Remember when I tried to find all the renditions of Little Mouse, Little Mouse posted on the internet? Good times.
My family storytime loves the Little Mouse flannel game. The toddlers faces light up with delight when we finally find the mouse. Even the older kids get into guessing which colour house it is hiding behind. I knew I wanted to create a summer themed version.
My 4-year-old niece Sophie loves ladybugs. The other day we were at the park and I snapped this picture of her with her little friend. Two seconds later it flew away and she said, “Bye, bye sweetie. I love you.”
I made this ladybug felt game because it reminded me of her, and I wanted a chance to talk to my storytimers about the importance of ladybugs (they eat aphids which are killing some of our trees!) It’s also super easy to make!
The rhyme goes like this:
Are you behind the (colour) rug?
When I do it in storytime we practice saying the rhyme two times before playing the game. A great early literacy tip to share before or after is about phonological awareness: “Rhymes slow down language and break words into sounds children can hear. In this rhyme, we really stretch out the word “ladybug” and break it into three clear syllables. Being able to hear the sounds in ladybug can help kids later when they learn to read.”
Now for the flannel set! I completely free-handed the ladybug. Just cut out a black circle for the body, a smaller black half circle for the head, two black antenna, four small black circles, and the red shell. Grab some hot glue and you are ready to go.
For the rugs, I cut out six rectangles in different colours. Then I frayed the ends by cutting some fringe on the ends. Seriously, this is the easiest flannel set you will ever make. Now I was content to leave them plain, but my awesome co-worker Karen saw my rugs and asked if she could decorate them. But of course! Imagine my delight when I came back the next day and they had the most adorable patterns on them!
Now I have a second early literacy tie-in: patterns and shapes. Before we play the game, we talk about the shapes and patterns the kids see. I give a second early literacy tip to caregivers that goes something like, “The next time you see a pattern or a shape, try talking about it with your children. Being able to distinguish between patterns and shapes will help them later when they need to recognize the differences between letters and numbers.”
The kids have been loving this Ladybug version just as much as Little Mouse. Thanks to Laura at Library Lalaland for hosting this week’s Flannel Friday! Check out her blog for the full round-up this Friday, and check out the Flannel Friday website for information on how you can participate.