The Teddy Bear is a great theme for a toddler time, or even a preschool storytime. Be sure to check out our Teddy Bear storytime outline from 2001 – many of those songs and books are still useful. For example, you can’t miss with the action rhyme “Teddy Bear, Teddy Bear.”
Bring your own Teddy Bear to the storytime – if you have an old one, the kids (and parents) will get a kick out of seeing it. Or, borrow one from a child in your family – people enjoy seeing the older teddy bears. I brought in my niece’s collection of 1980’s Care Bears and people loved seeing them!
For a craft, have teen volunteers cut teddy bear shapes out of sandpaper. The kids can add eyes, mouth, etc. Then, rub the sand paper with a cinnamon stick, and it will smell delicious! Hang it up in the car as an air freshener.
Or make Teddy Bear paperbag puppets or stick puppets.
Alborough, Jez. WHERE’S MY TEDDY? Eddie is looking for his lost teddy bear in the woods when he meets a real bear looking for his teddy.
Doherty, Thomas. WASH-A-BYE BEAR. Flora watches as her bear goes through the washer and dryer, hoping their memories will not wash away.
Dorenkamp, Michelle. THE BEAR WENT OVER THE MOUNTAIN. Try any version of this popular nursery song: in this one, he resembles a teddy bear.
Doyle, Malachy. THE SNUGGLE SANDWICH. Annie’s teddy bear is picked up by the family dog Fred; will Annie and Mama find the teddy bear?
Ellwand, David. TEN IN THE BED. Photos of teddy bears illustrate this oversized board book version of the popular counting song.
Freeman, Don. CORDUROY. In this classic picture book, a little girl buys a teddy bear at the department store.
Kennedy, Jimmy. TEDDY BEARS’ PICNIC. With colorful illustrations by Alexandra Day, this version of the popular song describes the bears in the woods, having a picnic.
Kroll, Virginia. EVERYBODY HAS A TEDDY BEAR. A boy describes the teddy bears owned by his various classmates.
McGrath, Barbara. TEDDY BEAR COUNTING. Colorful teddy bears (resembling gummy bears) introduce the concepts of counting, shapes, and colors.
Meserve, Jessica. BEDTIME WITHOUT ARTHUR. How can Bella fall asleep without her teddy bear Arthur? And who took him?
Swenson, Jamie. BOOM! BOOM! BOOM! In this cumulative rhyming story, various animals join a boy and his teddy bear in bed, hiding out from the lightning and thunder outside.
Wilson, Karma. SLEEPYHEAD. A kitten helps her teddy bear prepare for bedtime in this rhyming story.