Begin by reading "Frog and Toad Are Friends" to your child or group. The letter Frog sends to Toad is the focus of the lesson. Provide paper, a pencil or pen and an envelope to the children. Children write letters to a friend about the book, a recent activity or an upcoming event. When their letters are finished, have them address the envelopes. If you choose to mail the letters via U.S. Postal Service, enhance the lesson with stamps and a group walk to the mailbox. A variation of this lesson includes sending the letters to pen pals in another classroom or another school.
This math activity requires frog counters. Use small plastic frogs, erasers shaped like frogs or any collection of frog trinkets small enough to fit several in a jar. If you have a tough time finding imitation frogs, paint pebbles green and let the children use their imaginations. After reading any of the Frog and Toad books, have children estimate the number of "frogs" in the jar. Award a prize to the closest estimation. Add the skill of sorting to the activity by including frog and toad pieces in the jar. Brown and green painted pebbles work for this. After the estimation game, instruct children to sort the green frogs and brown toads into two separate piles.
One of the stories in "Days With Frog and Toad" includes the characters flying a kite. After reading the book, children can make their own kites. Pre-cut pieces of dowel wood into 6- and 8-inch strips to connect to pieces of butcher paper after the children have drawn their designs. Children can add string to the kites and see if they fly, or the kites can be displayed on a classroom bulletin board. Other art activities include making Frog and Toad puppets from felt or paper bags and creating Frog and Toad pictures with crayons or paint.
Frog and Toad books feature a variety of themes including friendship, adventure and nature. After reading one of the Frog and Toad stories, have children engage in a conversation about one of the topics. Children can discuss what it means to be a good friend, why it is important to have fun together or how spending time outdoors is one of the best things you can do with a friend.