Toddlers: Things That Go

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

Digger and Tom! by Sebastien Braun
Freight Train by Donald Crews**
I Love Trucks by Philemon Sturges*
Toot Toot Beep Beep by Emma Garcia**

Early Literacy Tip

Encourage your children to read informational books on topics that interest them. Things that go are a great bridge to non-fiction!

Theme Extension Activities

Flannelboard: “Clickety-Clack”**

Flannelboard: “If You Have a Red Truck”**

Prop Song: “Where Is Pick-Up Truck?”**

Action Rhyme: “Hurry, Hurry”**
Hurry, hurry, drive the fire truck (pretend to turn wheel)
Hurry, hurry, drive the fire truck (pretend to turn wheel)
Hurry, hurry, drive the fire truck (pretend to turn wheel)
Ding, ding, ding, ding, ding! (ring bell)
(Turn the corner (lean over to one side, then the other), climb the ladder (pretend to climb), spray the water (pretend to spray a hose).)
Credit: Childhood

Action Song: “Driving Round In My Car”*
Driving round in my little red car
Driving round in my little red car
Driving round in my little red car
Zoom zoom zoom zoom zoom
(Go through red, orange, yellow, green, blue, and purple)
Credit: Childhood

Song: “Down By the Station”*
Down the station
Early in the morning
See the little pufferbellies
All in a row
See the station master
Turn his little handle
Puff, puff, toot, toot!
Off we go!
Credit: Childhood

Repeating Extension Activities

• Dance Your Fingers*
• Open, Shut Them**
• Where Is Thumbkin?**

How It Went

This was the storytime week that I finally felt like I hit my toddler groove. I figured out to plan more movement than I had originally thought and I stopped trying to get to that third book. (Yeah…I don’t know what I was thinking either!) The kids at my library really enjoy the flannelboard, more than at my last library if you can believe that. Tuesday’s favorite book was “Freight Train” and Thursday’s was “Toot Toot Beep Beep”.