Snow Storytime

Toddler Storytime

Click Here for the Full Toddler Storytime Outline

Books:
Oh! by Kevin Henkes
Bunny's First Snowflake by Monica Wellington

Flannelboard:
Start with 5 snowmen with removable carrot noses.

5 chubby little snowmen,
Each had a carrot nose.
Along came a bunny,
And what do you suppose?
That hungry little bunny,
Was looking for his lunch,
And he ate one snowman's carrot nose,
Nibble, nibble CRUNCH!

4 chubby little snowmen...

Song:
If All the Raindrops...

Craft:

Bumblebee Storytime

Toddler Storytime

Click here for complete Toddler Storytime outline.

Books:
Little Bee by Edward Gibbs
   This was a good length for a toddler read-aloud. Not their favorite book ever but they did listen pretty intently.

Panda Bear, Panda Bear, What Do You See? by Bill Martin Jr.
   I couldn't find another bee book I liked and I didn't have time to order an insect book so I read this and justified it by saying it was a rhyming book (bee and see), which was a stretch. But the kids really enjoyed this book. They loved the unique animals (ie. macaroni penguin and whooping crane) and they were all excited to point out their favorites at the end of story. One little boy liked it so much that he checked it out after storytime.

Rhyme:
Start with five bees and some flowers on the flannelboard.

5 little bees buzzing through the flowers,
5 little bees buzzing through the flowers,
5 little bees buzzing through the flowers,
Buzz, buzz, buzz, buzz, buzzzzzzzz! (One little bee flies away)

4 little bees....

Song:
Bumblebee (Buzz Buzz) by Laurie Berkner
Dance and catch Bubblebees! (Blow bubbles and  pretend they are bumblebees)

Craft:
Bumble B's

Cat Storytime

Toddler Storytime

Click here for complete Toddler Storytime outline.

Books:
Pete the Cat: I Love My White Shoes by Eric Litwin
Meeow and the Little Chairs by Sebastien Braun

Rhyme:
Start with 5 Kittens on the flannelboard and a dog puppet.

5 little kittens standing in a row

They nod their heads to the children so.
They run to the left, they run to the right.
They stand up and stretch in the bright sunlight.
Along comes a dog, who’s looking for fun.
M-e-o-w, did you see those kittens run!

4 little kittens...

Craft:
Glue shoes on Pete the Cat.

Trucks, Trains and Buses Storytime

Toddler Storytime

Click Here for the complete toddler outline.

Books:
Trashy Town by Andrea Zimmerman and David Clemesha
The Wheels on the Bus by Jane Cabrera

Rhyme:
Start with 5 trains on your feltboard.

(Tune: This Old Man)
Five little trains painted black,
They come chugging down the track,
With chug-chug, choo-choo,
Here the whistle blow,
One little train goes chugging home.

Remove one train and make it drive away while children make train motions and say chugga-chugga-chugga-chugga choo-chooo!

Four little trains....

Craft:
Feed the Trash Truck

Toddler Storytime Structure

Toddler Storytime Outline

-Children and adults read board books as we wait for the session to begin.

-Kids clean up the books.

Opening Song:
Clap In Time by Makin' Music

Activity:
Small, Tall: Stretch tall and then surprise the kids by alternating between small and tall (for example: small, tall, sm-tall!) Get faster as you go, finishing off with super speedy small, tall.)

Rhyme:
There were green alligators,
And long-necked geese.
Humpty-back camels.
And the chimpanzees.
Cats and rats and elephants,
As sure as your born.
But the lovliest of all was the unicorn!
(with animal gestures and signs)

Quiet Rhyme:
(With signs for listen, look and book-see http://www.aslpro.com/)
With our ears we will listen,
With our eyes we will look,
It's time to read a book.
Shhhhh!

