Educator Guide: Kit Says I Made That! (Book 10)
Free to use in your classroom. The matching family activity sheet is on the Educator Resources page.
At a Glance
| Ages | Series One, Ages 2 to 4 |
| Theme | Claiming your own work, respecting someone else's claim |
| Core lesson | Saying "I made that" is not bragging. It is telling the truth, and it works both ways. |
| Read-aloud time | 5 to 6 minutes, 9 if the group joins the shouting |
| Best group size | Whole group to read, groups of 4 to 6 to make |
| Staffing | Draw and Sign needs an adult at that table. Alone, run it during centers with four children. |
| Timing | Times are teaching time. Add five minutes for cleanup. |
Why This Book Matters
Two things collide at this age. Children are just becoming able to present to a group, and they are still sorting out mine, yours, and I made it, which feel like one idea. A three year old who claims a friend's tower is borrowing the words, not lying. This book handles both sides without a villain.
Circle Time Discussion
Before reading, hold up something a child made and ask who should tell everyone about it. Pause at "Kit whispers: 'I... made this.'" and ask why Kit is quiet about something he is proud of. Pause at "A kid says: 'I want to say I made it.'" and ask if that is okay.
- Kit whispered. Have you felt shy about showing something you made? [If no words: offer a hiding face and a proud face.]
- Ren said "Louder." Who helps you be brave? [If no words: hold up photos of classroom adults.]
- Why say I MADE THAT instead of staying quiet? [If no words: show two drawings, one with a name.]
- Another kid said he made Kit's invention. Was that fair? [If no words: take a thumbs up or down.]
- How does your body feel when everybody cheers? [If no words: let the child show a movement.]
The Six Activities, Adapted for the Classroom
Do the Made-That Dance!
The book has families jump up, yell "I MADE THAT!", wiggle three times, and sit down.
Materials: Whatever the child just finished at any center. A clear floor.
Group: Whole group, 8 minutes to teach, then a ritual anyone can trigger all week.
How it runs: Practice once empty handed: jump, arms up, yell, three wiggles, sit. Then attach it to real work, so a child who finishes comes to the rug and dances while whoever is nearby cheers. Keep it under fifteen seconds, and do it yourself the first three times.
Say this: "Jump, arms up, big voice: I MADE THAT! Three wiggles and sit."
Adapt it: Younger or still developing, dance with the child. Ready for more, add the thing's name. Limited mobility or language, arms up while seated is the whole dance, and a group shout works.
Look for: The child starts the dance with no adult cue.
Take a Beanie Bow!
The book has families show a grown-up something they made, bow, and say the line.
Materials: Pretend hats by default, since a shared basket of dress-up hats on twenty heads is a lice conversation with your director. For real hats, one per child.
Group: One child at a time with your own second adult, 10 minutes at arrival, while the rest of the class is at table toys.
How it runs: Model the sequence once, slowly. The bow gives a shy child something to do with the body while the words come out. Each child presents to one adult, not the class: bow, say the line, hat on.
Say this: "Hat off, bow all the way down, say it, hat back on."
Adapt it: Younger or still developing, skip the hat and bow together. Ready for more, present to two adults. Limited mobility or language, a nod replaces the bow and a raised item replaces the sentence.
Look for: The child gets the words out with an adult looking right at them.
Draw and Sign!
The book has families draw a spiral, a line, and a dot, then press a thumb as a signature.
Materials: Paper, chunky crayons, one washable stamp pad per table, wipes, soap at the sink. Ink must be non-toxic and labeled skin-safe. Skip paint, it takes over.
Group: Small group of 4 to 6 with an adult seated at that table the whole time, 12 minutes, while the rest of the class is at centers.
How it runs: Draw the three marks together so nobody is stuck deciding. Pass the pad and let each child press one thumb. Say that the thumbprint is a signature and nobody else has that one. Everyone washes hands before snack, not just a wipe.
Say this: "That thumbprint is yours. It says who made this with no writing."
Adapt it: Younger or still developing, an adult presses the thumb and the child points. Ready for more, add their first initial. A child whose home language is not English can name their mark in that language, and you repeat the idea back in English while keeping their word.
Look for: The child picks their own print out of three.
Show and Shout!
The book has families make something wearable, lift it, and shout "I MADE THAT!"
Materials: Card stock cut into crown bands, tape at your station, crayons, stickers, scrap paper.
Group: Making runs in small groups of 4 to 6 at the art center, 12 minutes each, while the rest of the class is at centers. Presenting runs in three rounds of six or seven on the carpet, six minutes a round, two Thursday and one Friday, which gives every child close to a minute instead of twenty-four seconds.
How it runs: Fit the bands with tape while children decorate, since staplers and this age do not mix. In each round, children stand on a carpet square, breathe, lift, and shout, and the group cheers with the same energy every time. Do not require a child to go, but come back to anyone who passed.
Say this: "Big breath, lift it high, shout. We cheer as loud for everybody."
