Animals, body parts, and movement, oh my! From Head to Toe by Eric Carle is perfect for toddler confidence building as each animal in the book shows off their stuff and asks if you can do it too. These areas are usually topics little ones shine in, making the toddler activities at home mentioned in this post so fun and doable. Your child will feel like an expert while practicing valuable literacy and life skills. You and your child will laugh and learn your way through these toddler activities at home, the backbone of My Book Bud.
In this post, you’ll find four literacy activities related to From Head to Toe by Eric Carle. These activities have been specifically developed for toddlers to build confidence, independence, and early reading skills. You and your child will infer, follow instructions, identify body parts, and play Simon Says. So, go on, show us what you can do!
Table of Contents
From Head to Toe
Author/Illustrator: Eric Carle
Published by HaperCollins, 1997
Summary: Monkey see, monkey do! In this lively, interactive book, animals twist, stomp, kick, and wiggle, inviting young readers to join in too. With each page, a new animal demonstrates a movement and asks, “Can you do it?” So don’t be shy, jump in and show what you can do from head to toe!
Skills to Tackle: Toddler Activities at Home with From Head to Toe
Inference: Best for ages 3-6
Readers make inferences when they use their own background knowledge and combine it with the evidence from the text to make an educated guess about something that is not directly stated. We do this in our daily lives outside of reading as well, making it such an important skill to work on.
For Example:
If you walked into the breakroom at work and saw streamers, balloons, cake, and gifts, you could infer that it was one of your coworker’s birthdays. Nobody has to explicitly tell you that, you just used the evidence of the birthday supplies in front of you and combined that with your previous knowledge of birthday parties to make the inference.
In From Head to Toe, the animals can do so many cool things! But is there anything else they can do?? Doing simple toddlers activities at home like this will bolster your child’s confidence while bringing you closer together.
Using the pictures and your child’s background knowledge about these animals, you and your child can make inferences about other skills these animals have!
Example Conversation:
- Parent: Wow! These animals do lots of cool stuff! The penguin can turn its head. What else can a penguin do?
- Child: Waddle!
- Parent: Oh, right! That’s so silly! Let’s waddle around the room like penguins!
- Parent: The giraffe can bend its neck. What else can giraffes do?
- Child: They can reach for leaves way up high on a tree!
- Parent: Yeah! Let’s go get a snack and I’ll hold your waist while you stand on a chair and reach high into the cabinet for a snack! Yum!
Repeat this activity with the rest of the animals in the book. Some animals they might not be as familiar with like a buffalo or a seal. In those cases, take the lead and help them out!
This game is a great activity to help build confidence as kids usually feel like they know a lot about animals, but it is also a great way to be silly and let loose with your child! Have fun and let out your “wild side!”
Try connecting this activity to the real world. When my kids and I go out for a walk, I often hear the dreaded “I’m tired” phrase over and over. Something that really helps is to tell them to “act” like an animal. When I hear that, I tell them to “run like a cheetah” or “fly like a birdie!” Try and find a fun and playful time to “waddle like a penguin” or “reach like a giraffe.” I have found in instances when they’re struggling and whining, this can help release some tension and create a more silly and relaxed environment.
Letting loose with silly toddler activities at home breeds laughter and connection. Playing to your child’s strengths folds those things in even more neatly. So don’t be afraid to get silly and get learning!
Following Instructions: Best for ages 2-5
For toddlers and youngsters, following directions is an essential skill to learn, but it can be tricky. When you make it more fun, they are more likely to listen and complete the task. Exercises like this one below can take toddler activities at home from hair-pulling meltdowns to connection filled experiences full of laughter and love.
Because this book is so interactive, it is a great way to take “baby steps” towards following instructions in real time!
The book shows each animal doing a “cool skill.” Then it immediately asks the reader, “Can you do it too?” Pause each time you read that line and see if your child can “follow the instruction” of doing what the animal does.
Example Conversation:
- Parent: The monkey waves his hands around! Can you do it?
- Child: Yes! Oo-oo! Ah-ah!
- Encourage silliness and sounds to make the extra connection!
- Parent: This seal claps its hands. Can you do it?
- Child: Yes! Arf! Arf!
Follow these super simple “directions” for each animal. Then try applying these directions to the real world.
Examples:
- Turn your head like a penguin while brushing your teeth!
- Bend your neck like a giraffe to look up at the clouds!
- Shrug your shoulders like a buffalo to show you’re confused!
- Wave your arms like a monkey to your favorite song!
- Clap your hands like a seal after that performance!
- Thump your chest like a gorilla to show you’re mad!
- Arch your back like a cat to make a bridge!
- Wriggle your hips like an alligator to do the hula hoop!
- Bend your knee like a camel to get something under the couch!
- Kick your legs like a donkey to push off your scooter!
- Stomp your foot like an elephant to tap along with the music.
Use these simple “directions” in your child’s everyday lives. This is a great way to extend the activity and ask them to do multiple things at once. You are not only asking them to perform a task like “brushing their teeth,” but are also asking them to act like a specific animal. It’s a sneaky way to get them to think about multiple things at once and “follow a direction” all while being silly and having fun!
