Toddler Fall 2016 Rhymes, Songs, & Fingerplays

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 Fall.

This session, I’m trying to use a different manipulative (scarf, shaker, or wrist ribbon) in each storytime and I’ve tied different songs and rhymes to these props.

Action Rhyme: “Everyone Can March”
Everyone can march, march, march
Everyone can march, march, march
Everyone can march, march, march
And now let’s make a stop.
Verses: clap, jump, tap, etc.
Credit: Jbrary

Action Rhyme: “Head, Shoulders, Knees & Toes”
Head, shoulders, knees, and toes, knees and toes
Head, shoulders, knees, and toes, knees and toes
Eyes and ears, a mouth and a nose
Head, shoulders, knees, and toes, knees and toes
Credit: Childhood

Action Rhyme: “Teddy Bear, Teddy Bear”
Teddy bear, teddy bear, turn around
Teddy bear, teddy bear, touch the ground
Teddy bear, teddy bear, reach up high
Teddy bear, teddy bear, touch the sky
Teddy bear, teddy bear, touch your knees
Teddy bear, teddy bear, sit down please
Credit: Childhood

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

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

Lift/Rhyme: “Tick, Tock”
Tick, tock, tick, tock
I’m a little cuckoo clock
Tick, tock, tick, tock
Now I’m chiming one o’clock
Cuckoo!
(Count up to three o’clock)
Credit: My co-worker Jane

Props

Scarf Song: “Popcorn Kernels”
Popcorn Kernels, popcorn kernels
In the pot, in the post
Shake them, shake them, shake them
Shake them, shake them, shake them
Till they pop!
Till they pop!
Credit: Guerrilla Storytime (originally from Jbrary)

Scarf Song: “We Wave Our Scarves Together”
We wave our scarves together
We wave our scarves together
We wave our scarves together
because it’s fun to do.
Wave them up high
Wave them down low
Wave them in the middle
Because it’s fun to do.
Credit: Jbrary

Shaker Eggs: “Egg Shakers Up”
Egg shakers up
Egg shakers down
Egg shakers dancing all around the town
Dance them on your shoulders
Dance them on your head
Dance them on your knees
And tuck them into bed
Credit: Jbrary

Shaker Eggs: “Put Your Shaker On”
Put your shaker on your head, on your head
Put your shaker on your head, on your head
Put your shaker on your head, put your shaker on your head
Put your shaker on your head, on your head
Credit: Modified from co-worker

Wrist Ribbons: “Roly, Poly”
Roly poly, roly poly,
Roly poly, up and down
Roly poly, roly poly,
Roly poly, up and down
(other verses: in and out, left and right)
Credit: Modified from Jbrary

Wrist Ribbons: “These are the Colors”
Red and yellow, green and blue
These are the colors over you
Red as a flower, blue as the sea
Yellow as the sun, green as a tree
Red and yellow, green and blue
These are the colors over you
Credit: Read Sing Play