Adapt it: Younger or still developing, present in a trio so no child stands alone. Ready for more, add the item's name. Limited mobility or language, lift from a chair, and a bell or group shout carries the words.
Look for: The child's voice is louder here than at the read-aloud practice.
Build and Tap!
The book has families stack three blocks, tap the top one, say the line, then knock it down.
Materials: Three blocks per child, which almost any room has. A carpeted area keeps the noise survivable.
Group: Small group of 4 to 6, 8 minutes, while the rest of the class is at centers, then it lives in blocks.
How it runs: Three blocks is deliberately easy, so resist making it a tower challenge. Each child stacks, taps the top block, says the line, knocks it down, and goes again. Run it in a circle so children hear it eight or ten times.
Say this: "Three blocks, one tap, then say it. Knock it down and go again."
Adapt it: Younger or still developing, two blocks and an adult saying the line along. Ready for more, five blocks and name the tower first. Limited mobility or language, soft blocks on a tray, and the tap is the statement.
Look for: The child says the line unprompted by the second repetition.
Squish a Star!
The book has families squish dough into any shape, hold it up, and say the line.
Materials: Playdough, a fist-sized lump per child, and mats. No cutters and no molds, since a target defeats the activity.
Group: Small group of 4 to 6, 10 minutes, while the rest of the class is at centers.
How it runs: Hand out the dough with no instruction beyond squish it. Say the no wrong shapes rule first and hold to it, including when a child says theirs looks bad. Each child holds the lump up and says the line, then flattens it and makes another.
Say this: "No shape is wrong. That lump is yours, so hold it up."
Adapt it: Younger or still developing, squish together, your hands over theirs. Ready for more, ask what the shape could be, looping back to Book 9. Limited mobility or language, warm the dough so it needs less strength.
Look for: The child holds up a shapeless lump without apologizing.
Learning Standards
The table below cites three frameworks: the Early Learning Program Accreditation Standards of the National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC), the Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS), and the Collaborative for Academic, Social, and Emotional Learning (CASEL).
| Framework | Element | Evidence |
|---|---|---|
| NGSS Practice | Obtaining, Evaluating, and Communicating Information | Show and Shout: a child lifts an object and states who made it. |
| NAEYC | 2.B Social and Emotional Development, sense of competence | Made-That Dance: a child starts the dance with no adult cue. |
| NAEYC | 2.E Early Literacy, emergent writing | Draw and Sign: a child presses a personal mark and finds it among others. |
| CASEL | Responsible Decision-Making | A child says a creation belongs to a peer. |
This title carries a light science and engineering load by design, and its weight is in social and emotional learning.
About these frameworks
- National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC): the accrediting body whose Early Learning Program Accreditation Standards define what a high-quality preschool curriculum covers. Standard 2, Curriculum, is the section directors document during accreditation, and the rows above name the topic area each activity supports.
- Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS): the kindergarten through grade 12 science standards adopted by most states. Formal NGSS expectations begin at kindergarten, so this table cites only its Science and Engineering Practices, naming the precursor behaviors this book builds rather than grade-level performance expectations.
- Collaborative for Academic, Social, and Emotional Learning (CASEL): the research organization whose five social-emotional competencies most states use to define social-emotional learning. Naming them shows where each activity builds skills such as self-management, social awareness, or relationship skills.
Key Vocabulary
| Word | Child-Friendly Definition | Teacher Sentence |
|---|---|---|
| proud | The big good feeling from something you did | "Look at your face. That is proud." |
| made | Brought into the world by you | "Nobody helped with that. You made it." |
| credit | Saying who really did it | "Ren gave Kit the credit. He said whose it was." |
| brave | Doing it even when it feels scary | "Your voice shook and you said it anyway." |
| fair | Everyone getting what they should | "It is fair for Kit to say it. Kit made it." |
| louder | With a bigger voice | "One more time, louder, so the back row hears." |
Watch For and Note
Emerging. The child avoids presenting and says the line only to one adult, quietly, if at all. The child says a peer's work is theirs, with enthusiasm and no sign of a problem.
Developing. The child says "I made that" with a prompt and can present to a small group. The child accepts a correction about whose work something is, usually with adult help.
Proficient. The child claims their own work in front of the group, unprompted and at real volume. The child also protects a peer's claim, saying that one is hers, unasked.
Center Extensions
- Blocks: Keep Made by cards at the shelf so every build gets a maker's name.
- Art: Move the drying rack to child height and label each piece on the front.
- Dramatic play: Add a gallery where children tell a visitor who made each piece.
- Outdoors: Chalk a name beside every drawing and let the artist announce it to the yard.
Family Connection
This week we read Kit Says I Made That!, in which Ren helps Kit go from a whisper to a shout and then makes sure Kit gets the credit. We are practicing both halves, claiming your own work and respecting a friend's. The take-home sheet is "I Made That!": hold it up and shout.
Next in the Series
Book 11, Kit Shares with a Friend, moves from claiming to sharing. Zara shows Kit that letting someone use your creation does not mean losing it. Bridge activity: make two of something, keep one, hand the other over, and say who made it.