A Teddy Bear Story - Where's My Teddy

Where's My Teddy
by Jez Alborough
Laptime: toddler - early elementary
Story Circle: preschool - early elementary

A favorite stuffy is an important part of life for many young children. I remember many frantic searches for a lost teddy when my children were young and as a preschool teacher I know that naptime can be totally disrupted if a parent forgets to bring the special security blanket or stuffed animal. That is what makes Where's My Teddy so fun to read, because every child, parent and teacher can understand what poor Eddie is going through as he searches for his lost Teddy Bear.
Reading this book aloud to a group of children is loads of fun. The text is simple and rhyming. Through the illustrations the author conveys Eddie's panic as he frantically searches for his teddy and then the confusion when he finds, not his teddy, but a giant teddy. Then the chills build as Eddie wonders what creature could be looking for such a huge teddy bear.
We all love cases of mistaken identity.

Laptime Activities:

1. Play Hide the Teddy - Hide a favorite stuffy somewhere in the house and then let your child find it. If you have more than one child take turns being the hiders and the finders.
2. This is a fun story to act out. As the adult you can play the big bear and let your child play Eddie but then switch parts. Children love to pretend that they are bigger than they really are and it is so much fun be to be bigger than your mom.

Story Circle Activities:

1. Hey Eddie Where's Your Teddy? - This is a version of the hot and cold game. Choose a child to be Eddie and leave the room or cover their eyes. The rest of the class decides where to hide the teddy bear. When the bear is hidden, call Eddie back into the classroom by saying, "Hey, Eddie, where's your Teddy?". When Eddie begins the search have the class clap slowly if he/she is cold - not close to the hiding place - and faster the hotter or closer the child gets to finding the bear. When Eddie finds the Teddy he/she may choose the next person to be Eddie.
2. What is big and what is little? - Sit in a circle. The starting person names something that is big. The person sitting next to them then names something that is little - it must be the same type of thing that was named as big. For example if the teacher says an elephant is big then the next child must name an animal that is smaller than an elephant, if the teacher says that a skyscraper is big then the next child must name a building that is little compared to a skyscraper.