For our fifth Toddler Storytime of the spring session, we read books about dinosaurs.


Books We Shared

Our first story, Where Did All the Dinos Go? by Jim Benton, invites readers to spot the dinos hiding in cars and in cowboy boots, to see if the dinosaurs really vanished long ago!

Our second book, Little Dinos Don’t Yell by Michael Dahl, teaches a little dino how to keep her ROAR outside and to use her “inside voice” indoors.


Flannel Board Song

Dinosaurs Long Long Ago

(to tune of “The Wheels on the Bus”)

Pteranodons’ wings went flap, flap, flap. (flap arms like wings)
Flap, flap, flap. Flap, flap, flap
Pteranodons’ wings went flap, flap, flap.
Long, long ago.

Other verses:

Tyrannosaurus Rex went grr grr grr… (make T-Rex arms and say grr)
Triceratops’s horns went poke poke poke… (make horns on the top of head with fingers)
Stegosaurus’s tail went spike spike spike… (place palms together and swing hands back and forth)
Raptor’s legs went fast fast fast… (run in place)

(Credit: Jen in the Library)


Letter of the Day

To emphasize writing skills I have the toddlers practice drawing the letter of the day in the air. Our letter of the day was “D.” We talked about things that start with D, like diapers, diamonds, ducks, dump trucks, dogs and dinos!


Video We Shared

We watched “How Do Dinosaurs Say Goodnight?” based on the book by Jane Yolen.

It’s on the DVD Good Night Gorilla:


Rhymes & Fingerplays & Songs We Shared without Music

We sing a lot of songs during storytime!  You’ll find lyrics to those songs without music here.

Open Shut Them

Open, shut them (open and close fingers)
Open, shut them
Give a little clap, clap, clap (clap hands)
Open, shut them (open and close fingers)
Open, shut them
Place them on your lap, lap, lap (pat knees)
Creep them, crawl them, creep them, crawl them (“crawl” your fingers very slowly from your knees up to your face)
Right up to your chin, chin, chin (touch chin)
Open up your little mouth BUT…(open wide!)
Do not let them in! (quickly and abruptly move hands behind your back and smack lips shut)

Little Jingle Mouse

I heard a little jingle, (jingle bells softly)
Right inside my house.
It sounded like the jingle
Of a little jingle mouse.
He jingled to the ceiling,
he jingled to the floor,
He jingled till he fell asleep,
And he began to snore…
I head a great big jingle, (jingle bells loudly)
Right outside my door,
It sounded like the jingle
of a jingle dinosaur!
He jingled to the ceiling,
he jingled to the floor,
He jingled till he fell asleep,
And he began to snore…

(Credit: Library Village)

This next one we used puppets to enact:

The Dino Ditty

(tune: “Doo Wah Ditty” by Jeff Barry and Ellie Greenwich)
(T. rex puppet)
Here he comes just a stomping with his feet.
Singing dino, ditty, ditty – dum, ditty do
Searching around for something to eat.
Singing Dino, ditty, ditty, dum, ditty-do
He’s huge. (echo)
He’s strong. (echo)
He’s huge, he’s strong.
Won’t be hungry very long!

(pterodactyl puppet)
Here he comes just a flying down the street singing…
Flapping his wings as he looks for stuff to eat singing…

(stegosaurus puppet)
Here he comes just a swinging his tail singing…
Eating lots of plants, like spinach and kale, singing…

(Credit: Kentucky Department for Libraries and Archives)

Dino-Pokey

(tune: Hokey Pokey)
Put your claws in. Put your claws out.
Put your claws in and scratch them all about.
Do the dino-pokey and turn yourself around. That’s what it’s all about.
Put your teeth in… chomp them all bout.
Put your feet in… stomp them all about.
Put your tail in… wag it all about.

(Credit: Kentucky Department for Libraries and Archives)

Storytime’s Over
Hands up high! (Put your hands in air)
Now give a big sigh (sigh and bring hands down)
Our storytime’s over
So wave bye-bye (wave)


Music from CDs We Shared

I love to sing and dance to music.  Here are some of the songs and cds 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.


“Row, Row, Row Your Boat” from Songs for Wiggleworms by Old Town School of Folk Music

Row, row, row your boat
gently down the stream
Merrily, merrily, merrily, merrily
life is but a dream.

Other verses:
Twist, twist, twist your boat
Bounce, bounce, bounce your boat…
Sway, sway, sway your boat…
Wiggle, wiggle, wiggle your boat…
Tickle, tickle, tickle your boat…


“I’m a Little Teapot/Two Little Blackbirds” from Wiggleworms Love You by Old Town School of Folk Music

I’m a little teapot, short and stout
Here is my handle (bring one hand to waist)
Here is my spout (stick the other hand out like a teapot spout)
When I get all steamed up, hear me shout: (wiggle a little bit)
“Tip me over and pour me out!” (bend in the direction of your outstretched hand)

Two little blackbirds sitting on a hill (hold both your index fingers out and wiggle them)
One named Jack and the other named Jill (wiggle each index finger)
Fly away Jack and fly away Jill (bring each finger, one at a time, behind your back)
Come back Jack and come back Jill (bring each finger back in front of you one at a time)


“Twinkle Twinkle Little Star” from Walt Disney’s Children’s Favorite Songs Volume 1

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.


Additional Activities

We played with puppets, jingle bells and other percussion toys!


Continue the Fun

Want more stories about dinos?  Check these out at your Pasadena Public Library branch: