“I might hit developmental and societal milestones in a different order than my peers, but I am able to accomplish these small victories on my own time.“ ~ Haley Moss
Sensory Storytime is a fun, interactive, educational storytime designed for preschool age children with autism and/or sensory challenges. It involves books, songs, movement and therapeutic play that incorporate the five senses.
If you would like to learn more about Sensory Storytime and how it differs from a traditional storytime, please click here: Sensory Storytime.
Winter Session – 3rd Meeting
THEME: RAIN
Stories
The books chosen for Sensory Storytime are the same books we would choose for a toddler or preschool storytime. They need to be colorful with simple text and a well-defined concept or a linear, easy-to-follow story. If we have a group of children who have difficulty sitting through even a few pages, we can paraphrase the text or use props such as handheld puppets to encourage engagement.
Listed below are two books that were used for the third storytime of our winter session. Click onto the images or the titles to find them in our library catalog.
In Valeri Gorbachev’s, One Rainy Day, A pig and a whole group of animals try to escape the rain by crowding under ONE tree. It gets a little tight when the hippo and elephant join in! A humorous book that builds anticipation and helps with animal identification and counting.
Big Storm by Nancy Tafuri is similar in concept to One Rainy Day with 10 different animals trying to find shelter in a hill hollow. Even with all 10 safe and sound, there is a rumble…what is that? Thunder? But never fear, the book ends with a rainbow after the storm. As the title suggests, it is A Very Soggy Counting Book.
Flannelboard
Five Colorful Umbrellas
Five little umbrellas by the back door, The red one went outside & now there are four.
Four little umbrellas, pretty as can be, The blue one was needed & now there are three.
Three little umbrellas, oh, they missed the blue, So, the green one followed & now there are two.
Two little umbrellas, glad there was no sun, The yellow one went into the rain & now there’s just one.
One little umbrella, all alone in the hall, The purple one got picked up & that was all!
Reciprocal and/or Tactile Songs & Activities
Hello Everybody How Are You?
Hello everybody, how are you? How are you?
Hello there ________ (child’s name)
How are you today?
Roll the Ball Game
(reiprocol activity using a textured ball)
(Sing to tune of Row, Row, Row Your Boat)
Roll, roll, roll the ball (roll ball to specific child while singing)
Roll the ball to ________ (child’s name)
(Repeat child’s name 3X) ________ ________ _______,
Roll the ball to me (wait for child to roll the ball back with help from parent/caregiver)
Bean Bag Rock
(fine and gross motor skill activity using weighted bean bags)
- Weighted bean bags are passed out to each child.
- We generally use the Bean Bag Rock song/activity which is #3 on the bean bag activities & coordination skills CD (see below).
- Children follow the song’s instructions with help from a parent/caregiver or the storytime leader.
Bean Bag Rock (abbreviated lyrics)
Shake, shake, shake your beanbag
Come on, come on shake your beanbag.
Shake, shake, shake your beanbag
Shake your beanbag, don’t let it drop,
Let’s all do the beanbag rock.
- The song continues with the children being instructed to place the beanbag on various body parts (knee, head, toe, elbow) and also asks the children to hold the beanbag up high and down low.
- The movements help with body identification, developing fine and gross motor skills and with following directions.
Closing Songs
We try to maintain consistency with the songs and activities we use in our Sensory Storytime sessions. The repetition builds familiarity and provides the predictability children with autism require. Sessions generally last 5-6 weeks with one meeting a week.
Two universally known songs that are always big hits are Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star and Itsy Bitsy Spider. The finger movements used with the songs help build fine motor skills and enhance focus.
Click here for video: Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star
Click here for video: Itsy Bitsy Spider
Goodbye Friends (in sign)
Sung to the tune of Goodnight Ladies
Goodbye friends, goodbye friends, goodbye friends
It’s time to say goodbye. Click here for video: Goodbye Friends
FREE PLAY
Each Sensory Storytime ends with roughly 20 minutes of free play. For free play, we pull out some therapeutic play materials to facilitate sensory and interactive play. See the photographs below for examples of what we use:
Extend the Fun and Learning
Extend the fun at home by checking out one of our Sensory Storytime kits. Each kit is themed and contains 2-3 books, a sensory toy and an activity and/or music CD. The kits are housed at Lamanda Park Branch Library but can be placed on hold and sent to a Pasadena Public Library location of your choice. Click here for a list of themes: Sensory Storytime Kit.