My little bunny

My little bunny

Activities for toddlers and babies

Bunnies are so cute... they make me think of cuddly stuffed animals, especially since they are usually quite calm. Use the activities suggested in this theme to introduce little ones to bunnies.

AREA SETUP

My bunny mascot

In one corner of your daycare, deposit a large stuffed bunny on the floor. He will be your group’s mascot for the duration of the theme. Name your mascot and let children climb and crawl all over it. Include your mascot in as many activities as possible throughout the theme.

Manipulation bin

Fill a large container with different items that are related to bunnies:

• Before Easter, dollar stores are packed with bunny-shaped items.
• Purchase a musical Easter card with a bunny on it. Laminate it and let children manipulate it.
• A book or two about bunnies.
• Use bunny pictures or illustrations to make an original picture book.
• Fake fur.
• A Fisher-Price farm and farm animal figurines for older toddlers. Be sure to include lots of bunnies.

Decorations

Display pictures of bunnies on the walls of your daycare. In the Arts & crafts section, you will find a craft that can be hung from the ceiling.

ROUTINES AND TRANSITIONS

A bunny on the ceiling (diaper changes)

Purchase a large bunny poster and stick it on the ceiling, above your changing table. Observe little ones’ reaction when then lie on their back during diaper changes. Name what they see for them. Talk about the poster with older toddlers.

Bunny snack 1

You will need two large cookie cutters, a round one and a heart-shaped one that is somewhat bigger. Use the round cookie cutter to cut a slice of cheese. The circle will represent a bunny face. In a second slice of cheese, cut out a heart and slice it to obtain two equal pieces (ears). Add vegetables to represent a bunny nose and eyes. Serve this bunny snack with wheat crackers deposited around the bunny face.

Bunny snack 2

Use a bunny-shaped cookie cutter to cut bunny shapes out of watermelon slices.

SENSORY ACTIVITIES (touch)

My bunny’s tail

Print bunny pictures. Glue them on a piece of construction paper and laminate them. On each bunny tail, glue a different piece of fabric: fake fur, burlap, polar fleece, etc. You can also use sandpaper to provide a completely different texture. Let babies and toddlers manipulate the pictures and explore the fabrics. If you prefer, you can display the pictures near your daycare entrance. Parents can encourage their child to touch the fabrics when they arrive every morning.

Bunny tracks

Show toddlers how they can make bunny tracks by dipping their fingertips in different textures:

• A thin layer of flour poured in a large tray.
• Modeling dough.
• A mixture of cornstarch and water (goops).

SENSORY ACTIVITIES (smell)

Scented bunny

Use felt to make your own bunny-shaped stuffed animals. Pour a few drops of vanilla, orange extract, lavender oil, etc. on these miniature stuffed animals. Let babies explore and manipulate the bunnies. If you wish, you can also use potpourri to stuff the bunny shapes. You may choose to use actual bunny-shaped stuffed animals or add a few drops of oil or extract on your mascot. Each day, deposit a different bunny on your changing table and let children manipulate it during diaper changes.

ARTS & CRAFTS

Bunny plate

Use paper plates and encourage children to paint them or decorate them using crayons. You may also add glitter. Older toddlers will enjoy gluing a bunny nose and bunny eyes on the plates. Cut bunny ears out of heavy cardboard and glue them behind each plate. Hang the bunnies from the ceiling.

Bunny hat with feathers

Cut strips of construction paper. Let babies and toddlers draw on the strips of paper. Cut bunny ears out of construction paper and let children draw on these too. Toddlers can glue white feathers on their bunny ears. Glue each child’s bunny ears on a strip of construction paper and form a circle corresponding to his/her head. You will find printable bunny ears in the educatall club.

MORAL AND SOCIAL ACTIVITIES

My carrot restaurant

Fill a large container with plastic or laminated construction paper carrots. Add plastic plates and, for older toddlers, utensils they can use to pretend to work in their very own carrot restaurant. Invite your mascot to visit your restaurant with other stuffed bunnies. Children will enjoy serving carrots to their bunny customers.

Real bunnies

Have the babies and toddlers in your group ever seen real bunnies? If possible visit the Easter farm at your local mall with your group. You may also choose to visit your local pet store or an actual farm. Encourage parents to visit the Easter farm with their child too. Take pictures of your group standing next to the bunnies and display the pictures within your daycare.

COGNITIVE ACTIVITIES

Hopping bunny

To work on cause and effect (6 months and older), hang a stuffed bunny from the ceiling using fabric elastic. Encourage little ones to pull on the elastic to make the bunny bounce up and down. Cut the elastic so babies have to stretch to pull on it. Use a clothespin to adjust the length of the elastic if necessary. Constant supervision is necessary throughout this activity. The bunny may also be hung above the changing table or next to children’s highchairs.

PHYSICAL ACTIVITIES AND MOTOR SKILLS

My burrow

Encourage babies and toddlers to crawl through a tunnel as if they were little bunnies. Depending on their age, deposit a toy (bunny) or a plate full of carrots at the other end of the tunnel.

Hopping like bunnies

Have fun hopping like bunnies with the children in your group.

LANGUAGE ACTIVITIES

Fill a container with books about or involving bunnies.

Bunny body parts

Display a large picture of a bunny on a wall (the use of pictures is preferable with very young children). Point to different body parts and name them (nose, paws, fur, tail, etc.). Associate adjectives to each body part: long ears, white fur, etc. Ask older children to identify different body parts.

Chantal Millette

Early childhood educator

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