Books About Sports
I was really surprised that it was difficult to find books appropriate for a toddler that focused on sports. Maybe I just wasn't using the right search terms, or maybe my library had a poor selection on this topic. This is something I will have an eye out for in the future.
We read three books this week about sports. One was On the Ball by Brian Pinkney, which feature somewhat abstract art and storytelling but focused on imagination and finding your natural ability when you just focus (which I think is a good message beyond sports). Another was an Elmo's World lift the flap book, Balls!. This book paired well with our ball sensory bin and was clearly designed with toddlers in mind. We also read a book by Aimee Aryal called Hello, Phillie Phanatic! (as the Phillies are my favorite baseball team), which follows the Phillie Phanatic through the ballpark, talking about the sights and sounds he encounters. The book is an official MLB product and, as such, can be purchased focusing on any MLB team mascot/ballpark - so if the Phillies aren't your team, you can likely find a book for whoever you root for!
We read three books this week about sports. One was On the Ball by Brian Pinkney, which feature somewhat abstract art and storytelling but focused on imagination and finding your natural ability when you just focus (which I think is a good message beyond sports). Another was an Elmo's World lift the flap book, Balls!. This book paired well with our ball sensory bin and was clearly designed with toddlers in mind. We also read a book by Aimee Aryal called Hello, Phillie Phanatic! (as the Phillies are my favorite baseball team), which follows the Phillie Phanatic through the ballpark, talking about the sights and sounds he encounters. The book is an official MLB product and, as such, can be purchased focusing on any MLB team mascot/ballpark - so if the Phillies aren't your team, you can likely find a book for whoever you root for!
Songs About Sports
Other than "Take Me Out to the Ballgame," I had a hard time finding songs I could really sing with my toddler. But what I did find were a lot of mainstream songs associated with sports. We listened to them, danced with them, and played instruments along with them all week. "We Will Rock You" is T's new favorite song!
- Take Me Out to the Ball Game - Bernell James
- Centerfield - John Fogerty
- I Wanna Be A Baseball Star - Freddie Holt
- We Will Rock You - Queen
- We Are the Champions - Queen
- Eye of the Tiger - Survivor