The toddler twosome have been enjoying some fun with our new felt teddy bears…there are so many ways to practise new skills with a simple felt teddy bear!
I have had a version of these little teddy bears for over 10 years but they were getting a little worn (as you’d expect!) so i decided to make a few new ones for the girls to enjoy.
They really are so simple to do, just draw yourself a little teddy template (or there are many free on the net to find) trace, cut out and glue together. You will need to do 2 for each stick so you are able to glue the sides together with a stick in the middle. These are just some cheap craft sticks but you could use whatever you have lying around that could be used as a handle. Glue on some eyes and you are nearly done.
I added a little face with black marker…I’m not exactly an artist as you can see but trust me…toddlers don’t care so don’t let it stop you from having a go! I also glued on a few little shirts from different coloured felt…you don’t have to do this but it does extend the learning options!
Now we are ready to play!
I left a few of the teddies without shirts on one side so i could ask the girls to show me teddies’ FRONT (with shirt) and BACK (or rudey side as Tara called it)!
They are fantastic for practising position and following directions…..Can you put teddies BEHIND your back?
Where’s your BELLYBUTTON? This one actually cracked them up and was very popular!
Incorporate a little singing too…Here we were having fun with ‘Heads, Shoulders, Knees and Toes!”
Of course they are also a fun learning tool for colour recognition….Can Tara show me the RED teddy? Who has the GREEN teddy?
And basic counting too…How many teddies does Ruby have? Let’s count them together….
Want more ideas and inspiration for early years play?
A Little About Me
Jodie Clarke is an early childhood professional supporting educators who want and need to stay passionate about the work they do! She has 30 years hands-on experience in the early childhood and human services sectors across many different roles.
Jodie is mum to 3 in Australia and has already helped thousands of educators with their work through her popular blog posts, activity ideas, online training and e-books.
These are absolutely adorable. My son would love them and I know his friends would adore them as gifts.
Thanks Sam….great idea to use them as gifts too!
Hi Jode 🙂 It’s been ages since I have ‘visited’! I have spent the morning catching up on the last month of MM&M, you guys sure are busy! We share many similarities with the stages of our children…I just went through the challenges you posted about in ‘I remember…’ with Chook. Are you telling me I gotta do all over again with the twins?!?! Okay, that’s my peace and quiet over with. See you later 🙂
No, no…of cOURSE you won’t have to do it again with the twins Amie ;)Thanks so much for visiting xx
These are so cute and such good ideas to go with them! (I love things where kids don’t even notice they’re actually learning!) These must be great for pretend play too!
Super cute! You could use them for the “Teddy Bear, Teddy Bear” rhyme,too!