After the usual introduction, I segued right into the lap bounce portion instead of reading a story first.
Our lap bounce portion began, as always, with "Bumpy Road." Grownups are instructed to seat their baby facing forward on their laps and bounce along with me as I demonstrate with a roughly baby-sized teddy bear. Here is the chant:
Bumpy road, bumpy road. (Bounce baby on lap)
Smooth road, smooth road. (Move baby smoothly back and forth)
Bumpy road, bumpy road. (Bounce baby on lap)
Smooth road, smooth road. (Move baby smoothly back and forth)
Rough road, rough road! (Bounce baby higher than before)
Bumpy road, bumpy road. (Bounce baby on lap)
Rough road, rough road! (Bounce baby higher than before)
Hole! (Hold baby under armpits and let them fall between your legs)
I used "Walkin' Ol' Joe" and "The Noble Duke of York" next, which are both great lap bounces but very different from each other in terms of tempo. "Joe" changes up several times to show the different speeds the horse walks, while "Duke" stays at a steady marching beat the whole time. I've found that both babies and grownups stay more engaged if you keep your activities varied.
Our story today was I Am Tall by Flying Frog, a fun, short story about animals of varying sizes. The great thing about this one is it's a lift-the-flap. It's great for teaching small children about opposites. And, they get a big surprise at the end when you actually have to turn the book sideways and lift the flap to expose the tall giraffe!
The last song we did before saying goodbye was "Milkshake," a storytime classic that works great as a lap bounce or simple song with gestures. I saw grownups doing both, and it made me happy that they make this program their own and do what feels best to them and their baby! I do it with the music, but I've also included a great video from the amazing blog Jbrary where they do it a capella.
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