Book-Inspired Counting Activity for Toddlers

If your toddler or young preschooler loves The Very Hungry Caterpillar by Eric Carle, I have a fun, educational toddler Christmas activity for you. It will help them learn about numbers and one-to-one correspondence. It will also introduce them to Christmas and winter themes.

 

A simple, hands-on activity for toddlers or young preschoolers to do after being read The Very Hungry Caterpillar's Christmas 123 board book

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I was so excited when I saw that there was a new Very Hungry Caterpillar book coming out this fall. The Very Hungry Caterpillar’s Christmas 123 (affiliate) is a simple counting board book perfect for toddlers and young preschoolers.

 

The illustrations are in Eric Carle’s trademark collage style. Little fans of the original Very Hungry Caterpillar book will love to look for the tiny caterpillar on every page of this new book.

The story is a simple counting of Christmas and winter themed objects. It starts with 1 Santa, 2 Christmas trees, and 3 snowmen. Then it continues all the way to 10 presents. Your tot will love to count along with you as you read.

Counting Activity

I have a simple extension activity you can do after reading the book.  Put together a basket of tangible objects to represent each page. Then count them together with your toddler.

Depending on your child’s attention span, you may want to do only a few types of objects at a time. Let your child lead.

RELATED: How to Organize a Kids’ Book Exchange Party

 

A simple, hands-on activity for toddlers or young preschoolers to do after being read The Very Hungry Caterpillar's Christmas 123 board book

At my local craft store, I picked up a variety package of Christmas themed foam holiday stickers. I love the friendly Santa and the colorful snowman.

The two “Christmas trees” are snipped from an inconspicuous spot on an old wreath.

A simple, hands-on activity for toddlers or young preschoolers to do after being read The Very Hungry Caterpillar's Christmas 123 board book

Holly leaves were challenging. I ended up printing out some clip art. You could also cut some out of green felt.

The snowflakes are erasers I found at Dollar Tree. (They’re small and require close supervision, but so fun to play with.) Again, felt would be a good substitute.

For the 6 cakes described in the book, I used play food. They are actually the cookie icing from our Melissa and Doug wooden cookie set. Alternatively, you could cut out some felt circles.

 

A simple, hands-on activity for toddlers or young preschoolers to do after being read The Very Hungry Caterpillar's Christmas 123 board book

The adorable penguins and reindeer are more of the foam stickers. For the stars, I used a craft punch and the technique I worked out on my rocket craft.

 

A simple, hands-on activity for toddlers or young preschoolers to do after being read The Very Hungry Caterpillar's Christmas 123 board book

The book ends with ten presents. Dollar Tree sells a 10-pack of wrapped gift ornaments. Done!

For more toddler Christmas activities, you might like to check out the Toddler Christmas Activity Blog Hop.

 

You might also like these other Books and Giggles posts:

 

How to Host a Children’s Book Exchange Party

A Big Ornament for the Littlest Christmas Tree

Easy Candy Cane Ornament

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