Infant & Toddler Storytime – Bears

I’m a little late in updating this, but I wanted to share the fun we had at our last Infant/Toddler Storytimes for the Summer session on August 16. We shared books about bears!

Books We Shared

We got off to a slow, peaceful start in our infant storytime by reading Sleepy Bear by Lydia Dabcovich. Winter is coming, and bear and the other animals are preparing, and are so excited when spring comes ’round again. We also shared a cute story of Ben and his favorite toy in Ben Loves Bear by David McPhail.

During toddler storytime, we followed a young bear who gets lost in Oliver Finds His Way by Phyllis Root, illustrated by Christopher Denise. For a short toddler book, this one sure has a lot of tension, and young ones will love hearing of Oliver’s plan to find home. We also shared a book from a new series by Emily Gravett – Bear & Hare: Where’s Bear? Bear may not be the best at playing hide-and-seek, but we sure had fun counting and seeking together at storytime.

Flannelboard Story

INFANT STORYTIME

Bear Went Over the Mountain
Bear Went Over the Mountain 1 Bear Went Over the Mountain 2
Pattern & Song from: Mother Goose’s Playhouse by Judy Sierra

The bear went over the mountain,
The bear went over the mountain,
The bear went over the mountain,
To see what he could see.
But all that he could see,
But all that he could see,
But all that he could see was
The other side of the mountain.
The other side of the mountain,
The other side of the mountain,
was all that he could see.

TODDLER STORYTIME

Bears
Bears Flannelboard
(to the tune of “Mary Had a Little Lamb”)
Grizzly bears are big and brown,
Big and brown, big and brown.
Grizzly bears are big and brown,
And live in the woods.

Polar bears are soft and white,
Soft and white, soft and white.
Polar bears are soft and white,
And live in the cold.

Teddy bears are just my size,
Just my size, just my size.
Teddy bears are just my size,
To cuddle with at night.

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

Welcome Song
(to 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.

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)
See a video of Peek-a-Boo.

Icky Bicky Soda Cracker
Icky Bicky Soda Cracker (bounce baby gently on knees)
Icky Bicky Boo
Icky Bicky Soda Cracker
Up Goes You! (lift baby into air)

Icky Bicky Soda Cracker (bounce baby gently on knees)
Icky Bicky Boo
Icky Bicky Soda Cracker
I love you! (bring baby in for a cuddle)

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)

Round the World
Round the World (spin finger in air closer and closer to baby)
Round the world
Catch a big bear.
Where are we going to catch him?
Right in THERE. (tickle baby’s tummy)

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

TODDLER 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.

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

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

“Clap Everybody and Say Hello” from Sally Go Round the Sun by Kathy Reid-Naiman

“Reach for the Ceiling” from Toddlers on Parade by Carol Hammett & Elaine Bueffel

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

Film We Watched in Toddler Storytime

“Follow the Leaders” from the DVD Little Bear: Rainy Day Tales.

It’s so hot. Little Bear and his friends just want to get to the pond to cool off. But, they find a way to make the journey fun – by following the leader!