Toca Life World Reading Adventure!

Get ready to explore a story just like you explore in Toca Life World! We'll meet new characters and visit new places, all inside a book.

Materials Needed:

• An age-appropriate storybook (picture book or early chapter book)
• Plain paper
• Crayons or markers
• Optional: Access to Toca Life World app for post-lesson inspiration

Lesson Activities:

1. Welcome to the Story World! (5 mins)

Just like in Toca Life World where you can visit different places like the city, the mall, or a house, books take us to different worlds too! And just like Toca Life has lots of cool characters, stories do too! What's your favorite character or place in Toca Life World? Today, we're going to explore the world inside this book: (Introduce the chosen book).

2. Meet the Characters! (10-15 mins)

Let's start reading! (Read the first part of the story, stopping after main characters are introduced). Who have we met so far in our story? What do they seem like? Are they happy, silly, adventurous? Let's pretend they are new characters for Toca Life! Grab your paper and crayons. Let's draw one of the main characters. Maybe you can even give them a fun Toca-style outfit or hairstyle!

3. Explore the Setting! (10 mins)

(Continue reading, focusing on where the story takes place). Where is our story happening? Is it inside a house, outside in a park, in a magical land? What details does the book give us? Does it sound like any place you've visited in Toca Life World? Let's draw the main setting of our story on another piece of paper. What colors and shapes make up this place?

4. What Happened? Story Retell! (10 mins)

(Finish reading the book or a specific chapter). Wow, that was quite an adventure! Now, let's be storytellers. Can you tell me what happened in the story, from beginning to end? Think about it like creating a story sequence in Toca Life. What happened first? Then what did the characters do? How did the story end? Try to use words like 'First', 'Next', 'Then', and 'Finally'.

5. Toca Town Connections! (5-10 mins)

Let's think about our book characters and the world of Toca Life. How are the characters we met like the characters you play with in Toca Life? How are they different? If the main character from our book visited Toca Life World, which location would they go to first? What funny thing might they do there? You can tell me your ideas, draw a picture of the character visiting Toca Life, or even create a little scene in the app later inspired by our book!

Checking Our Adventure (Assessment):

I'll be listening to your great ideas during our chat! I'll look at your cool drawings of the character and setting to see how well you understood who they were and where the story happened. Your amazing retelling will show me you remember the important parts of our reading adventure!