Our 8th and final storytime of the summer session was all about Babies! I introduced everybody to Ralph (the library baby) and we pointed to his nose, eyes, hands, feet, hair and bellybutton! Then we all tried to find our own body parts! After that it was babies, babies EVERYWHERE!
Here are the books, songs, rhymes, flannel stories, activities and video we explored about our topic.
Ralph, the library baby
Books We Shared
We read the book I Am a Baby by Kathryn Madeline Allen. In it we see real photographs of beautiful babies as they introduce us to their world. There are diapers and clothes, bibs and cribs, toys and more! Infants and toddlers love looking at baby faces and this book truly resonated! This book is also a great way to introduce the realistic elements of nonfiction to your baby.
The Baby Goes Beep by Rebecca O’Connell is a fun, interactive book that follows a very noisy baby throughout the day. The baby goes “beep” (“beep, beep, beep”), the baby goes “boom” (“boom, boom, boom”)…the baby goes “splash”…”flip”…”la”… The toddlers, parents and I made the noises and movements as a group. A book like this gives children an opportunity to play, learn and develop language simultaneously. It is deceptively simply and encourages more engagement in the story. Thankfully, the noisy bits ended with “shhhh…” as the baby falls asleep.
Flannel Boards We Shared
Poor Little Baby
The rhyme goes:
Let’s lift the green blanket and see if you’re glad!
Five Little Babies
Rhymes & Songs & Fingerplays We Shared
We share a lot of songs & rhymes during storytime! You’ll find lyrics/words to those songs & rhymes (without music) here.
Welcome Song (song)
(to the tune of Twinkle Twinkle Little Star)
Welcome, welcome everyone
Now we’re here, let’s have some fun!
First we clap our hands just so
Then we bend and touch our toes
Welcome, welcome everyone
Now we’re here, let’s have some fun!
Open Shut Them (fingerplay)
Click her for video: Open Shut Them
Open shut them, open shut them (open hands wide, close them tight)
Give a little clap, clap, clap (clap 3x)
Open shut them, open shut them (open hands wide, close them tight)
Place them on your lap, lap, lap (bounce hands on lap)
Creep them, crawl them, creep them, crawl them (crawl fingers up to chin)
Right up to your chinny, chin chin (tap chin with fingers)
Open up your little mouth BUT (open mouth)
Do not let them in! (quickly place hands behind your back)
This is Big, Big, Big
This is big big big
Hold arms out to side
This is small small small
Cup hands together
This is short short short
Hold hands with palms facing each other
This is tall tall tall
Reach one hand above head
This is fast fast fast
Circle fists quickly
This is slow slow slow
Circle fists slowly
This is yes yes yes
Nod
This is no no no
Shake head
Credit: Mel’s Desk
You are My Sunshine (song)
You are my sunshine, my only sunshine
You make me happy when skies are grey
You’ll never know dear, how much I love you
And I love you more every day…
“Goodbye Friends” (in sign)
Click here for video: Goodbye Friends
Goodbye friends, goodbye friends
Goodbye friends, it’s time to say goodbye.
Now it’s Time to Say Goodbye (tune: Mary Had a Little Lamb)
Now it’s time to say goodbye, say goodbye, say goodbye,
Not it’s time to say goodbye, we’ll see you all next week!
Music from CDs We Shared
Children love to sing and dance to music. Here are some of the songs/bounces on CD that we used in storytime.
“Clap Everybody and Say Hello” from Sally Go Round the Sun by Kathy Reid-Naiman
Clap everybody and say hello, (clap hands)
Clap everybody and say hello,
Clap everybody and say hello,
No matter what the weather.
Stamp everybody and say hello, (stomp feet)
Stamp everybody and say hello,
Stamp everybody and say hello,
No matter what the weather.
Wiggle everybody and say hello, (wiggle baby)
Wiggle everybody and say hello,
Wiggle everybody and say hello,
No matter what the weather.
Jump everybody and say hello, (lift baby up high)
Jump everybody and say hello,
Jump everybody and say hello,
No matter what the weather.
Sing everybody and say hello, (wave hi)
Sing everybody and say hello,
Sing everybody and say hello,
No matter what the weather.
“Wheels on the Bus” from Songs for Wiggleworms by Old Town School of Folk Music
The wheels on the bus go round and round, round and round, round and round,
The wheels on the bus go round and round ALL THROUGH THE TOWN!
The wipers on the bus go swish swish swish, swish swish swish, swish, swish, swish,
The wipers on the bus go swish swish swish ALL THROUGH THE TOWN!
Repeat with:
The horn on bus goes beep beep beep, beep beep beep, beep beep beep…
The driver on the bus says move on back, move on back, move on back…
The babies on the bus go wah wah wah, wah wah wah, wah wah wah…
The fox on the bus says I won’t go, I won’t go, I won’t go…
The mamas and the daddies say shhh shhh shhh…
The mamas and the daddies say I love you, I love you, I love you…
The people on the bus go up and down, up and down, up and down…
The wheels on bus go round and round, round and round, round and round…
“We’re Going to the Market” from I Love to Hear the Sounds by Kathy Reid-Naiman
(Using egg shakers)
We’re going to the market, we’re going to the fair,
To see a senorita with flowers in her hair.
So shake it baby shake it!
Shake it if you can,
Dhake it like a milkshake and drink it from a can!
Shake it to the bottom, shake it to the top,
And turn around and turn around until we holler STOP!
(Repeat 1x)
“Itsy Bitsy Spider” from Toddlers on Parade by Carol Hammet & Elaine Bueffel
Click here for video: Itsy Bitsy Spider
The itsy bitsy spider
Climbed up the water spout.
Down came the rain and washed the spider out.
Out came the sun and dried up all the rain,
So the itsy bitsy spider climbed up the spout again.
“Roll Your Hands” from Toddlers on Parade by Carol Hammet & Elaine Bueffel
Roll, roll, roll your hands as fast as fast can be
Do it now, let me see, do it now for me!
Clap, clap, clap your hands as loud as loud can be
Do it now, let me see, do it now for me!
Tap, tap, tap your feet as softly as can be
Do it now, let me see, do it now for me!
Shake, shake, shake your feet as quickly as can be
Do it now, let me see, do it now for me!
Roll, roll, roll your hands as fast as fast can be
Do it now, let me see, do it now for me!
“Twinkle Twinkle Little Star” from Disney’s 100 Favourite Songs for Children
Twinkle twinkle little star,
How I wonder what you are.
Up above the world so high,
Like a diamond in the sky.
Twinkle Twinkle Little Star,
How I wonder what you are.
Video We Watched
Classical Baby – The Music Show
More Books to Share