Playing Preschool - Unit 7: Teddy Bears

A Companion Guide to Busy Toddler's Playing Preschool Curriculum

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Learning with Lovable Friends

Teddy Bears are a symbol of childhood. They are friends, confidants and cuddle companions. I loved that this unit gave us an opportunity to include them in our learning and that doing so naturally turned into role play. The teddy bears' (and other furry friends) picnic was the perfect culmination of this unit and one of those memorable activities that made me so grateful to be his first teacher.

Building Background Knowledge

Most people know that the teddy bear is named after President Theodore Roosevelt. If you want the full story, you can read Who Invented the Teddy Bear? but you may want to censor it for small children. Beyond that, children are usually already pretty familiar with these cuddly companions.

In addition you may want to think about teaching vocabulary words like "porridge" or "picnic" before reading. We actually made oatmeal to get the full effect.

Video Links

• Teddy Bear Picnic Song by Anne Murray

• My Teddy Bear

• We're Going on a Bear Hunt

• Animated Story: We're Going on a Bear Hunt

Suggested Books

*Books with an asterisk are my Top 5 Picks to Add to Your Home Library for this unit

• Goldilocks and the Three Bears - Alperin, Mara

• Where's My Teddy? - Alborough, Jez

• We're Going on a Bear Hunt* - Rosen, Micheal

• Corduroy* - Freeman, Don (diverse characters)

• Share Some Kindness, Bring Some Light - Stott, Apryl

• The Teddy Bear Picnic - Kennedy, Jimmy

Additional Book List

Books in bold are also the suggested books in another unit.

Non-Fiction

• The Legend of the Teddy Bear (Myths, Legends, Fairy and Folktales) - Murphy, Frank

• Finding Winnie: The True Story of the World's Most Famous Bear - Mattick, Lindsay

• Winnie: The True Story of The Bear Who Inspired Winnie the Pooh - Walker, Sally M.

• National Geographic Readers: All About Bears - National Geographic Kids

• American Black Bears - Kolpin, Molly

• Which is round? Which is bigger?* - Mamada, Mineko

• Teddy Bear Patterns (McGrath Math) - McGrath, Barbara Barbieri

• Too hot? Too cold?: Keeping Body Temperature Just Right - Arnold, Caroline

Fiction

• Paddington* - Bond, Michael

• The Curious Cares of Bears - Florian, Douglas

• Bear Snores On* - Wilson, Karma <-- More in the "Bear" Series

• Bear Has a Story to Tell - Stead, Philip C.

• Old Bear - Henkes, Kevin

• Winnie the Pooh - A. A. Milne

• Honey - Stein, David Ezra

• Baby Bear - Nelson, Kadir

• Something About a Bear - Morris, Jackie <-- Beautiful illustrations of bears around the world

• Orange Pear Apple Bear - Gravett, Emily

• Any of the Berenstain Bears books - Stan and Jan Berenstain

• Big Bear, Small Mouse - Wilson, Karma

• Bear Sees Colors - Wilson, Karma

• Who Wants An Old Teddy Bear? - Hofman, Ginnie <--This was one of my favorites as a child, but it is sadly out of print. Let me know if you find it!

• Bears in Pairs - Yektai <-- Another oldie

• Three Snow Bears - Brett, Jan <-- A retelling of Goldilocks with an Inuit girl and a polar bear family (diverse characters)

• Goldilocks and the Three Dinosaurs: As Retold by Mo Willems - Willems, Mo

• Believe Me, Goldilocks Rocks! (The Other Side of the Story) - Loewen, Nancy

• Polar Bear, Polar Bear, What Do You Hear? - Carle, Eric

• Brown Bear, Brown Bear, What Do You See? - Carle, Eric

Additional Resources/Activities

Educational Toys

• Use the Melissa & Doug Wooden Bear Dress-Up Play Set to retell the story of Goldilocks.

• Practice sewing like Lisa in Corduroy with Melissa & Doug Deluxe Dress-Up Lacing Wooden Bear Play Set

• Skoolzy Rainbow Counting Bears - Great to use with McGrath Math Teddy Bear Books

Activities

• Developing life skills: Visit a Build-a-Bear franchise and design your own cuddly friend to take home and care for or simply learn how to sew on a button like Lisa in Corduroy.

• Field trip: Go to the zoo and see the bears. Be sure to pack a picnic!

• Playdate Activities: Winnie the Pooh Honey Bee Playdate Activites

• Sensory Bin: Make a sensory bin using multi-color fuse beads or water beads and read Bear Sees Colors

• Pattern Play: Have fun with pattern play using colorful Counting Bears. Checkout these Activity Cards or make your own.

• Themed Activities: Check out Toddler Approved's Three Easy Bear Themed Activities for Toddlers and Preschoolers

Scaffolding/Support

• I had to front-load the concept of a picnic for my son. You may have a regular habit of eating on a blanket in the grass, but I am embarrassed to say that I wasn't sure that my toddler even knew what a picnic was, much less what it was called. So before we hosted our teddy bears' picnic, I made sure to talk about and show him pictures of people picnicking. When the time came, my toddler knew exactly what to do!

What was your favorite part of this unit? What other books did you read? What other activities did you do? Please share your photos and feedback in the Playing Preschool with Busy Toddler Curriculum Facebook Group in Guides→ Teddy Bears

Until next time, may your coffee be warm and your toddler be busy!

Up Next: Playing Preschool: Unit 8 - Things Go Together

See Also: Introduction to Playing Preschool with Busy Toddler, A Companion Guide to Busy Toddler's Playing Preschool Curriculum, Unit 1: Apples, Unit 2: Colors, Unit 3: Nursery Rhymes, Unit 4: Clothing, Unit 5: Food, Unit 6: Five Senses