Superhero Theme - Toddler Storytime

Specs

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:

Toddler Storytime Songs and Rhymes

Superhero Theme Songs and Rhymes

The Plan

Welcome Song*
Up Down Turn Around*
Hands Are Clapping*

Book: Superfrog
Song: Did You Ever See A Superhero?
Felt Story: Paper Bag Princess by Robert Munsch
Song: Superhero Superhero Turn Around
Book: I Could Be A Superhero by Christ Hornsey
Activity: Superhero School
Craft: Superhero Masks
Picture-taking
Bubbles and Colouring Sheet

*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: Superfrog! by Michael Foreman

Advantages: Good story and lively illustrations. I'm hoping that the toddlers understood what was happening, but I think they mostly liked the different voices used.

Disadvantages: I would cut it down to just a couple of pages; it was a little too long for some of them. The subject matter is probably more for older kids, but I paraphrased the story and used super hero body movements as I was telling the story to capture their attention for a longer time-span.

In general, I found there weren't too many superhero-themed books for toddlers available, at least in my library.

Song: Did You Ever See A Superhero?

(Tune: The More We Get Together)

Did you ever see a hero, a hero, a hero,
Did you ever see a hero, flying through the sky?

Fly this way and that way,

and that way and this way
Did you ever see a hero flying through the sky?

Other Verses:

-Putting on their cape

-hopping on one foot

-saving the day

-twirling around

Felt Story: The Paper Bag Princess by Robert Munsch

 

Advantages: It's the Paper Bag Princess. Enough said. All joking aside, I think that it's good for kids to be exposed to different kinds of heroes, including awesome, feisty girls. The toddlers always enjoy having a felt storytime because I give them each a piece of the story to put on the board. The story is a little bit long for the toddlers, and they probably didn't understand most of it, but they certainly liked having something tactile in their hands. I tried asking the older ones questions, or commenting on how smart the princess is when dealing with the dragon. Huffing and puffing when the dragon is tiring out also adds a dramatic flair to the story :D

Song: Superhero Superhero Turn Around 

(Tune: Teddy Bear, Teddy Bear)

Superhero, superhero turn around

Superhero, superhero touch the ground

Superhero, superhero put on your suit

Superhero, Superhero put on your boots.

Superhero, Superhero, jump up high

Superhero, Superhero, fly, fly, fly

Superhero, Superhero, turn around.

Superhero, Superhero, please sit down. 

Book: I Could Be A Superhero by Christ Hornsey

 

I started to read this but after the last song, the toddlers were too hyped-up, so I stopped after a couple of pages and told everyone that it was time for "Superhero School!!" Huzzah!!

Activity: Superhero School
I set up the room so that the toddlers could go through a mini superhero circuit. I asked each of the toddlers to take a stuffed toy and pretend that it was someone they were going to rescue. With the help of the parents and caregivers, the toddlers stood in line and we each crawled through the hoops below:

And then after the hoops, we had to jump to each of the orange masking tape tiles:

 

Then we tried our balancing act and tip-toed across the straight line of the orange masking tape:

 

Then we zigzagged around the yellow pylons:

 

 And continued zigzagging our way around the pylons...

Until we reached the basket, where the toddlers placed their rescued friend! Yahoo!!

 

We did the circuit two times and I think the toddlers had a blast pretending to be superheroes. Afterward, I told them that they were now ready to become true superheroes, and what is a superhero without a mask? It was time for them to make their own masks!

Craft: Superhero Mask
This craft takes a long time to prepare, but luckily we have volunteers that helped us cut out all the little pieces, as well as the mask base. Afterward, I prepared individual bags for each toddler with the pieces for their own craft.

Materials:
-foam in a variety of colours, cut into masks and small shapes (I used circles, triangles, half circles, and lightning shapes)
-small hole puncher
-scissors
-string
-glue

Advantages: practicing motor skills, playing pretend

Afterward, the parents and caregivers took some time to take pictures of their superhero kids. They were so cute!!!

Bubbles and Handouts
I handed out a superhero 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!