Inside: Download these free Brown Bear, Brown bear, What Do you See printable props to use during your toddler and preschool circle time!
One of our favorite toddler and preschool books is Brown Bear, Brown Bear, What Do You See?
I often will read this book during the first couple of weeks in the school year because, for many of my students, this is a familiar book.
Bringing familiar materials into your classroom environment is comforting to young children, especially those who are experiencing separation anxiety.
Because I love to use props, I created some simple, colorful printables that are a fun addition when reading Brown Bear, Brown Bear, What Do You See?
Scroll down towards bottom of this page find the free download!
Circle time is an important part of the toddler and preschool day for building literacy skills.
However, one of the biggest frustrations I hear from teachers is, “I can’t get them to sit still and listen.”
As I’ve mentioned in my most popular “Tips for a Successful Circle Time” video, getting the children involved is a must.
One of my favorite ways of doing this is using props.
These Brown Bear, Brown bear printables help get the children engaged, making circle time more enjoyable.
How to Use the Brown Bear, Brown Bear, What Do You See Printable
What you will need:
- Brown Bear, Brown Bear, What Do You See? book
- Brown Bear, Brown Bear printable (Scroll down to find free download)
What you might also need:
Putting Together These Props
After downloading the printable, make copies.
Then, cut around the circles to separate.
For extra durability, either copy on heavy paper (cardstock paper), or laminate.
On the Flannel Board
One of the easiest ways to use these printable props is on the flannel board.
After laminated them, place a piece of velcro on the back.
Before reading the book, have the printable pieces in the same order as they appear in the book.
Then, as you read the book, place each piece on the flannel board as they appear in the book.
When finished reading, point to each figure and ask what it is (brown bear, red bird, yellow duck, etc.).
As Stick Puppets
One of my favorite props comes in the form of stick puppets.
Simply tape a popsicle stick to each piece and they are ready to go!
Hold all of the sticks in your hand, making sure they are in the same order as the book.
Starting with Brown Bear, hold up the brown bear stick as you read the words on that page.
Then, put that stick down and move on to the next page, noting that stick puppet in your hand.
Do this for each of the animals/people in the book.
Another idea is to give each of the children one of the stick puppets.
As you get to each animal/person, stop and ask who has that puppet.
The child with that puppet holds it up for everyone to see.
More Ideas
Table Activity
Make 2 copies of the printable.
Keep 1 intact and separate the circles in the other.
Place the intact copy on a tray with the separate circles in a small container.
Invite the children to take a circle from the container and put it on top of the matching picture.
Fine Motor Activity
Older preschoolers can cut the animals from the paper themselves and then glue onto a plain sheet of paper.
Click on the photo below for the free pdf download:
More to Read
Learning the Alphabet – Activities, Songs, Books, Printables