Specs
Age group: toddlers (24 - 36 months)
Group Size: about 10 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: Falling for Rapunzel
Song: Crowns Everywhere
Book: One Two Guess Who
Song: Curtsy Like A Princess
Activity: Jack in the Beanstalk Alphabet + Showing the Giant/Jack puppet
Craft: Fire Breathing Dragon
Bubbles + Colouring Sheet + Stickers
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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: Falling for Rapunzel by Leah Wilcox
This book is awesome and funny, even though it was a little too long for some of the toddlers. If I use this book again in the future, I think it would be good to use props. We have a cardboard castle at work, as well as some of the things that Rapunzel throws out the window to the prince (socks, stuffed pig, etc.).
Song: Crowns Everywhere
(Tune: If You’re Happy and
You Know It)
I’ve got a crown on my
head, on my head.
I’ve got a crown on my head, on my head.
Did you hear what I said? I’ve got a crown on my head!
I’ve got a crown on my head, on my head.
…on my arm…it’s not doing any harm…
…on my knee…oh goodness gracious me…
…on my foot…it just can’t stay put...
I’ve got a crown on my head, on my head.
Did you hear what I said? I’ve got a crown on my head!
I’ve got a crown on my head, on my head.
…on my arm…it’s not doing any harm…
…on my knee…oh goodness gracious me…
…on my foot…it just can’t stay put...
I love this book! It's a great interaction storytime book, especially if the kids are a little familiar with some of the fairy tales (some of them knew a few fairy tales). We didn't finish the whole book, but the toddlers liked guessing the answers.
Song: Curtsy Like A Princess
(Tune: Skip to My Lou)
Curtsy like a princess just like so
Curtsy like a princess just like so
Curtsy like a princess just like so
Curtsy like a princess!
Bow like a prince…
Juggle like a jester…
Fly like a fairy…
Roar like a dragon…
Activity: Jack in the Beanstalk Alphabet
(Tune: This Old Man)
Jack goes up a green beanstalk
Wondering what’s up there in the clouds
Will you help him, please oh please
Jump from leaf to leaf,
____’s the next letter
that will help him leap?
I gave each of the toddlers a couple of alphabet letters on foam leaves with velcro at the back. Using the song above, I asked the kids to help Jack climb the beanstalk by putting the alphabet in order on the felt board. This activity was a little long for the younger ones, but the older toddlers liked going up to put their leaf letter on the board.
Craft: Fire-breathing Dragon
I found this awesome fire-breathing dragon craft from this page. I changed the orientation of the mouth to the bottom of the cup because when air is blown from a wide to narrow passage, the air is stronger and lifts the "flames" better.
Materials:
-styrofoam cup
-green paint and paintbrush
-yellow, red, orange crepe paper, cut into strips
-black marker
-large pompoms
-large googly eyes
-large popsicle stick
-coloured card stock
1. paint the styrofoam cup green and allow to dry; then cut out the bottom of the styrofoam cup
2. glue one googly eye to a pompom, then do the same for the next eye
3. cut the coloured cardstock to make some kind of dragon scale
4. glue the "flames" inside the bottom rim of the styrofoam cup
5. glue the eyes and the scales/spikes
6. draw and colour in the dragon's nose
7. cut out a small slit into the side of the styrofoam cup (opposite the dragon's eyes) and insert the wooden popsickle stick through the slit so that it can act as a holder
The painting and glue-gunning were done by volunteers. Each toddler received a small ziplock bag with all their craft components. All they had to do was glue all the components and then add the popsicle stick at the end.
The toddlers seemed to really enjoy this craft, especially since they were able to use the craft as a toy after they finished it!
Bubbles, Handouts, Stickers
We had time for the parachute today! Yahoo! They really love this part of the storytime. I then handed out a fairytale themed colouring sheet and stickers, 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!
