Tucking Teddy In with a Blanket

Each child puts a stuffed animal to bed, covering it with a scarf, taking it out from under and tucking it back in, then lies down beside it. It's a calming pretend-play cooldown about caring that reviews on top of, under, in front of, and next to.

How to play

1. Each child takes a stuffed animal and a scarf that will be its blanket, and sits in their spot with soft music (1 min).
2. The teacher says the teddies are sleepy: we lay them on the floor in front of us and put the blanket on top to cover them (2 min).
3. The teddy wakes up a little: we take it out from under the blanket, rock it in our arms, and tuck it back under (2 min).
4. We place the covered teddy beside our pretend pillow, nice and close, and give it soft pats on top of the blanket (1 min).
5. We lie down next to the teddy, softly sing a made-up lullaby ("Sleep, little bear, sleep tonight, the moon will shine so soft and bright"), and close our eyes (2 min).

Rules

• I treat my teddy very gently.
• I talk softly because it's falling asleep.
• I stay in my spot.
• When we're done, I put the teddy and blanket in the basket.

Variations

Adaptations

• Limited mobility: tuck the teddy in on the child's lap or on a table at their height.
• Autism: let the child use their own stuffed animal or blanket from home.
• Visual impairment: use a scarf with a soft texture different from the teddy's so the child can feel on top and under.

Learning goals

• Calm down through pretend caring play.
• Use on top of, under, in front of, and next to while handling objects.
• Build tenderness and care for others.

Equipment for a class of 25

• Stuffed animals: 25
• Cloth scarves: 25
• Soft music

Teacher tip

Have the stuffed animals ready in a basket so handing them out is quick. The lullaby is made up: sing it very slowly twice and they'll join in.

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