Book

Fingerplay

Quiet Rhyme:
I wiggle, wiggle, wiggle my fingers.
I wiggle, wiggle, wiggle my toes.
I wiggle, wiggle, wiggle my shoulders.
I wiggle, wiggle, wiggle my nose.
Now no more wiggles are left in me,
So I will sit so quietly! Shhhhhhhh!

or

(With signs for sit down and listen)
Shhhh! Be quiet,
Please sit down, please sit down, please sit down.
Shhhh! Be quiet,
Please sit down.
Listen, listen, listen.
Shhhhh!

Book

Activity:
Bubbles or a song and dance with shaker eggs.

Closing Song:
Skinnamarinky Dinky Dink

Craft

Dinosaur Storytime

Toddler Storytime

Click Here for entire toddler outline.

Books:
Snappy Little Dinosaurs Pop-Up Book
Shape by Shape by Suse MacDonald

Flannelboard Rhyme:
Start with 5 dinos. I used t-rex, stegosaurus, brontosaurus, triceratops and pterodactyl.

5 little dinosaurs jumping on the bed,
T-rex fell off and bumped his head.
Mama called the doctor and the doctor said,
No more dinosaurs jumping on the bed!

4 little dinosaurs jumping on the bed,
Stegosaurus fell off.....

Shaker Song:
We Are the Dinosaurs by Laurie Berkner

Craft:
Dinosaur Hats

Duck Storytime

Toddler Storytime

Click Here for entire toddler outline.

Books:
I Kissed the Baby! by Mary Murphy
Five Little Ducks by Dan Yaccarino

Rhyme:
5 little ducks swimming in the pond,
5 little ducks swimming in the pond,
5 little ducks swimming in the pond,
Quack, quack, quack, quack, SPLASH!

(One duck waddles away)

4 little ducks...

Craft:
Duck Pond

Rainbows!

Toddler Storytime

Click Here for entire toddler outline.
Books:
Wow! Said the Owl by Tim Hopgood
   This book seemed like a good choice before storytime but I think it's definitely better for preschool. It was a little too long for my toddler groups. I asked the kids if they were wearing any of the colors in the books to help keep their attention.

Duckie's Rainbow by Frances Barry
   The story isn't all that exciting but it's cool how the book is shaped like a rainbow. Each page turn adds a color and the last page reveals the full rainbow.

Rhyme:
You need 6 different colored houses, hide a mouse behind one of them.

Little mouse, little mouse,
Are you in the red house?
Knock, knock, knock!

Remove the house to see if the mouse is there. Continue with each house until you find the mouse.

Activity:
Wave colored scarves to pop bubbles.

Craft:
Rainbows

Bus Storytime

Toddler Storytime

Opening Song:
Clap in Time by Makin' Music

Activity:
Small Tall

Song:
Green Alligators with signs and movements
There were green alligators,
And long neck gees.
Humpty back camels and the chimpanzees.
Cats and rats and elephants,
As sure as your born.
But the loveliest of all was the unicorn!

Speedy Green Alligators

Quiet Rhyme: (with signs)
With our ears we will listen,
With our eyes we wil look,
It's time to read a book!
Shhhhh!

Book:
Maisy Drives the Bus by Lucy Cousins
   I didn't like this for a storytime book, it was too short and kind of boring.

Song:
The Wheels on the Bus

Book:
The Bus for Us by Suzanne Bloom
   Great book! Although I like it better for preschool kids, the toddlers enjoyed seeing the different kinds of vehicles.

Acitivity:
Bubbles

Closing Song:
Skinnamarink

Craft:
Bus Hats

Bedtime Storytime

Toddler Storytime

Click Here for entire toddler outline.

Books:
Cornelius P. Mud, Are You Ready For Bed? by Barney Saltzberg
Five in the Bed by Penny Dann

Rhyme:
Five Little Monkeys Jumping on the Bed

Craft:
Give kids lots of bears so they can decide how many to put in the bed. Cut out Blankets from scrapbooking paper so kids can choose their pattern.

Wild Animals Storytime

Toddler Storytime

Click Here for entire toddler outline.

Books:
From Head to Toe by Eric Carle
Yikes!!! by Robert Florczak

Fingerplay:
(Tune: Here We Go Round the Mulberry Bush)
Instructions: Hide animals under rocks. After singing make the animal sound and let the children guess the animal, then reveal the animal.

