It’s time for Froggy to go to bed but first he must prepare.  Froggy has so many things to do will he ever get to sleep?  This is a fun story to help children recall nightly rituals of their own.

Materials

• Quilt pattern and many one-inch squares
• Non-breakable mirrors

Vocabulary

• Routine (schedule of events from one time to another, lunch to nap time)
• Quilt (a blanket with a pattern design on it)

Before reading the story

            Ask the children if they know what a routine is?  Tell the children that routine means the schedule or practices of things that they do every day or night.  Can they think of any routines that they do?  Remind them about your classroom schedule, or your lunch routine.  Show the cover of the book and tell them this is the story about Froggy’s bedtime routine.  Ask them if they have any bedtime routines.  Write them down on a large sheet of paper.

Social & Emotional Development/Self-Concept; develops growing capacity for independence in a range of activities, routines, and tasks.

Reading the Story

Read with a soft soothing voice.

After Reading the Story

            Take back out your large sheet of paper that the children told their night time routines and compare them to Froggy’s. (Kerry said that she brushes her teeth before she goes to bed and so does Froggy).  Highlight all the similarities between the story and the children’s bedtime routines.

Literacy/Book Knowledge & Appreciation; shows growing interest and involvement in listening to and discussing a variety of fiction and non-fiction books, and poetry.

Discovery

            Put out mirrors so when the children brush their teeth today they can look at their teeth to see if they got them pearly white.  Today would be a good day to put out any teeth that you might have (pictures or real) as well as a large set of teeth that the children can examine with magnifying glasses.

Physical Health & Development/Health Status & Practices; shows growing independence in hygiene, nutrition, and personal care when eating, washing hands, brushing teeth, or toileting.

Music and Movement

            Take the children’s list of bedtime routines and sing them to the tune of This is the Way.    This is the way we wash our face, wash our face, wash our face.  This is the way we wash our face when it’s time for bed. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4XLQpRI_wOQ

       Put on the video, Rubber Duckie https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Mh85R-S-dh8, and let the children dance.

Blocks

Art

            Cut out pictures of food you like to eat and glue to a paper plate, a bedtime snack.  Add a picture  of a fly or two for fun.

Social & Emotional Development/Self-Concept; begins to develop and express awareness of self in terms of specific abilities, characteristics, or preferences.

Sand and Water

            Fill the table with water and bubbles.  Add rubber animals or hard baby dolls to pretend it is bathtime. Add a washcloth for the children to wash the animals/dolls and a towel for drying.

Physical Health & Development/Health Status & Practices; shows growing independence in hygiene, nutrition, and personal care when eating, washing hands, brushing teeth, or toileting.

Library and Writing

            Talk to the children about the part of the day between lunch and nap.  What are your classroom routines?  Have the children help illustrate these events and make a classroom book titled, Children, It’s Time to Nap.  On the bottom of each page write “but first we need to_________”.

Social & Emotional Development/Self-Concept; develops growing capacity for independence in a range of activities, routines, and tasks.

Dramatic Play

            Act out bedtime routines.  Remind the children to think about the things that Froggy had to do before he fell asleep.

Literacy/Book Knowledge & Appreciation; demonstrates abilities to retell and dictate stories from books and experiences; to act out stories in dramatic play; and to predict what will happen next in a story.

Math and Manipulatives

            Make several copies of the quilt grid.  Cover with contact paper.  Cut out many 1 – inch squares from assorted papers (construction, wrapping, foiled,etc)  Cover these with contact paper also.  Show the children how to make simple patterns ABABAB to fill the paper.  For younger children you might have to make a sample that they can copy the first time. 

Mathematics/Patterns & Measurement; enhances abilities to recognize, duplicate, and extend simple patterns using a variety of materials.

Outdoor Play

            If you have a parachute you can tell the children to lay on the ground and put their bodies under with only their head exposed for sleep.  You can have them take turns running under the covers/parachute.  Hop across to the other side like a frog.

Language Development/Listening & Understanding; shows progress in understanding and following simple and multiple step directions.

Transitions

            Shout out child’s name as their cue to go to the next activity.  KERRY!  Or K-E-R-R-Y!!!!!  go and find a center.

Literacy/Alphabet Knowledge; shows progress in associating the names of letters with their shape and sounds.

Resources