Siblings: Things That Go

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

Trucks by Byron Barton (Board)*
Freight Train by Donald Crews
Tip Tip Dig Dig by Emma Garcia*

Early Literacy Tip
Knowing shapes lays the foundation for being able to identify letters later on as well as lays the formation for math and geometry. Use blocks or cutout shapes to have your child make something.

Theme Extension Activities

Featured CD: Wiggleworms Love You*

Flannelboard: “The Shape Game”*

Props: “Green Says Go”

Bounce: “Toast in the Toaster”
I’m toast in the toaster
And I’m getting very hot!
Tick, tock,
Tick, tock
Up I pop!
Credit: Jbrary

Lift: “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

Partnering: “Put Your Bean Bag On” Tune: If You’re Happy and You Know It
Toddlers had bean bags and I sang through the verse the first time using “your”. Then, for the second time I sang the verse with the same body part as “their”, asking them to put the bean bag (gently!) on their sibling’s head. This wasn’t as successful as I’d hoped, but I would be willing to try it again.
Put your bean bag on your head, on your head
Put your bean bag on your head, on your head
Put your bean bag on your head, put your bean bag on your head
Put your bean bag on your head, on your head
Credit: Modified from Co-worker

Repeating Extension Activities

• Clap Your Hands
• Open, Shut Them
• Thumbkin

How It Went

Spring break time! We make special allowances during this week for siblings and so I had a larger crowd than usual with more preschoolers. It did throw the group dynamic off a bit and Trucks didn’t work as well as the board book usually does — Tip Tip Dig Dig which let the whole group participate was definitely the better choice this week. I also had to do some bubble crowd control and make sure that the preschoolers stayed in one area to not run over my toddlers!