We're going on an animal hunt,
An animal hunt, an animal hunt.
We're going on an animal hunt,
Let's listen carefully....
(Make animal sound then reveal animal)

Repeat.

Shaker Song:
Walk Like the Animals by Makin' Music

Craft:
Lion in the Jungle
(Kids color and glue leaves around the lion to make him look like he is in the jungle.)



The City Storytime

Toddler Storytime

Click Here for entire toddler outline.

Books:
The Seals on the Bus by Lenny Hort
Wow! City! by Robert Neubecker
City Street by Douglas Florian

Fingerplay:
(Tune: This Old Man)
5 little trains painted black,
they come chugging down the track.
With a choo-choo, chug-chug,
Hear the whistle blow!
One little train goes chugging home!
Chugga-chugga-chugga-chugga-choo-choo!

4 little trains. . .

Shaker Song:
Elevator Song by Marylee

Craft:
City Street Hats (Street with cars and buildings encircles your head)

Up & Down, Small & Tall

Toddler Program

Opening Activity:
Small, Tall Game

Books:
Tall! by Jez Alborough
Up, Down & Around  by Katherine Ayres

Flannelboard Rhyme:
Way up high in an apple tree,
I saw 5 little apples smiling at me.
So I shook that tree as hard as I could...
Down came the apple, Mmm, Mmm, Good!

Way up high in an apple tree,
I saw 4 little apples smiling at me...

Shaker Song:
The Elevator Song by Marylee

Craft:
Growing Giraffes

Trip to the City!

Toddler Program

Opening Activity:
Hand out train tickets and ride the "train" to the city.

Books:
City Animals by Simms Taback
Wow! City! by Robert Neubecker
Where's Walrus? by Stephen Savage

Flannelboard Rhyme:
5 Little Trains,
Painted black,
They coming chugging down the track,
with a chug chug, choo choo
Hear the whistle blow!
One little train goes chugging home!
Chugga chugga, chugga chugga, chugga chugga,
CHOO CHOO!

4 Little Trains...

Shaker Song:
The Elevator Song by Marylee

Craft:

Owl Storytime

Toddler Storytime

Books:
Good-Night Owl! by Pat Hutchins
Owl Babies by Martin Waddell
Little Owl Lost by Chris Haughton
Wow! Said the Owl by Tim Hopgood
Whooo's There? by Mary Serfozo

Flannelboard Rhyme:
5 Wide-Eyed Owls,
They have pointed nosies,
Two pointed ears and claws for their toesies.
They sit on the branch and they look at you,
One flaps his wings and he says WHOO WHOO!

Bubble Song:
Night Owl by Dan Zanes

Craft:
Cupcake Eye Owls

Hatched

Toddler/Preschool Storytime

Toddler Books:
Except If by Jim Averbeck
Hurry! Hurry! by Eve Bunting
The Happy Egg by Ruth Krauss
The Odd Egg by Emily Gravett
Roly Poly Egg by Kali Stileman

Preschool Books:
Except If by Jim Averbeck
Hurry! Hurry! by Eve Bunting
The Happy Egg by Ruth Krauss
The Odd Egg by Emily Gravett
Roly Poly Egg by Kali Stileman
Little Lumpty by Miko Imai
It's Quacking Time! by Martin Waddell

Rhyme:
5 little eggs in the chicken pen,
Sitting on top is the mother hen,
Crackle, crackle, crackle! What do I see?
One little chick, as yellow as can be!

4,3,2,1 little eggs......

Craft:

                                       Hatching Chick

What's For Lunch?

Toddler Program

          Whats For Lunch? Fish, Grass and Worms! Yummmm!

Opening Song:
Clap in Time by Makin' Music

Activity:
Small and Tall

Song:
There were green alligators and long necked geese,
Humpty-backed camel and the chimpanzees,
Cats and rats and elephants as sure as your born,
But the loveliest of all was the unicorn!

