Educator Guide: Kit Tries Again (Book 7)
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 | Resilience, treating a crash as progress |
| Core lesson | Falling down is the middle of the try, not the end. We say "ALMOST!" and go again. |
| Read-aloud time | 5 to 6 minutes, 9 with the crash sounds |
| Best group size | Whole group to read, groups of 4 to 6 to play |
| Staffing | Two stations need two adults. Alone, run one station with four children while the others hold at centers. |
| Timing | Times are teaching time. Add five minutes for cleanup. |
Why This Book Matters
A two year old who knocks over a tower usually laughs. A three or four year old often cries, because by then the child holds a picture of how it was supposed to look and can feel the gap. That gap is where resilience is built or avoided. This book hands you a one word script for it.
Circle Time Discussion
Before reading, ask what crashed. Pause at "Kit's lip wobbles too." and ask the group to show that feeling on their faces. Pause at "Suki says: 'Fix ONE thing.'" and ask why not fix everything.
- Sam's tower crashed and he kept grinning. Why? [If no words: offer a sad face and a happy face and ask which is Sam's.]
- What does ALMOST mean? [If no words: hold your hands far apart, then almost touching, and ask which is almost.]
- What did you have to try more than once? [If no words: name two things you have seen the child do.]
- Which one thing would you fix on this wobbly tower? [If no words: build a leaning tower and let the child touch the wrong block.]
- What should our class do when something falls? [If no words: demonstrate a clap and a fist bump.]
The Six Activities, Adapted for the Classroom
Build it. Aim. KNOCK IT DOWN!
The book has families stack six cups and take three sock throws to topple them.
Materials: Six cups per station, one sock or foam ball per child, a tape line four feet back.
Group: Small group of 4 to 6, 12 minutes, while the rest of the class is at centers. Two stations means two adults: you take one, the aide takes the other. Alone, run one station with four children.
How it runs: Show the 3, 2, 1 pyramid once, then let children stack their own, crooked ones included. Each child gets three throws, counted aloud. Whatever is still standing stays standing, the group says "ALMOST!", and the child rebuilds.
Say this: "Three throws. One cup still up is an ALMOST."
Adapt it: Younger or still developing, move the line to two feet and use four cups. Ready for more, rebuild the pyramid exactly first. Limited mobility or language, throw seated or roll the sock.
Look for: The child rebuilds without being asked after the third throw.
Line them up. Tip the first one. WATCH IT GO!
The book has families stand dominoes a finger width apart and closer if the line breaks.
Materials: One set of dominoes or 20 unit blocks per pair. Carpet will not work, so use a table or the tile side. Small parts: use pieces larger than a toilet paper tube opening in rooms with children under three, or run this activity in a small group with an adult seated at the table.
Group: Pairs inside a small group of 4 to 6, 15 minutes, while the rest of the class is at centers.
How it runs: Set up one short line yourself and knock it over so children see the payoff first. Show the finger width spacing with an actual finger. Early lines break in the middle, so do not fix them: ask the pair to move only the pieces at the break.
Say this: "It stopped there. Move those two closer and try again."
Adapt it: Younger or still developing, six blocks in a line with an adult placing every other one. Ready for more, curve the line. Limited mobility or language, seat the child at a table, or make them the tipper.
Look for: The child adjusts spacing at the break instead of starting over.
The floor is LAVA! Pillow to pillow, GO!
The book has families scatter pillows and hop across without touching the floor.
Materials: Ten pillows, carpet squares, or flat cushions, enough for two paths. A clear floor with furniture pushed back.
Group: Small group of 4 to 6, 10 minutes, while the rest of the class is at centers.
How it runs: Lay two parallel paths one small step apart with a tape X at each start, so two children cross at once and nobody waits long. The children waiting hold a real job: they call "ALMOST!" the moment a foot lands in the lava.
Say this: "Foot in the lava? That is an ALMOST. Back to the X."
Adapt it: Younger or still developing, put the pillows nearly touching. Ready for more, spread two a full stride apart. Limited mobility or language, walk fingers across fabric squares at a table, or shorten one path.
Look for: The child returns to the start without protest and tries the gap again.
Fold a plane. Toss it. Try again FARTHER!
The book has families fold a plane, throw it, mark the landing, and refold.
Materials: Copy paper, two sheets per child. Tape strips as landing markers, a marker for initials. Use the open end of your own room, not a shared hallway.
Group: Small group of 4 to 6, 20 minutes, while the rest of the class is at centers.
