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BLAST Early Learning
Whose Shoes?


Whose Shoes?: A shoe for every job
by Stephen R. Swinburne



Which Shoes Would You Choose? by Betsy R. Rosenthal; illustrated by Nancy Cote

Sherman wears different shoes for different occasions, from hiking boots for climbing over rocks to flip-flops for shelling at the shore.


Flip-Flops by Nancy Cote

Even though Penny is annoyed that she can only find one of her flip-flops on the day she goes to the beach, she discovers a number of uses for it and enjoys her time there.


Open-ended Questions for Whose Shoes?:

  • ·When you grow up, what kind of job would you like to have?
    ·What kind of shoes would you need to do that job?



I’ve Got Two Shoes
(adapted from “I’ve Got Two Hands” by Peter and Ellen Allard)

I’ve got two shoes and I can tap, I can tap a song for you.
I’ve got two shoes and I can tap, tap a song for you.
Tap-a tap-a, a song for you.
Tap-a tap-a, a song it’s true.
Tap-a tap-a, for me and you.
Tap-a tap-a, a song.

Additional verse ideas:
…I can march…
…I can stomp…
…I can dance…



New Shoes Dance (

(tune of: “Shortenin’ Bread”)

Here's one foot, here are two,
Each one wearing a brand new shoe,
So tap your shoes all around the floor,
That's what these new shoes are for.

Tap your shoes, tap your shoes
Tap your shoes all around the floor (repeat)

(Repeat song, replacing underlined word with other actions such as “stomp,” “march,” etc.)


Vocabulary Word:

galoshes: n. rain boots
Galoshes keep him dry when he goes out to play.”

(taken from Which Shoes Would You Choose? by Betsy R. Rosenthal; illustrated by Nancy Cote)




Divide children into groups (working with an adult if possible) and give each group 10 cut-out prints of a shoe. Select several objects in the room children can measure: chair, table, child, book, etc. Let the groups choose something to measure using the shoe prints.

Back in the large group, ask the children to talk about what they measured.  Let them report how long the object was, and make a graph on butcher paper. Write the things they measured down the left side, and then tape the number of shoe cut-outs in a line for how long that object/person was. You can use this opportunity to compare and contrast.


Before the activity, prepare a tray for each group of children. Line the tray with a paper towel. Place the three disposable plates on the tray and add tempera paint (one red, one yellow, one blue). Put a shoe lace in each paint plate with one end still sticking out. Put three baby shoes one each tray, making sure that the bottoms of the shoes have different prints.

Now it’s time to paint! Put paper towel sheets on the table in front of each child and give them each a piece of card stock. Show them how to dip the bottom of the baby shoes in the paint and press them on their paper. They can also dip the shoe laces in the paint and drag them along their paper to create lines and other designs.


Collect everyone’s shoes, including sample shoes brought in for “Shoe and Tell.” Sort them by their different attributes and make lists of the results. For example:

·Sort and count all the shoes by color.
·Sort and count all the shoes by fastening type (slip-on, Velcro, laces, buckles, zippers)
·Sort and count all the shoes by type (sneaker, sandal, boot, dressy)
·How else can the shoes be sorted?

Once you have gathered your data, create a bar graph for each attribute (color, fastening, type, etc.)—or, if you’re feeling artistically adventurous, a pie graph—to display the results.



Whose Shoes? by Anna Grossnickle Hines; illustrated by LeUyen Pham

A mouse tries on the shoes of various family members, from Daddy's great big clompy shoes and Mommy's clappy high-heeled shoes to those of Brother and Baby, but only one pair is just right. Features fold-out illustrations.


New Old Shoes written by Charlotte Blessing; illustrated by Gary R. Phillips

A picture book that follows a pair of shoes from a shoe store through various happy owners to their final resting place.


Red Rubber Boot Day
by Mary Lyn Ray; illustrated by Lauren Stringer



New Shoes, Red Shoes by Susan Rollings

A little girl delights in a world full of all different kinds of shoes--especially the new shoes she gets to wear to a party.