storytime katie

For more information on how I plan and prepare my toddler storytimes, check out this introduction post. And for a complete list of the repeating extension activities, visit this post. I starred the materials used in the plan; multiple stars indicate use for more than one session.

The Plan

Books

Hide and Seek by Il Sung Na
Peek-a-Zoo by Marie Cimarusti Torres**
Where’s Lenny? by Ken Wilson-Max**
Where’s Spot? by Eric Hill**

Early Literacy Tip
By developing an awareness of the designs and shapes that bodies can make as well as where the bodies are in space, children also gain an awareness of others and the world around them.

Theme Extension Activities

Featured CD: Wiggleworms Love You***

Featured Track: #29 Peek-a-Boo (twice with scarves)***

Flannelboard: “Dear Zoo”***

Flannelboard: “The Shape Game”**

Repeating Extension Activities

• Elevator Song***
• Everyone Can March*
• This Is Big, Big, Big***
• Thumbkin*
• Wiggle Your Fingers & Stomp Your Feet*

How It Went

Tuesday morning
This group couldn’t get enough of Where’s Spot?. It was like there were watching live news coverage and couldn’t turn off the TV until Spot was found. (Okay, that might have been a really bad analogy, but there you have it.) They also really enjoyed when I hid the dog from my “Dear Zoo” flannelboard under the shapes and let them guess where it was!

Thursday morning (9:30)
I did this storytime with Where’s Lenny? and Peek-a-Zoo. I loved watching their reactions and hearing their animal noises during Peek-a-Zoo! This class has several patrons with multiple kids under age two and they were SO EXCITED to hear that I will be doing a new storytime this winter for siblings since our baby and toddler programs are marked “no siblings, please” for fire code.

Thursday morning (10:30)
Oh, “Elevator Song”, I pledge my undying and never fading love to you. You magically bring every toddler to their caregiver in under two seconds and then reward me with excited squeals, happy faces, and tons of laughter. May I never forget the words to you, oh “Elevator Song.” This group also loved Where’s Spot? and I might need to add it to my personal storytime collection!

For more information on how I plan and prepare my toddler storytimes, check out this introduction post. And for a complete list of the repeating extension activities, visit this post. I starred the materials used in the plan; multiple stars indicate use for more than one session.

The Plan

Books

Higher, Higher by Leslie Patricelli***
It Looked Like Spilt Milk by Charles Shaw***
Papa, Please Get the Moon for Me by Eric Carle
Touch the Brightest Star by Christie Matheson

Early Literacy Tip
Early experiences help to form the architecture of the brain and lay a strong foundation for both social and emotional development. We’re practicing sharing today with our stars.

Theme Extension Activities

Featured CD: Zoom Zoom Cuddle & Croon by Kathy Reid-Naiman***

Featured Track: #1 I Like to Rise (with foam stars)***

Flannelboard: “Four Little Stars”

Flannelboard: “What’s the Weather?”***

Repeating Extension Activities

• Clap Your Hands*
• Teddy Bear, Teddy Bear
• This Is Big, Big, Big***
• Wiggle Your Fingers & Stomp Your Feet*
• Zoom, Zoom, Zoom**

How It Went

Tuesday morning
Originally, I only had planned three books: It Looked Like Spilt Milk, Papa, Please Get the Moon for Me and Touch the Brightest Star. That was before I did my average age for the classes and realized I had a lot more younger toddlers than I planned for. I added Higher, Higher and I’m so glad that I did. I use it a lift/book and ask parents to lift their children/children’s arms up higher as we go. Also: foam stars while the kids danced was adorable. We also sang a surprise “Twinkle Twinkle” since it was requested!

Thursday morning (9:30)
I had the best group of dancers this morning. Shaking their little squirrel tails during It Looked Like Spilt Milk and jumping like crazy during “I Like to Rise”. I didn’t really deviate from my Tuesday line-up in terms of books and songs and extensions because Tuesday worked so well. I feel like this has been my favorite session of toddlers since I’ve started here and it’s just been an absolute joy to do it. I’m starting to dread that I’m not doing the toddler classes in our winter session!

Thursday morning (10:30)
When you have a new family sign-up and after storytime they rave about you/your class to your co-worker? Yeah, that was this class. I don’t really have anything else to say!

