Toddlers: Farm

For more information on how I plan and prepare my toddler storytimes, check out this introduction post. And for a complete list of the repeating extension activities, visit this post. I starred the materials used in the plan; multiple stars indicate use for more than one session.

The Plan

Books

Charlie Chick by Nick Denchfield and Ant Parker*
Clip Clop by Nicola Smee*
Old MacDonald by Jane Cabrera
Say Hello Like This by Mary Murphy*

Early Literacy Tip

Children want familiar sounds from people who mean a great deal to them. Sing along even if you feel your voice is not the greatest.

Theme Extension Activities

Flannelboard: Five Clean and Dirty Pigs*

Flannelboard: Ten Fluffy Chickens*

Action Song: “Farm Chores”
(Tune: “Here We Go ‘Round the Mulberry Bush”)*
This is the way we plant our seeds, plant our seeds, plant our seeds
This is the way we plant our seeds so early in the morning
[Water our seeds, weed our seeds, our seeds grow up, pick our plants, eat our plants]
Credit: Library School

Song with Puppets: “When Animals Wake Up In the Morning”*
When animals wake up in the morning, they always say hello
When animals wake up in the morning, they always say hello
And what do they say? [animal noise]
And that is what they say!
Credit: Jbrary

Repeating Extension Activities

• Dance Your Fingers
• Open, Shut Them
• This Is Big*
• Tick, Tock
• Two Little Blackbirds*
• Where Is Thumbkin?

How It Went

This was my first ever toddler storytime. It also coincided with the week of PLA, so I was only able to lead Tuesday’s session since I was in Indianapolis during Thursday’s. I thought that this storytime went very well. I started with the same set-up that I did at my old library and quickly learned that a floor easel flannelboard would not work without preschoolers in the group to model how to sit. I had a slew of toddlers next to me the whole time, running their hands on the soft felt. I adjusted for the next week and used one of our tabletop easels.

After introducing “This Is Big”, I had a grandparent stop me and ask for a copy. Her daughter was going to teach abroad in China and she thought it would be perfect for teaching opposites in English! As always, Charlie the Chick was a huge pop-up success. I don’t know what I would do if I ever lost my copy of that one.