Age group: toddlers (24 - 36 months)
Group Size: about 8 kids and one parent/caregiver per toddler
Time: 10:30am to 11:15am
Parent/Caregiver Handouts
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
Up Down Turn Around*
Hands Are Clapping*
Book: Animals Should Definitely Not Wear Clothing by Judi Barrett
Activity: Dress Up Mr. Monkey!
Song: If Your Clothes Have Any Colour
Book: How Do I Put It On? by Shigeo Watanabe
Song: This Is The Way We Wash Our Clothes
Song: Boot Prints
Book: The Jacket I Wear In The Snow by Shirley Neitzel and Nancy Winslow Parker
Craft: Hanging Clothes on the Clothesline
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 is Falling Down”)
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!Book: Animals Should Definitely Not Wear Clothing by Judi Barrett
Advantages: This is a funny picture book. As I was reading the book, I asked the toddlers questions, such as "what do you think will happen if the snake wears pants?". This is a really good interaction-type of storytime book.
Disadvantages: I would cut it down to just a couple of pages; it was a little too long for some of them.
Activity: Dress Up Mr. Monkey!
We have a stuffed monkey with detachable clothes in one of our storytime kits. I gave each toddler a piece of clothing and asked them to help me dress Mr. Monkey for school.
The toddlers liked the monkey! However, next time, I will just ask the toddlers to come up and give me the pieces so I can put them on Mr. Monkey one by one; they found it too hard to put the clothes on the monkey themselves. Regardless, I think it was a good experiment, if only because it shows them that they can try putting on their own clothes eventually.
Song: If You're Clothes Have Any Colour
(sing to “If You’re Happy and You Know It”)
If your clothes have any red, any redIf your clothes have any red, any red
If your clothes have any red
Put your finger on your head
If your clothes have any red, any red.
If your clothes have any blue,
Put your finger on your shoe.
If your clothes have any green,
Wave your hand so you are seen.
If your clothes have any yellow,
Smile like a happy fellow.
If your clothes have any brown,
Turn your smile into a frown.
If your clothes have any black,
Put your hands behind your back.
If your clothes have any white,
Stamp your feet with all your might!
Advantages: learning colours, repetition, following instructions
Book: How Do I Put It On? by Shigeo Watanabe
Advantages: interactive book, kids learn how to put on different pieces of clothing, simple and focused illustrations, short and simple text
Song: This Is The Way We Wash Our Clothes (with scarves)
(sing to “Here We Go ‘Round the Mulberry Bush”
This is the way we wash our clothes
Rub-a-dub-dub, rub-a-dub-dub
This is the way we wash our clothes
To get them clean and bright
This is the way we hang them out
Flippity flap, flippity flap
This is the way we hang them out
To blow dry in the wind
This is the way we iron our clothes
Smooth as can be, smooth as can be
Soon our wash day will be done
Clean clothes for you and me!
We used the scarves to pretend we were doing the individual motions of rubbing, hanging and ironing clothes. Before we started the song, I lead them through each of the different motions so that they could follow along more easily during the song.
Advantages: role-playing/pretending, sensory, following instructions
Song: Boot Prints
(sing to “This Old Man”)
Here’s one foot, here are two
Both are wearing brand new shoes
So you stand up, turn around
Dance across the floor
That’s what these new shoes are for!
I asked the toddlers to form a circle. We added one foot into the circle, then two, and then followed the actions for the rest of the song. They liked this one so much we did it two more times!
Advantages: following instructions, physical activity
Book: The Jacket I Wear In The Snow by Shirley Neitzel and Nancy Winslow Parker
I gave each of the toddlers a piece from this kit and asked them to help me with the story. One of the parents helped hold up the felt board.
Advantages: learning to associate words with actual objects, learning to wait for one's turn, interactive
Disadvantages: story is too long; next time I will shorten it
This craft takes a long time to prepare, but luckily we have volunteers that helped us cut out all the little pieces of clothing. Afterward, I prepared individual bags for each toddler with the pieces for their own craft. The toddlers decorated their clothes first, then tried to hang them on the clothes line.
Materials:
scrap pieces of foam
stickers for decorating the clothes
clothespins
string
large popsicle sticks/tongue depressors
Advantages: practicing motor skills
Parachute, Bubbles and Handouts
We had time for all of these today! Yay! The parachute is always a huge hit with these toddlers. Afterward, I handed out a clothes themed colouring sheet and blew bubbles for the kids.
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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!
