9 Books Our Baby, Toddler & Kindy Children Love
It will come as no surprise to our families, when we say we love books here at Parkside Community Childcare. And we’re not just saying this because of recent Book Week festivities, or because we have spent the week making book-themed sensory tables for our little learners. We love the powerful role stories play in children’s language development and their sense of belonging. And quite simply, we love the magic that unfolds when a child’s mind and imagination are met with stories.
We asked our Educators from each of our three rooms, which books the children are currently loving – and below, we’re sharing that list with you. As a bonus, we’ve included some extra tips and activities on how you can bring some of these stories to life even further during playtime.
Baby Room: Our top books for ages 0-2
Bing, Something for Daddy by Ted Dewan
Why we love it: This is a charming, easy-to-follow story, with adorable, striking pictures that are captivating for babies and younger children. The repetitive words help further the children’s comprehension.
Bonus tip for playtime: Reinforce the story and words through a sensory play experience. Gather some feathers, shiny objects and sparkles, and have your young one feel and experiment with the different textures.
The Wonky Donkey by Craig Smith
Why we love it: This book always gets a laugh out of the children, who love making the "Heehaw!" sound of the donkey and seeing what funny things will happen on each page. Again, the repetition and rhythm of phrases in this book helps their language development.
Bonus tip for the adults: For an extra laugh, adults may get a kick out of The Scottish Granny’s reading of this book!
The Little Mouse, The Red Ripe Strawberry, and The Big Hungry Bear by Don Wood
Why we love it: We love that this book combines a very fun and playful storyline, with messages of determination (that cheeky mouse was determined to pick the strawberry!) and sharing (when the mouse shares its strawberry with the reader). Another tick for this book is its unique storytelling perspective, whereby the narrator is talking to the mouse rather than the reader.
Bonus tip for playtime: To deepen imaginative play, ask your child open-ended questions like ‘Where would you hide the strawberry?’ or ‘How would you eat the strawberry?’. If it’s strawberry reason, you and your little one could ‘explore’ a strawberry from a variety of sensory touchpoints – inspecting its seeds, its touch, its smell, and the outside vs the inside.
Toddler Room: Our favourite books for ages 2-3
There Was an Old Lady Who Swallowed a Fly by Pam Adams
Why we love it: Children love this book because of its silly, funny, and repetitive storyline. They know that swallowing animals isn’t real, but enjoy exploring the silliness of “what if,” which sparks creativity and playful thinking.
Bonus tip for playtime: Recreate the story with simple puppets, soft toys, or even paper drawings. Each time the ‘Old Lady’ swallows an animal, let your child drop that puppet/toy/drawing into a big bag or box (her ‘tummy’).
Hamilton’s Hats by Martine Oborne
Why we love it: Hamilton’s many different hats spark a lot of curiosity and laughter in our Toddler Room! Children enjoy the surprise of seeing what kind of hat he will wear next and how each one changes his look and personality.
Bonus tip for playtime: Extend upon the book’s hat theme with creative play. Draw hats of all different shapes, styles and patterns, and have your child colour them in or embellish them with arts and crafts (like pom poms and coloured paper).
What the Ladybird Heard by Julia Donaldson
Why we love it: This is another book that the toddlers at Parkside love. The story is curiosity-driven, with an inquisitive little ladybird that easily connects with children eager to discover the sounds around them. It is interactive, encouraging children to listen and engage with the sounds rather than just passively following the story.
Good to know: Julia Donaldson’s stories are always adored by the children. Keep your eye out for other titles, like The Gruffalo, Room on the Broom, and The Snail and the Whale. For times when screens may be needed, ABC iView has many low-stimulating adaptations of Donaldson’s works.
Kindy Room: Our top books for ages 3-5
My Dad by Anthony Browne
Why we love it: My Dad seems to strike the perfect combination of joy, humour and familiarity for our kindy kids. It is lovingly illustrated with a level of detail that is just right for this age group, and the playful and exaggerated similes help to develop their language development. When reading this one during group time, our children love following up the story with discussions about their own dads.
We’re Going on a Bear Hunt by Michael Rosen
Why we love it: A classic for a reason! The repetition, sound effects and corresponding gestures, makes this book a winner on so many levels. When reading this book, we see the children’s imagination ticking over as the bear hunt adventure unfolds.
Bonus tip for playtime: Create your own bear hunt. Whether stuck indoors on a rainy day, or outside amongst nature, go on a family ‘bear hunt’ and have fun conjuring up ideas of obstacles and sounds to encounter along the way.
The Three Little Pigs
Why we love it: The Three Little Pigs is a lovely reminder that sometimes, the simplest stories can create the most enjoyment. Our Kindy Room children happily follow the story’s plot, and they find the characters engaging and relatable.
Bonus tip for playtime: Often our little learners love to expand on the wolf character, by following up the book with a game of What’s The Time Mr Wolf in the backyard.
Here at Parkside Community Childcare, story time is a treasured part of our daily routine in our Baby Room, Toddler Room and Kindy Room. To see more of how we bring learning to life, we’d love to welcome you for a visit. Book a tour to see each of our room’s in action.