Playing is how children learn about themselves and the world. Through play, children develop their imagination and learn creativity. When children act out stories, they learn to communicate and engage with others.
Play also gives children a chance to practice new vocabulary. Their props can be great tools to see writing and print in a wide variety of places. For example: drivers use maps, chefs use recipes, and shoppers use lists. This kind of imaginative play allows children to see print all around them.
Tips for Playing
- Play "I'm a Spy" in the car using descriptive words as clues.
- Children love to play dress-up for dramatic plays and pretend games.
- Put on a puppet show and let the children practice using their own words through the puppets.
- Come to the library to play in the many existing literary stations.
- Play outside and go for a nature walk. Ask your child to describe what he sees.
- Play with your food! Count Cheerios or crush them in an uncooked spaghetti. Make colorful designs with cut vegetables.
DOWNLOAD the Simple Steps Activity Sheets and read, write, sing, play, and talk in your own home.
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Great Books for Playing
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Flamingo Flamenco
A flamenco-dancing flamingo struts and swaggers, certain that he is the best dancer in the animal kingdom. From hip hopping hippos to tap dancing tigers, each animal finds its own jungle boogie, and Flamingo soon discovers that no two dancers are the same—and that's okay! A fantastic book for any child who loves dancing or animals, Flamingo Flamenco and its rhythmic text and boldly colored animals will get your little dancers wriggling and jiggling.
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Find Fergus
Play the funniest game of hide and seek ever with Fergus, a bear who's very, very bad at hiding.
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On the Way Home
A little girl and her grandpa come across a monkey, an alligator, a zebra, a tiger and a hippo. They will swing, dance, tap and bounce together on their way back home.
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Toasty
A deliciously funny story about Toasty, a piece of bread who wants to be a dog, for fans of Arnie the Doughnut by Laurie Keller and Everyone Loves Bacon by Kelly DiPucchio.
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Pete the Cat's Groovy Imagination
When a cloudy gray sky cancels Pete the Cat’s beach day plans, a big box is all he needs to beat the rainy-day blues.
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Play
Pat-a-cake and peek-a-boo. You see me and I see you! Celebrate baby's busy day with this fun and playful English-Spanish bilingual baby book. Gurgle, babble, grunt, and coo. Watch how Daddy waves to you! Babies will enjoy and respond to the happy sounds, joyful movements, bouncy rhythm, and vivid black-and-white photos of babies in this rhyming book. A section in the back for parents and caregivers provides playtime tips in both languages.
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Let's Work
An early concept book that brings every kind of job to life, including the work of the dedicated palm weavers of Flavio Gallardo’s workshop, whose miniature palm weavings illustrate this playful book, teaching children words for work in two languages. The weavers live in the village of Chigmecatitlán in the Mixteca part of the Mexican state of Puebla. With tremendous skill and patience, the artisans of this region practice palm weaving, a craft which came to Mexico even before the arrival of the Spanish in the early 15th century. Imagine being able to hold all of the illustrations in one book in the palms of your hands. You can do that with the tiny weavings in Let’s Work. Most pieces are no larger than a dime!
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Flo
Meet Flo! Flo is the littlest panda. She likes to explore, relax, and enjoy everything around her. She is never in a hurry. But . . . sometimes she takes too much time, and the other pandas get impatient. One day they find themselves in trouble. Can Flo’s floppy ways save the day? With Kyo Maclear’s sweet, spare text and Jay Fleck’s bold, bright illustrations, Flo is sure to be a favorite for even the busiest little pandas!
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Let's Play Monsters!
Inspired by a game she played with her own grandchild, the creator of Maisy brings her crayon-bright colors to a story that will have little monsters running for a listen.
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One Springy, Singy Day
A joyful ode to toddlerdom that follows a group of little ones through one buzzy, busy day!
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Grace and Box
Grace and Box have become fast friends. Box delivered a refrigerator earlier in the week and by the end of it, Grace and Box had already been to space, gone camping, and explored the depths of the sea together.
But on Sunday, Grace notices something’s wrong with her buddy. Box has some rips and crumples that Band-Aids, ice packs, and rest on the couch can’t seem to heal. Grace certainly doesn't want these adventures to end, so she is determined to fix Box so that they can continue their play together!
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How Do You Dance?
There are so many ways to dance! You can jiggle or wiggle or stomp. You can bop or bounce or go completely nuts. You can dance at the market or the bus stop, with your fingers or your face. You can dance because you're happy or even because you're sad.
But, what's the best way to dance? Exactly how you want to!
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Can You Make a Happy Face?
Toddlers will explore all kinds of feelings and emotions while making fun faces!
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From Head to Toe = De la cabeza a los pies
A bilingual English and Spanish board book edition of From Head to Toe, the bestselling classic from beloved author and illustrator Eric Carle.
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Jump!
A frog jumps. Boing! A kitten jumps. Boi-ing! A dog jumps. Boiyyyyyyoiingg! . . . "And I jump too--BOING!"
This joyful book gets children joining in the fun of each animal's jump--sharing the sounds and actions.