Tips for Using Dog with children:
Allow children time to touch the different textures in the book. Point out different textures in the environment, such as smooth grass, rough tree bark, or a soft pillow. After hearing the story several times, children may want to complete the rhymes on the pages. Play a rhyming game by re-reading the story and leaving out the last word of the rhyme. For example, “Smooth dog, curly dog, chase dog, catch! Fleas make an itchy dog ___, ____, ___!” Let children fill in the last words.
Tips for Using Dog with families:
Share with parents that this is a special kind of book that needs extra care when reading. Encourage adults to enjoy each page with children. Adults can show children how to turn the pages and pull the tabs and then allow children to take the lead by turning pages and pulling the tabs themselves. A fun family activity could be to bring in pictures of a family pet, or a favorite stuffed animal. Together, families can use words to describe their pets. Are they similar to any of the dogs in this book? How are they different?