How it runs: Say the noise rule first: throws are quiet, cheers wait for the landing. Fold together, accept every lopsided result, and let each child throw once and mark the spot. Then change exactly one thing, a sharper nose or wider wings, and throw again.
Say this: "We changed the nose. Look at your two tapes. Did it help?"
Adapt it: Younger or still developing, pre-fold and let the child do the last crease. Ready for more, predict farther or shorter first. A child whose home language is not English can answer in that language, and you repeat the idea back in English while keeping their word.
Look for: The child compares the markers and shows which throw went farther.
Catch a bubble. Try not to POP it!
The book has families blow bubbles and catch one in cupped hands without popping it.
Materials: One wand and jar of solution, a damp paper towel per child, and old towels if you come inside. Wet palms hold a bubble; dry palms pop it.
Group: Whole group outdoors, 8 minutes. Outdoors is the default: indoors this is a slip hazard. If weather forces it in, run a small group of 4 to 6 while the rest are at centers and towel the floor between rounds.
How it runs: Children wet their palms and cup them like a bowl while you blow and they wait. Do not let anyone chase, because chasing guarantees popping. Count catches as a group total, and after a pop say "ALMOST!" and blow again.
Say this: "Hands like a soft bowl. Do not grab. Let it come to you."
Adapt it: Younger or still developing, blow low and slow and count any touch. Ready for more, ask for a two second hold. Limited mobility or language, blow toward a seated child's open palms.
Look for: The child slows down after a pop instead of swiping faster.
Roll a sock. Aim. THROW!
The book has families set a basket across the room and toss five socks in.
Materials: One laundry basket or bucket, five rolled socks or soft balls per child, a tape throwing line.
Group: Small group of 4 to 6, 10 minutes, while the rest of the class is at centers.
How it runs: Set the basket six feet out and mark the line. Each child throws all five socks, and the group counts the makes at the end, not during. Every miss gets a group "ALMOST!", and a child who sinks three moves the basket back.
Say this: "Missed? ALMOST. Four socks left. Aim at the middle."
Adapt it: Younger or still developing, move the basket to three feet and use a bigger container. Ready for more, call your number first. Limited mobility or language, allow underhand rolls into a tipped basket.
Look for: The child throws through misses and changes aim by the fifth sock.
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 | Planning and Carrying Out Investigations | Fold a plane: a child throws, marks the landing, changes one fold, throws again. |
| NGSS Practice | Analyzing and Interpreting Data | A child compares two landing markers and points to the farther throw. |
| NAEYC | 2.B Social and Emotional Development, persistence | Roll a sock: a child throws through misses and changes aim. |
| CASEL | Social Awareness | The floor is LAVA: a child calls "ALMOST!" for a peer. |
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 |
|---|---|---|
| almost | Very close, not there yet | "That is an almost. You are getting closer." |
| again | One more time, from the try | "It fell. Say again, and go." |
| crash | Falling apart all at once | "Big crash! Which part went first?" |
| fix | Changing the part that is wrong | "You do not need a new one. You need a fix." |
| one | A single thing, not all of them | "Only one thing. Which one?" |
| try | Doing something to see if it works | "That was try three. Try four is coming." |
Watch For and Note
Emerging. The child gets upset when the build falls and needs an adult to restart. The child may hand the materials back rather than attempt a second try.
Developing. The child says "almost" alone or after the group, and rebuilds two or three times. The child can name what fell, such as the top block sliding off.
Proficient. The child treats the crash as ordinary, points at the part that failed, and changes that one part. The child also calls "ALMOST!" for a peer unprompted.
Center Extensions
- Blocks: Post a tally, mark every tower that falls, and count the almosts Friday.
- Art: Offer a second sheet the moment a child is unhappy with the first, and hang both.
- Dramatic play: Add a repair shop where only one thing may be fixed per visit.
- Outdoors: Move a bean bag target back a step each time a child hits it.
Family Connection
This week we read Kit Tries Again, where Kit's invention collapses and twins Sam and Suki teach him to shout "ALMOST!" instead of giving up. The take-home sheet is "The ALMOST Game": stack cups high, shout "ALMOST!" when they fall, and count the almosts.
Next in the Series
Book 8, Kit Makes It Better: Fix One Thing at a Time, picks up where Suki leaves off. Devi shows Kit how one small fix turns a build that works into a build that works great. Bridge activity: find something not quite right in the room and fix one thing about it.