Age group: toddlers (24 - 36 months)
Group Size: about 12 kids and one parent/caregiver per toddler
Time: 10:30am to 11:15am
Parent/Caregiver Handout
One of my colleagues told me that one of the ways we can encourage parents to participate is to give them printouts of the songs and rhymes we use. This way, they can participate with the child beside them, or on their lap, and the handout close by. Here are the ones we used for this storytime:
The Plan
Welcome Song*
Rhyme: Up Down Turn Around*
Song: Hands Are Clapping*
Song: If You're Happy and You Know It
Book: Make a Face
Song: Freeze Song
Felt Story: Grumpy Bird
Song: Sleeping Bunnies
Song: Skinnamarink
Rhyme: Humpty Dumpty
Craft: Happy and Sad Humpty Dumpty
Book: Make a Face
Song: Freeze Song
Felt Story: Grumpy Bird
Song: Sleeping Bunnies
Song: Skinnamarink
Rhyme: Humpty Dumpty
Craft: Happy and Sad Humpty Dumpty
Parachute*
Bubbles and Handouts*
*these are the ones I use for every toddler storytime session
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Welcome Song
(sing to tune of “London Bridge
Hi hello and how are you
How are you? How are you?
Hi hello and how are you?
How are you today?
It’s a bright and sunny day
Sunny day, sunny day
It’s a bright and sunny day
For storytime and play!
Stretching Rhyme: Up Down Turn Around
Up, down
Turn around
Touch the sky
Touch the ground
Wiggle fingers
Wiggle toes
Wiggle shoulders
Say hello!
Song: Hands Are Clapping
(sing to tune of “Skip To My Lou”)
Hands are clapping
Clap clap clap
Hands are clapping
Clap clap clap
Hands are clapping
Clap clap clap
Clap your hands my darling!
Continue with …
-feet are stomping
-arms are flapping
End with …
Now let’s sit on the floor
Now let’s sit on the floor
Now let’s sit on the floor
Sit on the floor my darling!
Or continue more actions …
Toast in the toaster
Getting very hot
Tick tock tick tock
Up you pop!
Song: If You're Happy and You Know It
If you’re happy and you know it
clap your hands
If you’re happy and you know it
clap your hands
If you’re happy and you know it
and you really want to show it
If you’re happy and you know it
clap your hands
Continue with...
-If you’re sad and you know it,
cry “Boohoo!”
-If you’re shy and you know it,
hide your face...peek-a-boo!
-if you’re grumpy and you know it
stomp your feet
-If you’re scared and you know it
shiver and shake
-If you’re sleepy and you know it
close your eyes
If you’re happy and you know it
clap your hands
If you’re happy and you know it
clap your hands
If you’re happy and you know it
and you really want to show it
If you’re happy and you know it
clap your hands
Continue with...
-If you’re sad and you know it,
cry “Boohoo!”
-If you’re shy and you know it,
hide your face...peek-a-boo!
-if you’re grumpy and you know it
stomp your feet
-If you’re scared and you know it
shiver and shake
-If you’re sleepy and you know it
close your eyes
Reaction: The kids really liked doing the actions for this version of the song.
Book: Make A Face by Henry and Amy Schwartz
Reaction: This is a really short book and requires interaction from the kids. I think they liked this book and some of them even tried making the facial expressions with me. My only regret is that this book needs to be bigger in size!
Song: Freeze Song
Reaction: this is a song from our Summer Reading Club CD. I wish I knew who the singer is so I can list it here. It's a great song for teaching kids how to listen to the instructions, although for toddlers, I think their cues are mostly from you and not the lyrics. They love this song..."hop and hop and hop and hop and hop and hop and stop!", after which the kids freeze.
Felt Story: Grumpy Bird by Jeremy Tankard
Reaction: the great thing about felt stories is that usually there are enough pieces that each child can have one, and help add pieces to the felt story board as the story is read. It's a great opportunity to teach them to wait their turn, and to recognize characters in the book. Regardless of the academic intentions of the activity, I think the kids just enjoyed having something in their hands to play with.
Song: Sleeping Bunnies
See the little bunnies sleeping 'til it's noon.
Shall we wake them
With a happy tune?
Oh, so still... Are they ill?
No!!!
Hop little bunnies, hop, hop, hop
Hop little bunnies, hop, hop, hop
Hop little bunnies, hop, hop, hop
Hop little bunnies, hop, hop,
Stop!
Reaction: I watched this youtube version of the song, but when I actually tried to sing this song on the day of my storytime, I completely forgot the tune...so I had to improvise. I think it turned out okay. Some kids didn't understand what was going on but were just trying to follow the older kids. Note to self: bring the iPad into the storytime in case you forget a tune in future!!
Song: Skinnamarink
Skinnamarinky dinky dink
Skinnamarinky doo...I love you!
Skinnamarinky dinky dink
Skinnamarinky doo...I love you!
I love you in the morning and in
the afternoon
I love you in the evening,
underneath the moon
Oh skinnamarinky dinky dink
Skinnamarinky doo I love you!
Humpty Dumpty
Reaction: I think the parents liked doing the actions to this song more than the kids...due to nostalgia perhaps.
Rhyme: Humpty Dumpty
Humpty Dumpty sat on a wall
Humpty Dumpty had a great fall
All the king’s horses
And all the King’s men
Couldn’t put Humpty together
again...oh no!!
Reaction: I used this rhyme mostly so that I could introduce the craft.
Craft: Happy and Sad Humpty Dumpty
All the pieces for this craft were prepared before-hand so that the toddlers could concentrate on sticking their sticker brick pieces on the cardstock, then the grass, then their Humpty Dumpty characters (which already had the googly eyes attached to the foam), and then drawing in the facial expressions.
Materials:
Materials:
red and white label stickers, cut into smaller rectangular shapes
2 pcs of white craft foam, cut into egg shapes
card stock
googly eyes
glue and scissors
markers
green construction paper, with parallel lines cut 2/3 of the way down the paper to create the effect of grass
Parachute with Rhymes
(Sing to “The More We Get Together”)
Come under my umbrella
Umbrella, umbrella
Come under my umbrella
It’s starting to rain!
(Sing to “Frere Jaques”)
Peek a boo, peek a boo
I see you, I see you
I see your button nose
And your tiny toes
Peek a boo, peek a boo.Bubbles and Handouts
-I usually play the Beach Boys' song, Wouldn't It Be Nice, when blowing bubbles for the kids
-Emotions colouring sheet; images compiled from Kindergarten Teacher Resources
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Credits: I took the songs and rhymes from a variety of sources, some from work, and others from different parts of the internet. I will try to give credit where it is due, so if something is yours and I haven't credited you, please let me know and I will link back to you. Thank you!