For more information on how I plan and prepare my toddler storytimes, check out this introduction post. And for a complete list of the repeating extension activities, visit this post. I starred the materials used in the plan; multiple stars indicate use for more than one session.

The Plan

Books

Big Fat Hen by Keith Baker**
Charlie Chick by Nick Denchfield & Ant Parker***
Early Bird by Toni Yuly***
Grumpy Bird by Jeremy Tankard

Early Literacy Tip
We often want to build on our children’s curiosity but don’t always know the answer to their questions. We can often discover the answers together in books.

Theme Extension Activities

Featured CD: Rise & Shine by Caspar Babypants***

Featured Track: #3 Silly Bird (with shaker eggs)***

Flannelboard: “Five Little Birds”***
One little, two little, three little, four little,
Five little birds so small;
One little, two little, three little, four little,
Five little birds on the wall.
Kitty Cat came from a nearby bush…..MEOW!
Gave the garden gate a push……SQUEEEEAK!
And one little, two little, three little, four little,
Five little birds went WHOOSH!
Credit: Lyrics Nursery Rhymes

Puppets: “Two Little Birds”***
Two little birds sitting on a hill
One named Jack, the other named Jill
Fly away Jack, fly away Jill
Come back Jack, come back Jill
(Other verses: cloud/quiet & loud; pole/fast & slow)
Credit: Modified from childhood

Repeating Extension Activities

• My Thumbs Are Starting to Wiggle
• Open, Shut Them*
• This Is Big, Big, Big***
• Tick, Tock**
• Wiggle Your Fingers & Stomp Your Feet*

How It Went

Tuesday morning
I was prepared for a frustrating storytime since it was only twenty-four hours since we rolled the clocks back for daylight saving time. Poor kiddos don’t know why their stomachs say it’s lunch time and we’re still in storytime! I planned a pop-up book and shaker eggs to make storytime more fun than usual. And this group was angelic. No crying/screaming, no zooming around the room, full of participation from kids and parents, and we barely used any extension activities since the group was doing the best job of sitting. We got through THREE books! So good!!

Thursday morning (9:30)
This class was also really good. I read Early Bird with them and the parents acted out the prepositions in the story and it was so nice to see the parents really engaging with their kiddos. I brought the cat puppet around after our flannelboard rhyme to greet every child. This was a really great way to get the kids to rejoin with their caregivers because the kitty waited until they were together before nuzzling them or accepting a hug. We launched straight into a book after that!

Thursday morning (10:30)
I don’t know what’s going on with my 10:30 Thursday morning. I have a full twenty kids registered for class and I’m only seeing half of them each week. And it’s different kids each time! This group needed to move some more and I didn’t think we would get to read Charlie Chick because of their wandering attentions. But our shaker song saved us and pulled up back together. Thanks, Caspar Babypants!

For more information on how I plan and prepare my toddler storytimes, check out this introduction post. And for a complete list of the repeating extension activities, visit this post. I starred the materials used in the plan; multiple stars indicate use for more than one session.

The Plan

Books

Freight Train by Donald Crews***
I Love Trains! by Philemon Sturges***
I’m Fast! by Kate and Jim McMullan
Trains by Byron Barton*

Early Literacy Tip
Be sure to share factual books with your children. Follow their interests, whether in a particular animal, in how things work, in trains, or in anything else the piques their curiosity.

Theme Extension Activities

Featured CD: Anna and the Cupcakes***

Featured Track: #3 Train Song***

Flannelboard: “Clickety-Clack”***

Repeating Extension Activities

• Clap Your Hands***
• Teddy Bear, Teddy Bear
• This Is Big, Big, Big***
• Wiggle Your Finger & Stomp Your Feet**
• Zoom, Zoom, Zoom**

How It Went

Tuesday morning
My favorite thing about this morning is a toss-up between TWO things actually. One is a little boy who was so sad that his grandpa didn’t come in storytime and then found out our theme was trains and cheered up immediately! The second thing is leading a train around the room to the TRAIN SONG wearing a conductor hat, scarf, and blowing a train whistle. Also: getting toddlers up to move around and settling down with “Zoom Zoom Zoom” is perfection!

