Siblings: Counting

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

Animal 1-2-3 by Britta Teckentrup (Board)*
Big Fat Hen by Keith Baker*
Dog’s Colorful Day by Emma Dodd

Early Literacy Tip
Let your child choose materials and books in addition to your choices. This gives them a sense of ownership and makes them feel invested in their library time.

Theme Extension Activities

Featured CD: Mr. Jon & Friends*

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: “These Are the Colors”*
Toddlers were given scarves to gently wave over baby’s head. I suggested that babies lay down on their backs for this activity so that they could see the colors.
Red and yellow, green and blue
These are the colors over you
Red as a flower, green as a tree
Yellow as the sun, blue as the sea
Red and yellow, green and blue
These are the colors over you
Credit: Read Sing Play

Repeating Extension Activities

• Clap Your Hands
• Open, Shut Them
• Thumbkin

How It Went

Animal 1-2-3 proved to be a bit ambitious for a board book. Too many flaps for caregivers to manage with a baby and a toddler. This was our last session for the winter. So I brought out the small parachute as a treat. We counted the scarves that we had used in partnering as we tossed them onto the parachute — a lot of my kiddos really loved having the parachute out. I’ll have to see if I can figure out a way to use it next session. So, yes, this siblings storytime experiment was a success and will continue into the spring session! Look for more storytimes coming soon.