Activities for the Book "A Pocket for Corduroy"

Published in 1978, "A Pocket for Corduroy" is a children's book written by Don Freeman. The story is about a stuffed bear, Corduroy, who notices he doesn't have any pockets and gets lost in a laundromat while searching for a pocket of his own. His owner, Lisa, finds him and makes him a pocket. Classroom activities for preschoolers and kindergarten students should include crafts, storytelling and games that revolve around similar plotlines and themes.

Gather your students in a reading circle and read "A Pocket for Corduroy" aloud. Point to the words as you read so students get used to following along. After reading, ask several students to retell what happened in the story. The goal is to help them learn to summarize important details such as plotlines and themes. Encourage creative thinking by asking them to make up other stories about Corduroy: his visit to the library, playground or grocery store.

Have students make their own paper pockets. Provide a template of Corduroy's pocket, such as the one on the Penguin website, or make your own. Ask students to color the pocket with crayons or colored pencils. Students should cut out the pockets using safety scissors and tape them to their shirts. You might also provide a small template of Corduroy that they can tape to the inside of their pockets; his face and chest should show above the pocket. Discuss Corduroy's desire to have a pocket like Lisa's. You might mention that Corduroy shouldn't have wandered off in search of a pocket; you want students to learn that it's not safe to roam away from their parents.

Create a guessing game for students to help them learn to provide clues and solve problems. Give each student an envelope and a small piece of paper and tell them that the envelope represents Corduroy's pocket. Ask them to draw something special and put it inside the envelope. Encourage them not to lick the envelope; you don't want any paper cuts, and students need to be able to pull out what's inside. Have each student take turns giving clues about what they put in their special pocket as the class tries to guess what's inside.

Play hide-and-seek with a stuffed bear and discuss important themes in the story, such as friendship and belonging. Ask your students how they might feel if they lost their favorite stuffed animal or how they might feel if they were lost in a laundromat. Have your students put their heads on their desks and close their eyes while you hide a stuffed bear in the classroom. Call each student one at a time to hunt for the bear, hiding him in a new place every time. Remind the other students that they have to remain quiet and shouldn't suggest where the bear might be while their classmate is hunting for it.