Thursday morning (9:30)
One of my newer toddlers high-fived me on the way into the storytime room — caregiver informed me that means I’m in the club. I consider that my proudest accomplishment this week! This group was more reserved, but that meant that I read through three books with them. Also in toddler news: we have a new big sister in the class and she was very proud to announce it during our “Name…Oops” fingerplay.

Thursday morning (10:30)
In this group, I only have three returning toddlers from last session. That meant that TODAY was the first time many of them had ever done “Zoom Zoom Zoom”. That, of course, meant that we repeated it three times to the delight of toddlers everywhere. This grouped absolutely needed to get up and move and TRAIN SONG was the perfect opportunity.

For more information on how I plan and prepare my toddler storytimes, check out this introduction post. And for a complete list of the repeating extension activities, visit this post. I starred the materials used in the plan; multiple stars indicate use for more than one session.

The Plan

Books

Brown Bear, Brown Bear, What Do You See? by Bill Martin Jr.***
Dog’s Colorful Day by Emma Dodd
Meeow and the Blue Table by Sebastien Braun
Toot Toot Beep Beep by Emma Garcia***

Early Literacy Tip
You don’t actually need to read books aloud to your children in order for them to benefit. Simply looking at and talking about the illustrations in books help children develop appreciation for the visual arts.

Theme Extension Activities

Featured CD: Ralph’s World***

Featured Track: #8 All My Colors

Flannelboard: Lots of Cars***

Props: Green Says Go***

Repeating Extension Activities

• Elevator Song***
• Everyone Can March*
• This Is Big, Big, Big***
• Thumbkin**
• Wiggle Your Finger & Stomp Your Feet*

How It Went

Tuesday morning
What an excellent storytime! (I am so happy it went perfectly today because I had a neighboring librarian observing. Toddler time can be so unpredictable.) Parents and caregivers were really into both books today Toot Toot Beep Beep and Brown Bear, Brown Bear since they provided so many opportunities for participation. As always, the “Elevator Song” is always a crowd pleaser. On the way out, a parent told me that I’m a “rock star” in their house.

Thursday morning (9:30)
I’m noticing for whatever reason that this session, I can basically stick to the same plan for each group. It’s some kind of MAGIC that’s going on, but it makes my life so much easier in terms of book selection and knowing what comes next. I had a full crowd this morning and some more reluctant movers, so “Thumbkin” and “Elevator Song” were great. This group really liked leaving their parents to sit in front of me to hear the books today!

Thursday morning (10:30)
This was a super quiet group of kiddos. We only had twelve toddlers (out of a possible twenty) which makes the whole dynamic of the group shift. I had one toddler who just wanted to zoom around the whole time, but had a great involved caregiver who was engaging and staying with their toddler’s energy. Their favorite moment was definitely reading Brown Bear, Brown Bear all together.

For more information on how I plan and prepare my toddler storytimes, check out this introduction post. And for a complete list of the repeating extension activities, visit this post. I starred the materials used in the plan; multiple stars indicate use for more than one session.

The Plan

Books

Clip-Clop by Nicola Smee***
I Went Walking by Sue Williams*
Peek-a-Moo by Marie Cimarusti*
Piggies in the Pumpkin Patch by Mary Peterson and Jennifer Rofe*

Early Literacy Tip
By joyfully watching other children follow directions and applauding their success, you are teaching your children an important social skill — how to appreciate other people.

Theme Extension Activities

Featured CD: Rocketship Run***

Featured Track: #20 Farm (That’s What I Did)*

Flannelboard: “Open Up the Barn Door”***
Open up the barn door, the spring goes “Boink.”
There’s a pig in the barn, saying, “Oink, oink, oink.”
Open up the barn door before the clock strikes two.
There’s a cow in the barn, saying, “Moo, moo, moo.”
Open up the barn door, it’s a sunny day.
There’s a horse in the barn, saying, “Neigh, neigh, neigh.”
Open up the barn door, singing, “Tra-la-la.”
There’s a sheep in the barn, saying, “Baa, baa, baa.”
Open up the barn door, while the sky is blue.
There’s a rooster in the barn, saying, “Cock-a-doodle-do!”
Open up the barn door and don’t get off the track.
There’s a duck in the barn, saying, “Quack, quack, quack.”
Credit: Addison Public Library

Puppet Song: “When Cows Get Up in the Morning”**
When cows get up in the morning, they always say hello
When cows get up in the morning, they always say hello
And what do they say? Mooooooo
And that is what they say.
Credit: Jbrary

