Siblings: Bears

For more information on how I plan and prepare my siblings storytimes, check out this introduction post. I starred the materials used in the plan. Some activities go unstarred because I only do this program once a week.

The Plan

Books

Corduroy’s Day by Don Freeman (Board Book)*
Bears in the Bath by Shirley Parenteau
Brown Bear, Brown Bear What Do You See? by Bill Martin Jr.*

Early Literacy Tip
Singing familiar songs with new vocabulary is a great way to teach your children new words.

Theme Extension Activities

Featured CD: The Wiggles Hot Potatoes*

Flannelboard: “The Shape Game”*

Bounce: “A Smooth Road”*
A smooth road, a smooth road, a smooth road, a smooth road (bounce baby gently)
A bumpy road, a bumpy road, a bumpy road, a bumpy road (bounce baby faster)
A rough road, a rough road, a rough road, a rough road (bounce baby faster)
A hole! (drop baby gently between your knees)
Credit: Co-worker

Lift: “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

Partnering: “Peek-a-Boo”*
Toddlers were once again given scarves and asked to face babies. Toddlers pulled down the scarves to play peek-a-boo with their siblings. We did this several times since the toddlers wanted to play peek-a-boo with everyone — caregivers and me included!
Peek-a-boo, peek-a-boo
I see you! I see you!
I see your button nose, and your tiny toes
Peek-a-boo! I see you!
Credit: Guerrilla Storytime at ALA Midwinter!

Repeating Extension Activities

• Clap Your Hands
• Open, Shut Them
• Thumbkin

How It Went

My largest group yet: seventeen kids (eight families) and I am SO SO SO happy! The biggest success today was definitely Brown Bear, Brown Bear What Do You See? because everyone read it along with me — including some of my toddlers. The toddlers really loved when I revealed a teddy bear hidden in our flannelboard “The Shape Game”. I don’t normally do the “The Shape Game” when I do toddler storytime, but I might consider it after their reactions in the siblings program!