In the story a little pixie called John refuses to take his trousers off for bed鈥
Listening for individual sounds
Encourage the children to listen to the sounds that Cat plays throughout the episode. Listen carefully, do you know what the sound is? What can you hear? What does it sound like? (brushing teeth, alarm clock) Can you add an action to the sound? How do you brush your teeth?
Rhyme/song
Diddle, diddle, dumpling, my son John,
Went to bed with his trousers on;
One shoe off, and the other shoe on,
Diddle, diddle, dumpling, my son John.
Story - Diddle, Diddle, Dumpling my son John
To hold attention and to help engage the children you can show pictures and artefacts, such as a gran, firefighter, shoes, dressing up box, ballet dancer etc. On second listening, encourage the children to retell the story using the props to help with the story sequence.
Comprehension questions after story
What would you dress up as? Why? Would you go to bed with your shoes on?
See the Teachers' Notes (pdf) below for more suggestions.
Song video: 'Diddle diddle dumpling my son John'
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