Mothers are magnificent. Sure, it may be after Mother’s Day, but we can celebrate Mom’s every day.
Books We Shared
Our first book in infant storytime was I Love My Mommy by Sebastien Braun, a sweet reflection on all the wonderful things mothers do including feed their babies, help their babies, playing with their babies, and of course cuddling their babies. Later in storytime, we took a walk with Mama’s Little Bears by Nancy Tafuri. Three little bears are tired of fishing and decide to go exploring. But Mama is always close by watching over them.
With toddler storytime, the first story we shared was Piglet and Mama by Margaret Wild, illustrated by Stephen Michael King. Piglet gets separated from her mama, and although many of her farm friend’s mothers offer to play, she just wants her mama. Our second story, Mama Mine by Tim Warnes, illustrated by Jane Chapman celebrates all the different types of mothers there are in the animal kingdom, and how different they are.
Flannelboard Story
INFANT STORYTIME
Five Eggs and Five Eggs
Five eggs and five eggs (hold up 5 fingers on one hand, then on the other)
That makes ten. (hold up ten fingers)
Sitting on top is a mother hen. (make one hand into fist, lay other hand on top of it)
Crackle, crackle, crackle. (clap hands for each crackle)
What do I see? (hands up and shrug)
Ten yellow chicks as happy as can be. (wiggle ten fingers)
TODDLER STORYTIME
Mothers and Babies Match
This baby makes a mooing sound
when his mother’s not around.
Calf is the name of this baby.
What is his mother called?
COW
Other verses:
Barking, puppy, dog
Meowing, kitten, cat
Quacking, duckling, duck
Oinking, piglet, pig
Growling, cub, bear
Roaring, cub, lion
Cheeping, chick, hen
Rhymes & Songs We Shared
We have a lot of fun doing action rhymes at storytime! Here are the ones we shared without musical accompaniment.
INFANT STORYTIME
Now it’s time to Say Hello
(to tune of Mary Had a Little Lamb)
Now it’s time to say hello, say hello, say hello
Now it’s time to say hello and start our storytime.
Peek-a-Boo
(to tune of Frere Jacques)
Peek-a-boo, Peek-a-boo (play peek-a-boo)
I see you, I see you (point at baby)
I see your little nose (touch baby’s nose)
I see your tiny toes (touch baby’s toes)
Peek-a-boo. Peek-a-boo. (play peek-a-boo again)
The Grandfather Clock
The grandfather clock goes
tick, tock, tick, tock, tick, tock, tick, tock (sway baby slowly from side to side)
The kitchen clock goes
tick tock tick tock tick tock tick tock (sway or bounce baby a little faster)
And Mommy’s little watch goes
tick-tick-tick-tick-tick-tick-tick (bounce baby quickly or tickle baby)
Stop!
Patty Cake
Patty cake, patty cake, baker’s man. (Clap your hands)
Bake me a cake as fast as you can.
Roll it (Roll your hands, hand over hand)
and pat it (pat baby’s legs)
And mark it with a B (write a B on baby’s tummy)
And put it in the oven for Baby and me. (point to baby, then point to you)
See the Little Mousie
See the little mousie (circle finger on baby’s hand)
Creeping up the stair. (move hands up baby’s arm)
Looking for a warm nest, (move fingers up arm)
There, oh, there! (tickle armpit)
TODDLER STORYTIME
Now it’s time to Say Hello
(to tune of Mary Had a Little Lamb)
Now it’s time to say hello, say hello, say hello
Now it’s time to say hello and start our storytime.
Open Shut Them
Open, shut them. (hands palms out with fingers stretched, then close into fists)
Open shut them. (hands palms out with fingers stretched, then close into fists)
Give a little clap, clap, clap. (clap hands on each clap)
Open, shut them. (hands palms out with fingers stretched, then close into fists)
Open shut them. (hands palms out with fingers stretched, then close into fists)
Place them on your lap-lap-lap. (pat lap three times)
Creep them, crawl them (creep fingers up from lap towards chin)
Creep them, crawl them (creep fingers up from lap towards chin)
Right up to your chin-chin-chin (tap fingers on chin)
Open up your little mouth (open mouth wide)
BUT DO NOT LET THEM IN! (say quickly and hide hands behind back).
See a video of Open Shut Them.
Now it’s Time to Say Goodbye
(to tune of Mary Had a Little Lamb)
Now it’s time to say goodbye, say goodbye, say goodbye
Now it’s time to say goodbye
I’ll see you all next week.
Music We Shared
Singing is a great way to share words and rhythms with your baby. While you don’t need a music cd to do this, we do share some songs from cds in our storytimes.
INFANT STORYTIME
“Clap, Tap and Bend” from It’s Toddler Time by Carol Hammett and Elaine Bueffel
“Ladies Ride” from Wiggleworms Love You by Old Town School of Folk Music
“Itsy Bitsy Spider” from Children’s Favorite Songs Volume 3 from Walt Disney
“Twinkle Twinkle Little Star” from Songs for Wiggleworms by the Old Town School of Folk Music
TODDLER STORYTIME
“Wake Up Toes” from Morning Magic by Joanie Bartels
“Reach for the Ceiling” from Toddlers on Parade by Carol Hammett & Elaine Bueffel
“Row, Row, Row Your Boat” from Songs for Wiggleworms by the Old Town School of Folk Music
“Two Little Blackbirds” from Fingerplays and Footplays for Fun and Learning by Rosemary Hallum and Henry “Buzz” Glass
Film We Watched in Toddler Storytime
“Is Your Mama a Llama? from the DVD Is Your Mama a Llama? …and More Stories About Growing Up. Based on the book by Deborah Guarino, illustrated by Steven Kellogg.
Lloyd visits many of his animal friends and asks them, “Is Your Mama a Llama?: in this fun video that encourages guessing..
Continue the Fun
Want more Mom fun? Check out these fun books all about you at your Pasadena Public Library Branch.
Children’s Room – Infant Toddler Storytime – 5/10/2016