To read more about how I plan and prepare my Toddler Storytimes, please visit this post.
Each session, I pick some extension activities to repeat from week to week. Most of the time these have nothing to do with my theme of the day and just allow me to add more movement or songs if that’s what the toddlers need that week. Of course, I don’t use every activity every week. I’ll note in the individual theme summaries which activities I used. These are the activities that I had planned for Winter 2015.
Action Rhyme: “A Wiggle Wiggle Here”
A wiggle wiggle here,
A wiggle wiggle there,
Wiggle your hands up in the air.
Wiggle your shoulders,
Wiggle your hips,
Wiggle your knees,
And move your lips.
Wiggle, Wiggle, Wiggle.
And wiggle some more –
And now let’s sit down on the floor.
Credit: My former co-worker Sarah
Action Rhyme: “This Is Big”
This is big, big, big (stretch hands far to sides)
This is small, small, small (cup hands together)
This is short, short, short (hold palms close vertically)
This is tall, tall, tall (hold palms far apart vertically)
This is fast, fast, fast (roll hands quickly)
This is slow, slow, slow (roll hands slowly)
This is yes, yes, yes (nod head)
This is no, no, no (shake head)
Credit: Mel’s Desk
Action Rhyme: “Zoom, Zoom, Zoom”
Zoom, zoom, zoom, we’re going to the moon
Zoom, zoom, zoom, we’re going to the moon
If you want to take a trip,
Climb aboard my rocket ship,
Zoom, zoom, zoom, we’re going to the moon
5, 4, 3, 2, 1, blast off!
Credit: Jbrary
Action Song: “Wake Up Toes”
Wake up toes, wake up toes
Wake up toes and wiggle, wiggle, wiggle
Wake up toes, wake up toes
Wake up and wiggle in the morning.
Also: hands, ears, knees, fingers, hips, etc.
Credit: Jbrary
Fingerplay: “Dance Your Fingers Up”**
Dance your fingers up, dance your fingers down
Dance your fingers to the side, dance them all around
Dance them on your shoulders, dance them on you head
Dance them on your tummy, and put them all to bed
Credit: Best Kids Book Site (Site appears to be completely reorganized…)
Fingerplay: “Slowly, Slowly”
Slowly, slowly, very slowly
creeps the garden snail.
Slowly, slowly, very slowly
up the garden rail.
Quickly, quickly, very quickly
runs the little mouse.
Quickly, quickly very quickly
into his little house.
Credit: Jbrary
Fingerplay: “Where Is Thumbkin?”
Where is thumbkin? Where is thumbkin? (put hands behind back)
Here I am! Here I am! (bring hands around from behind the back)
How are you today, sir? Very well, I thank you! (wiggle thumbs, one at a time)
Run away, run away! (hide hands behind back again)
Credit: Childhood
Lift/Song: “The Elevator Song”
Oh the city is great and the city is grand
There’s a whole lot of people
on a little piece of land
And we live way up on the 57th floor
and this is what we do when we open the door.
We take the elevator up and the elevator down,
take the elevator up, take the elevator down
Take the elevator up and the elevator down
And we turn around.
Credit: Jbrary
Movement: “Roly, Poly”
Roly poly, roly poly
Up, up, up
up, up, up
Roly roly poly
roly roly poly
down, down, down
down, down, down
Credit: Jbrary
Song: “Open, Shut Them”
Open, shut them, open, shut them
Give a little clap, clap, clap
Open, shut them, open, shut them
Lay them in your lap, lap, lap
Creep them, crawl them, creep them, crawl them
Right up to your chin, chin, chin
Open up your little mouth
But do not let them in, in, in!
Credit: My co-worker Sarah
Song: “These Are Glasses”
These are my glasses (make glasses with your finger )
This is my book (hands pressed together)
I put on my glasses (put on the glasses)
And open up the book (open your hands)
Now I read read read (hold out the “book”)
And I look look look (look through the glasses)
I put down my glasses (put hands down)
WHOOP (clap hands together)
Close up the book
Credit: Sarah from GreenBeanTeenQueen is the first person who taught me this one! (It’s a Laurie Berkner song.)
storytime katie 