Wheels on the Bus Story Study for Toddlers

Wheels on the Bus Toddlers

Do your kids shout when they see a bus? Do they sing “The Wheels on the Bus” on repeat?

If the answer is YES! then this is for you!

After we had sung “Wheels on the Bus” about a million times, I remembered that there was a Raffi children’s book version of the song. At the library I plesantly discovered that there are a ton of adaptations. I believe we have read 11 of them in total, below are our favorites.

These Wheels on the Bus children’s books worked the best of our activities and were the most fun to read/sing together.

affiliate links are included in this post

Wheels on the Bus Story Study with Children's Books and Activities for Toddlers

Wheels on the Bus Story Study

First, what is a story study? In this case I use the term to describe reading different versions of the same story and doing related activities.

It all begins with the picture books and here are our favorites for this story study.

6 Best Wheels on the Bus Children’s Book Adaptations


1. Wheels on the Bus

by Raffi Illustrated by Sylvie Kantorovitz Wickstrom

This is a classic. The song is a familiar version. The pictures are active and full of details. There is a video version of this book that our children also loved.

Find it Online


2. The Wheels on the Bus
by Paul O Zelinsky

The lyrics in this version are classic, but the illustrations are fantastic. They are filled with amazing details and vibrant colors. A visual treat.
Find it Online


3. The Wheels on the Bus
by Annie Kubler

This fabulous board book is a great early introduction to the song (and part of a fun series). Our kids loved the die cut holes and happy illustrations.

Find it Online


4. Pete the Cat: The Wheels on the Bus
by James Dean

We love Pete the Cat so this is a natural book for us. It follows the same general pattern with some silly Pete additions. If you love Pete the Cat this is a winner.

Find it Online


5. The Babies on the Bus
by Karen Katz

This is the other version that we own. Karen Katz is a favorite in our house. Her colorful illustrations and playful version of this tale was the favorite of the variations we read.

Find it Online


6. The Wheels on the Racecar
by Alexander Zane

Obviously, this one is not about buses. It is a race car version of The Wheels on the Bus and a fun one at that. A great book for reading/singing and for comparing and contrasting.

Find it Online

Fisher Price Bus Toy

5 Wheels on the Bus Story Study Activities

1. Bus Ride Dramatic Play

We acted the book out with a row of chairs. A row of pillows would also work. Inviting some babies or other toys to join you on the bus might also be fun. Sing the song together and have fun.

2. Bus Toys

This is dramatic play on a small scale. We used this Fischer Price bus to act out the song and books.

3. New Song Versions

Make up other versions about silly things or use the tune to go sing about some other form of transportation. The Wheels on the Train? The Wings on the Plane?

4. Take a city bus field trip.

You can read about ours and our top tips in this post.

5. W is for Wheels

Make a W on the floor with painters’ tape and walk or drive on it working on letter recognition and gross motor skills.

31 Days of ABC 2017 | Alldonemonkey.com

It’s time again for another fantastic month of alphabet fun with the 31 Days of ABC! All this month you can look forward to 31 more days of activities, crafts, books, apps, and more, all dedicated to teaching young children the alphabet.

I am so happy to be working with an amazing group of kid bloggers, who will be sharing their ideas with us in the coming days. So join us as we jump, skip, hop, and read our way through the alphabet this October!

Find more great resources in our series from past years: 31 Days of ABCs 2013, 2014, and 2016!

Don’t forget to follow our 31 Days of ABCs Pinterest board for even more great ABC ideas!


31 Days of ABC

Teaching the ABCs – October 1

All Done Monkey: Early Literacy – Getting Started Teaching the Alphabet

A – October 2

Creative World of Varya: A Is for Aromatherapy for Kids

B – October 3

Hispanic Mama: B Is For Bilingual Baby Books

C – October 4

Witty Hoots: C Is for Cool Fingerprint Castle Keyrings Tutorial

D – October 5

Teach Me Mommy: D Is for Dinosaurs DIY Sensory Bin

E – October 6

E Is for Environmental Print to Develop Literacy

F – October 7

Look! We’re Learning! F Is for Printable Farm Paper Bag Puppets

G – October 8

All Done Monkey: G Is for Go

H – October 9

All Done Monkey: H Is for Hello/Hola

I – October 10

Jeddah Mom: I Is for Ice Cream Craft and Sorting Activity

J – October 11

All Done Monkey: J is for Jirafa (Giraffe) – Spanish Coloring Page

K – October 12

Pennies of Time: K Is for Kindness

L – October 13

Schooling Active Monkeys: L Is for Lion Craft

M – October 14

Sugar, Spice & Glitter

N – October 15

All Done Monkey: N Is for Nature Crafts

O – October 16

Kitchen Counter Chronicles: O Is for Owl Bookmark Printable

P – October 17

Creative World of Varya: P Is for Phonological Awareness in Toddlers

Q – October 18

Discovering the World Through My Son’s Eyes: Q Is for Quito’s Middle of the World Monument Kids Craft

R – October 19

JDaniel4’sMom: R Is for Robot

S – October 20

Discovering the World Through My Son’s Eyes: S Is for Spanish

T – October 21

Sand In My Toes: T Is for Truck

U – October 22

The Educators’ Spin On it: U Is for Unicorn

V – October 23

CrArty: V Is for Van Gogh

W – October 24

My Story Time Corner: W Is for Wheels on the Bus

X – October 25

The Mommies Reviews: X

Y – October 26

Teach Me Mommy: Y Is for Yarn Letters

Z – October 27

Bambini Travel: Z Is for Zoo Animals

123’s – October 28

Creative World of Varya: Montessori Inspired Printable

Prewriting – October 29

Witty Hoots

Books, Songs, & Apps – October 30

Witty Hoots: Top 5 List

Printables – October 31

Royal Baloo and Logi-Bear Too
Wheels on the Bus Story Study with Children's Books and Activities for Toddlers

(0)