Goldilocks and Three Bears for Toddlers

 Goldilocks

I am very grateful to Camilla for the excuse for playing princesses and fairytales again. These are the most relaxing and enjoyable activities! For her first real fairy tale I chose Goldilocks and the three bears. This fairytale has repetitions (which are easy for understanding the whole story) and vocabulary used every day (which she's already learned or needs to learn ASAP).

First, we had to choose a book. There are many different versions and levels of difficulty for this book.  After looking around, I chose "The Three Bears" by Paul Galdone. This is an older version with great illustrations: all are very realistic, but not too scary; simple and humorous at the same time. I also liked that Goldilocks is wearing her classic blue dress.

The Three Bears

Besides the great vocabulary, this book is a wonderful opportunity for sorting by size and counting. And that's why it takes some preparation before the play. If we want to count to 3, we need the 3 of everything important at the house: 3 bowls and spoons, 3 beds and bedding sets, and of course, the 3 bears of different sizes, 3 chairs.

DIY bed for a doll or a bear

To make a bed, I cut a portion of the box. I've decided to use the leftover wall paper to cover the box. It supposed to be quick and easy since the wallpaper is prepasted. Unfortunately, it didn't work that way: the box absorbed all the moisture from the paper too fast. I had to use the glue: the cheapest school glue worked just fine. I had to use the glue (sometimes even on both surfaces) to make sure it would stay put.

After the boxes dried, I cut the head board and the foot board of the bed to the pattern on my wall paper. If I'd have a little more time, there are many ways to improve them: use decorative duct tape around the edges and corners, use wall paper with different patterns, cut patterns inside the walls with a pincher. This is a cool activity to use imagination which is totally worse it: the beds can be used forever since they are steady and the wallpaper can be washed with soap and water.

I am planning to buy the door nobs to make the legs for beds and to make good, realistic-looking mattresses and pillows. How can I find extra time to do all that? - that is always a question.

Sorting, learning opposites, and counting for toddlers

There are 3 sizes in the book: big, middle-sized, and little (that one is "just right" - Camilla's favorite already - LOL). She started to pick up big and little, hot and cold, hard and soft, high and low. For sorting, we tried to put a correct spoon in each bowl, a bear in each bed, a bear or Goldilocks into the smallest chair. And we counted to three again and again. She loves counting!

Goldilocks - playing with a toddler

It is so cute to watch the beginnings of pretend play in her. She fed the doll and the bears, put them to sleep, woke them up, tried to talk to them. These were all so cute!

In our local library there are 2 old rocking chairs donated for kids' play. She loves to sit in each of them every time she sees them now. For the big chair is "too big" and the little chair is "just right". We are both enjoying this fairy tale. I am thinking that we need to share the joy with friends and make a play date out of this. I am considering the theme for a birthday party since it's her favorite now. We'll see...