to give their animals a special outfit.

MUSIC AND MOVEMENT

Have the children count their body parts as they move them around. Sing, “I have two hands that shake,” as you shake them all around. Or, “You have one arm that flaps and two legs that shimmy,” as you flap your arms and wiggle your legs.

PRETEND PLAY

Pretend to be different animals in the book. Use yarn for a wig, tango like toucans, drink like the flamingos, be frightened like the frogs, feast like the foxes, sleep-walk like the skunks, sing like the sheep, exercise like the eagles, be polite like the pigs and dance in tutus like the tigers!

MOTOR SKILLS

Make lacing cards using an old cereal box and a shoelace or a piece of yarn (wrap tape around the end of the yarn to make it easier to thread through). Have the children draw a picture of their favorite animals from the book and cut the animals out for them. Use a hole punch or scissors to cut out holes and show them how to thread the yarn or shoelace the holes.

For more information, visit: MSU Extension early childhood site.