If you can get other toddler activities at home to be this fun and engaging, you will find your child more cooperative and you a lot calmer, a dream combination.
Body Parts: Best for ages 1-4
Identifying body parts! Simple, right? Maybe for the common ones, but not for all! Using the animals in this book, talk about the body parts mentioned and some that are missing! Pair them with the animals in the book and think of a few new animals as well!
The most effective toddler activities at home take the most basic concepts and turn them into a party. If you want your child to learn, turn down the discipline and turn up the playfulness.
After reading the book a few times, make a game out of the body parts mentioned. Stand facing your child and call out an animal’s name (ex. buffalo). When you say that specific animal they need to point to and say the body part associated with that animal and also do the motion.
Example Conversation:
- Parent: Penguin!
- Child: Head! (Turn head side to side).
- Parent: Giraffe!
- Child: Neck! (Bend neck this and that way).
Proceed to do this with the rest of the animals:
- Buffalo – shoulders (raise them up and down)
- Monkey – arms (wave them around)
- Seal – hands (clap together)
- Gorilla – chest (thump chest)
- Cat – back (arch back)
- Alligator – hips (wriggle from side to side)
- Camel – knees (bend down)
- Donkey – legs (kick out)
- Elephant – foot (stomp around)
- Human – toe (wiggle each one)
After going through the book, brainstorm some body parts that aren’t mentioned. Try pairing some of the missing body parts up with an animal and a motion and add them into the game for an extra challenge!
Examples:
- Ears – bunny (flop your bunny ears around)
- Ankles – flamingo (stand on one leg)
- Belly – panda (push your belly out and bounce it around)
Think about even stuffing a pillow in your shirt to really make your child laugh!
This is a perfect way to have lots of fun. Your child might fall on the ground laughing if you’re willing to push it a bit here and tap into their goofiness.
My kids love to do a “tushie dance.” They swing their hips around in circles and laugh until they cry. Little moments like these are a great way to allow your kids to talk about a body part that sometimes make kids giggle or feel shy in a way that is safe and silly.
Be sure you are often having conversations about “good touch” and “bad touch.” These cheeky games can help open the door to some of those more uncomfortable conversations. Be open, honest, and full of love.
This game helps your child make quick associations between animals, body parts, and motions, a fun challenge for both their brains and bodies!
Toddler activities at home don’t have to be fancy. The key to learning at home with your child is to connect, and the best way to connect is through play and laughter.
Expansion Activity: Best for ages 2-7
“Simon Says!” We all know the game, right? It’s a fun and simple listening game. One person is chosen to be “Simon,” and everyone else follows their directions, but only if the direction begins with the words “Simon says.” For example, if Simon says, “Simon says touch your toes,” everyone should touch their toes. But if Simon just says, “Touch your toes,” without saying “Simon says” first, no one should move.
The goal is to listen very carefully and only do the action if you hear “Simon says” at the beginning. It’s a great way to practice paying attention while having lots of silly fun! This is one of the classic toddler activities at home. This expansion activity brings a fun new twist to the timeless game.
After reading From Head to Toe, your child has likely been moving, wiggling, and copying animal actions. Keep that energy going with a game of Simon Says! This game is a great way to flex your child’s “direction following muscle.” Not only do they need to follow directions, but they need to listen carefully. If they complete the task and you didn’t say “Simon says,” then they need to be more attentive to what you’re saying.
There are so many ways to make this game educational and fun! Try “Simon Says” with:
- Pointing to body parts
- “Being” an animal
- Following simple directions
Use this game at a time during the day when your child might have some extra difficulties. If getting out of the house in the morning is tough, try adding a game like this in. As they progress through their morning, and they hit a road block, get silly! Try screaming out “Simon says”:
- Brush your teeth
- Tie your shoes
- Put on your jacket
This will hopefully add some excitement (and urgency) to their routine without rushing or making them anxious.
The best part about this game is it is super adaptable to all ages and can be done anywhere! Switch up the name to “Mommy says” or to your child’s name and have a ball!
However you choose to play, just remember the best toddler activities at home get kids moving, laughing, and connecting with you. So get silly, stomp like an elephant, and enjoy every toe-wiggling moment!
Free Printable!
Use the images attached to play Simon Says without saying a word! Cut out each pair of images and hold them up. Using the clues in the pictures and their memory of the book, your child will complete the action. For example, the first card shows a penguin shaking its head from side to side.
For an extra challenge, try holding up only the animal pictures. Your child will have to remember what action each animal performs in the book and act it out! This is a fun twist on the classic game and a great way to practice memory, movement, and careful observation.
To Wrap Things Up:
These toddler activities at home really have it all, cognitive thinking skills, memory skills, and gross motor skills. Your child will be challenged both intellectually and physically, all while laughing and smiling. Is there anything better than learning disguised as fun? From Head to Toe is one of Eric Carle’s hidden gems, so don’t miss out!
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