Repeating Extension Activities

• My Thumbs Are Starting to Wiggle
• Open, Shut Them*
• This Is Big, Big, Big***
• Tick, Tock**
• Wiggle Your Finger & Stomp Your Feet*

How It Went

Tuesday morning
Week two always sees us adding a few new faces as people get moved up from the waitlist. This group was probably the most affected by those changes; they stuck pretty close to their caregivers because of all the new faces. That made Clip-Clop work SO GOOD as a bounce and a book that I almost cried from joy. I used the CD recording and because the group was so tentative, no one really got up and danced. I passed on the song for the next two groups.

Thursday morning (9:30)
I forgot my puppets for “When Cows Get Up in the Morning” for the Tuesday class. I remembered them for this class! When in doubt, hide things from toddlers and slowly pull them out. It’s magic! This was also reinforced by the flannelboard this week and I know the parents really got into that activity as well.

Thursday morning (10:30)
This class was another group that really enjoyed hiding things. I decided that Peek-a-Moo would be a natural choice and we spent the better part of storytime looking for hidden objects. 😀 I have some really great, involved parents in this group and several dads which I *love* seeing in storytime!

Save

For more information on how I plan and prepare my toddler storytimes, check out this introduction post. And for a complete list of the repeating extension activities, visit this post. I starred the materials used in the plan; multiple stars indicate use for more than one session.

The Plan

Books

Goodbye, Hello! by Shen Roddie
If You’re Happy and You Know It by Jane Cabrera**
Lulu’s Busy Day by Caroline Uff*
Say Hello! by Linda Davick***

Early Literacy Tip
Library programs like this can be considered a child’s first class. Encouraging personal interactions with a group leader help children develop a positive attitude toward learning.

Theme Extension Activities

Featured CD: Songs for Wiggleworms***

Featured Track: #18 Milkshake**

Flannelboard: “Dog’s Colorful Day”*

Flannelboard: “Ten Little Babies”**

Repeating Extension Activities

• Elevator Song**
• Everyone Can March*
• This Is Big, Big, Big**
• Thumbkin*
• Wiggle Your Finger & Stomp Your Feet**

How It Went

Tuesday morning
This was an older group with nine returning toddlers from previous sessions. “Everyone Can March” was their very favorite thing that we did today. Our parents had great participation and were able to keep the toddlers grouped together on the rug. They were also great models for what to do. I managed a tricky toddler who didn’t want to listen to mom, but was happy to follow my directions. I also made new friends today — one who gave me a hug on the way out!

Thursday morning (9:30)
This is my smallest toddler group (only 18 out of 20 registered) and is also my youngest group. They were pretty hesitant about me at the beginning, but many of them came around by the end of the thirty minutes. I did “Milkshake” with this group in particular to start working on giving/taking since I do it a lot in toddler time. Lots and lots of laughter during the “Or with a giggle” line in SAY HELLO.

Thursday morning (10:30)
This was my rowdiest group and biggest since I let a few extra kids slip in. This was the group that loved singing. So we did “Elevator Song”, “Thumbkin”, the Song Cube, and read IF YOU’RE HAPPY AND YOU KNOW IT. They also were the best group at singing along to “Ten Little Babies” with me!

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.

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: “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

Fingerplay: “Clap Your Hands”
Clap, clap, clap your hands,
As s-l-o-w-l-y as you can.
Clap, clap, clap your hands,
As quickly as you can.
(other verses: shake, roll, rub)
Credit: Northport-East Northport Public Library

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

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

Song: “My Thumbs Are Starting to Wiggle”
My thumbs are starting to wiggle,
My thumbs are starting to wiggle,
My thumbs are starting to wiggle,
And now so are my hands/arms/toes/feet…
Body is starting to wiggle: around and around and around!
(Sing about other body parts as wiggles spread!)
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

Transition: “Wiggle Your Finger & Stomp Your Feet”
Wiggle your fingers in the air.
Wiggle them, wiggle them everywhere!
Stomp your feet upon the ground.
Stomp them, stomp them all around.
Now sit down and cross your feet.
Hands in lap and nice and neat.
Now we are ready to start our day,
We’ll listen first, and then we’ll play.
Credit: Teaching Mama