Another one of my favorite themes and one that is great for adding vocabulary to a tot’s repertoire!
Books
for the tots
Welcome Home Bear by Il Sung Na
The Napping House by Audrey Wood
My House by Byron Barton
preschool+
The Three Little Pigs, illustrated by Ed Bryan
This is the House that Jack Built by Simms Taback
The House that Jack Built by Jeanette Winter
Activities
“Tap at the Door” Fingerplay
If you’ve been reading my blog, you know I’m not a fan of fingerplays, but this is one that is actually a lot of fun. The motions are familiar and fun to act out!
“Tap at the Door”
Tap at the door, (Tap one hand with fingers of other)
Peep in, (Form fingers into rings around eyes.)
Turn the knob, (Make turning motion with other hand.)
Walk in, (Walk fingers of one hand on palm of other.)
And – shut the door! (Clap loudly.)
“A House is a House for Me”
I did this little song with puppets!
“A House is a House for Me”
A hill is a house for an ant, an ant.
A hive is a house for a bee.
A hole is a house for a mole or a mouse
And a house is a house for me!
A web is a house for a spider.
A bird builds its nest in a tree.
There is nothing so snug as a bug in a rug
And a house is a house for me!
Whose Home is This? Flannel Game
Make flannels of several habitats and go through one by one, guessing “whose home is this?” Tease them by making the animal sound and then use puppets for the big reveal!
- Cave (bear, bat)
- Forest (raccon, rabbit, squirrel, etc.)
- Ocean (whale, shark, fish, etc.)
- Savanna (lion)
- Nest (bird)
- Hive (bee)
Conclusion
This is a great theme. My favorite of the books is The Napping House, for sentimental reasons. It was one of my favorites as a child. I also love Na’s Welcome Home Bear! The “Whose Home is This?” Activity is very versatile. I’ve used for several age groups.