Fingerplay:
With our ears we will listen,
With our eyes we will look,
It's time to read a book! Shhh!
(with appropriate signs)

Book:
Worms For Lunch? by Leonid Gore

Flannelboard Rhyme:
5 Little Acorns, high up in the tree,
Along comes a squirrel, as hungry as can be.
So he shook that tree as hard as he could,
Down came an acorn, mmm, mmm, good!

Fingerplay:
I wiggle, wiggle, wiggle my fingers...

Book:
Lunch by Denise Flemming

Shaker Song:
Popcorn by Laurie Berkner

Book:
Seven Hungry Babies by Candace Fleming

Closing Song:
Skinnamarink

Craft:
Make Lunch for the Animals
(Paper plates with fish, grass, beans, worms and playdough)

I Wish It Was Spring!

Toddler Program

Opening Song:
Clap in Time by Makin' Music

Activity:
Small and Tall

Song:
There were green alligators and long necked geese,
Humpty-backed camel and the chimpanzees,
Cats and rats and elephants as sure as your born,
But the loveliest of all was the unicorn!

Fingerplay:
With our ears we will listen,
With our eyes we will look,
It's time to read a book! Shhh!
(with appropriate signs)

Book:
Cold Little Duck, Duck, Duck by Lisa Westberg Peters

Flannelboard Rhyme:
5 fluffy clouds up high,
Float through the great big sky,
covering up the shiny sun.
Here comes a mighty breeze,
Blowing the clouds and trees....
(Blow cloud Away)
Now there are four fluffy clouds.
Dadadadadadadada!

Fingerplay:
I wiggle, wiggle, wiggle my fingers...

Book:
The Very Lazy Ladybug by Isobel Finn & Jack Tickle

Shaker Song:
The Ants Go Marching

Closing Song:
Skinnamarink

Craft:
WILDflowers!

Panda Bears!

Toddler Program

Opening Song:
Clap in Time by Makin' Music

Activity:
Small and Tall

Song:
There were green alligators and long necked geese,
Humpty-backed camel and the chimpanzees,
Cats and rats and elephants as sure as your born,
But the loveliest of all was the unicorn!

Fingerplay:
With our ears we will listen,
With our eyes we will look,
It's time to read a book! Shhh!
(with appropriate signs)

Book:
We're Going on A Bear Hunt by Michael Rosen
(with surprise ending!)

Flannelboard Rhyme:
5 Little Pandas,
5 Little Pandas,

5 Little Pandas eating bamboo.

Let's sneak up behind them,
Let's sneak up behind them,
Let's sneak up behind them.....
Peek-a-BOO!
(One Panda runs away)

Fingerplay:
I wiggle, wiggle, wiggle my fingers...

Book:
Panda Big and Panda Small by Jane Cabrera

Shaker Song:
Do Your Ears Hang Low

Closing Song:
Skinnamarink

Craft:
Fuzzy Pandas

Snow Day!

Toddler Program

Opening Song:
Clap in Time by Makin' Music

Activity:
Small and Tall

Song:
There were green alligators and long necked geese,
Humpty-backed camel and the chimpanzees,
Cats and rats and elephants as sure as your born,
But the loveliest of all was the unicorn!

Fingerplay:
With our ears we will listen,
With our eyes we will look,
It's time to read a book! Shhh!
(with appropriate signs)

Book:
Bear Snores On by Karma Wilson

Flannelboard Rhyme:

5 chubby little snowmen, each had a carrot nose.
Along came a bunny, and what do you suppose?
That hungry little bunny, looking for his lunch,
Ate one snowman’s carrot nose,
Nibble, nibble, crunch! 

4 chubby little snowmen...

Fingerplay:
I wiggle, wiggle, wiggle my fingers...

Book:
Winter's Tale by Robert Sabuda

Shaker Song:
If All the Raindrops
Shaker ABC's
Speedy ABC's

Rhyme:
Shhh! Be quiet.....

Book:
Scoop That Snow  by Jon Scieska

Closing Song:
Skinnamarink