I’ll Teach My Dog a Lot of Words
by Michael Firth
Summary: It’s amazing the things that we can teach our pets . . . from sit, to beg, to bark, to shine my shoe! This is a delightful book to have a Tot mimic all the things that he wants his dog to do!
Bible Verse: A righteous man has regard for the life of his animal, But even the compassion of the wicked is cruel. (Proverbs 12:10)
Make sure your Tot has gentle hands! Remember to have your child get in the habit of asking a dog owner if they can pet the dog, especially a working dog! It’s always good to stand sideways when you greet a dog. Hold out your hand for the dog to sniff before stroking the pet’s head. As a dog owner, I often want to have my dog sit down before a stranger pets her. So try and have your child wait until a dog is nice and settled. Some dogs aren’t used to kids.
We are a dog lovin’ family. I almost shared with you our favorite book, Walter the Farting Dog . . . but fortunately for you thought better of it! Having Gabe cooperate with his Tot Time was sooooooooo easy this week, thanks to some activities that involved our furry creature.
If you don’t have the book, I recommend this YouTube video. We had to resort to it because I think our dog . . . ate our book. Seriously. Hard to believe, I know.
I’ll Teach My Dog a Lot of Words is a FABULOUS book to teach with, especially if your brand new printer doesn’t work. (Murphy’s Law was at work in our house!) You don’t need a printer or scissors because you can read the book and go be active with your child. It was a precious time of fun for Gabe and I.
He ran.
He dug a hole and filled it up.
Gabe threw a ball.
And taught Ruth how to sit . . . kind of.
What I love about this Once Upon a Book post is that I focused on just playing with Gabe. And in that playing . . . he learned. He also felt loved. So ladies, as you go to plan for your children, especially for your little ones, don’t over plan. Remember to just “be” with your Tot. A lot of the time, they simply want to sit in your lap for 30 seconds {ahem}, feel your warm breath in their hair, and your animated voice behind them. Follow that with some simple, short, and sweet learning moments. Those moments don’t have to have fireworks attached or last 30 minutes to an hour.
Mine certainly didn’t this week.
BUT. HE. WAS. THRILLED.
Our activities met Gabe’s learning style and school wasn’t forced.
Gotta love that.
Other ideas?
- Sing some songs! Check out Where Oh Where Has My Little Dog Gone? or How Much is that Doggy in the Window?
- File Folder Fun has a great color matching game that closely resembles the dog painting a shirt and pair of underwear!
- If a dog can learn big and small, short and tall . . . then it stands to reason your child can to. Print several size sequencing file folder games.
- Make your own dog treats.
- Create a doghouse out of a big box.
- Visit the vet’s office, grooming facility, or pet store.
- Play “Trainer Says” instead of “Simon Says.”
- Paint like a dog! Have your child wear socks on their hands. But don’t expect to use the socks again!
- Visit Enchanted Learning for more dog crafts.
Want to see what's coming next (and books we've done in the past)?
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