The Reading Nook: If You Give a Mouse a Cookie
Hello, and welcome to “The Reading Nook” where the focus is using stories to create great moments between caregivers and the young children they love!
Tammie Blackburn, “The Reading Nook” Columnist
Developing life-long literacy skills begins at home and is so important for a child’s success in school as well as their emotional well-being. My goal each week is to share a GREAT children’s book with you and offer an activity or two that you could enjoy as a family that extends the theme of the book. And, occasionally, I’ll throw in a fact or two about why it’s so important to foster this love of reading and learning at home from a very early age.
So… let’s jump right in.
Today, for our first book together, I chose a very familiar story which many of you may have read before. It is Laura Numeroff’s If you Give a Mouse a Cookie, illustrated by Felicia Bond, and is well loved by children of all ages! It follows the adventures of a super-cute little mouse who is given a cookie to eat, but then finds all sorts of other distractions to fill his day.
First, of course, … read the book together! Find a cozy spot that your child loves, whether inside or outside. If your child has never heard the story, begin by looking at the pictures and talking about what you see and what you think is happening. This is a VERY important way to help children understand stories even before hearing the words. After reading the book, talk with your child about all the things Mouse did, what their favorite part was, and make sure they notice that this story ends up the same way it begins. Some may call this type of book a “circle story” because the action circles right back to the way the story began.
Now, for the fun…
Go back to the story and notice how many times Mouse gets distracted. Get out a marker and paper and have your child make tally marks each time he does something new in the story. At the end, help your child count those tally marks, either one at a time or in groups of five as we often do with tally marks.
Bake cookies!! You can make this as easy or as difficult as you’d like. Choose frozen cookie dough for the easiest way. Choose a bag of cookie mix that only requires you to add milk and stir for something just a bit more involved. Or go all out and find a cookie recipe in a book or online that you’d like to try. No matter which you choose, let your child see you reading directions and read them out loud to them. Let them help you turn on the oven, place cookies on the cookie sheet, measure ingredients, mix up the dough, etc. Count how many cookies you make and as they get eaten have your child notice how that number gets smaller and smaller! Last, have your child draw a picture or write a note about what you did to share with a friend or relative. It’s so easy and important to incorporate drawing and writing into lots of experiences your child has each day.
Spending time with your child in the kitchen can not only be a fun family experience, but also enhances math skills, science skills, vocabulary, and fine motor skills. So, after you’re done with the cookies, just think of all the things you can cook together next!
And that’s it for The Reading Nook this week! If you and your child enjoyed this book, there are several more by Laura Numeroff and Felicia Bond that follow the same type of pattern. Our local librarians would be more than happy to help you find some. See you next week!
