Toddlertime 12-5-8: Penguins

My Toddlertime format is:

• Intro and hello
• Book
• Toddlers are basically babies who can run away from you, so I tend to look for books with no more than two lines of text per page. When they're that age, kids are still figuring out how books work, how you hold and treat them, and looking at the pictures. They will listen to the story and participate if the book has an interactive element, so anything that will keep them engaged verbally or physically is Toddlertime gold.
• Movement song
• This is the time for a longer movement song. Ideally one that corresponds to your theme, but that's not a requirement. Some themes just aren't compatible with music, and that's okay.
• Felt story
• My favorites are the ones where the kids have to help you chant, identify colors, count with you, or sing a song.
• Movement song(s)
• Depending on how much time we have, I'll use one 2-3 minute song or two that are under a minute long.
• Goodbye
• 10-15 minute toy time
• Toddler attention spans are short! In this storytime, I only plan 15-20 minutes of content because that's about as long as you can hold their attention. After that, we do a short community playtime with educational toys to give kids the opportunity to learn to play in a group, and parents the opportunity to meet and interact with one another.

Book

I Am Small by Emma Dodd

An adorable story that explores the concept that even if you're young and small, there are still things you can do to help your family and community.

Movement Song

"Clap Your Hands"

Fun directed movement song that sneakily helps young kids develop gross motor skills. 

Felt Story

"Pippa's Penguin"
This is a longer felt story, but the kids stay engaged because they want to help you figure out why each penguin isn't correct and what makes each one unique. I got the biggest laugh when I pulled out the penguin in the glittery suit.

Movement Songs

"Doin' the Penguin" from Sesame Street

A classic from 1993! This is actually a directed movement song if you listen carefully. The kids loved pretending to fall on the ice.

"Follow the Leader" by Ella Jenkins

My favorite song to get attention back from wiggly kiddos.

Toddlertime 11-21-18: Thanksgiving

My Toddlertime format is:

• Intro and hello
• Book
• Toddlers are basically babies who can run away from you, so I tend to look for books with no more than two lines of text per page. When they're that age, kids are still figuring out how books work, how you hold and treat them, and looking at the pictures. They will listen to the story and participate if the book has an interactive element, so anything that will keep them engaged verbally or physically is Toddlertime gold.
• Movement song
• This is the time for a longer movement song. Ideally one that corresponds to your theme, but that's not a requirement. Some themes just aren't compatible with music, and that's okay.
• Felt story
• My favorites are the ones where the kids have to help you chant, identify colors, count with you, or sing a song.
• Movement song(s)
• Depending on how much time we have, I'll use one 2-3 minute song or two that are under a minute long.
• Goodbye
• 10-15 minute toy time
• Toddler attention spans are short! In this storytime, I only plan 15-20 minutes of content because that's about as long as you can hold their attention. After that, we do a short community playtime with educational toys to give kids the opportunity to learn to play in a group, and parents the opportunity to meet and interact with one another.

Book

All for Pie, Pie for All by David Martin

This book didn't go over great with the toddlers, and I think it was because it's too long. I would probably paperclip some of the pages together to make it shorter if I used this book again. However, it is a very cute story about families of different sizes and species sharing pie together and definitely gets you in a Thanksgiving mood.

Movement Song

"Happy and You Know It" by Mr. Jon

Has nothing to do with the theme, just a fun song that most kids know.

Felt Story

"Five Little Turkeys"
[A good way to get kids involved is to ask them to help you count how many turkeys are left after each verse, and invite them to chant with you if they pick it up]

Five little turkeys at the barn door
One waddled off and then there were four

Four little turkeys out under a tree
One waddled off and then there were three

Three little turkeys with nothing to do
One waddled off and then there were two

Two little turkeys in the noonday sun
One waddled off and then there was one

One little turkey--better run away!
It's almost Thanksgiving Day!

Movement Songs

"Follow the Leader" by Ella Jenkins

"Peek-a-Boo"

Both of these songs have a strange hypnotizing effect on small children. Even if they're mid-tantrum, most littles will stop what they're doing and follow my motions until the song is over.

Toddlertime 9-5-18: Grandmas

My Toddlertime format is:

• Intro and hello
• Book
• Toddlers are basically babies who can run away from you, so I tend to look for books with no more than two lines of text per page. When they're that age, kids are still figuring out how books work, how you hold and treat them, and looking at the pictures. They will listen to the story and participate if the book has an interactive element, so anything that will keep them engaged verbally or physically is Toddlertime gold.
• Movement song
• This is the time for a longer movement song. Ideally one that corresponds to your theme, but that's not a requirement. Some themes just aren't compatible with music, and that's okay.
• Felt story
• My favorites are the ones where the kids have to help you chant, identify colors, count with you, or sing a song.
• Movement song(s)
• Depending on how much time we have, I'll use one 2-3 minute song or two that are under a minute long.
• Goodbye
• 10-15 minute toy time
• Toddler attention spans are short! In this storytime, I only plan 15-20 minutes of content because that's about as long as you can hold their attention. After that, we do a short community playtime with educational toys to give kids the opportunity to learn to play in a group, and parents the opportunity to meet and interact with one another.

Book
I Really Want to See You, Grandma by Taro Gomi
Taro Gomi is a hidden gem in the world of children's literature. He has so many books, and they are all written in sparse, simple language with fantastic illustrations and gentle, positive messages. This one is about a child who wants to see their grandma, and the grandma wants to see them, so the two keep passing each other on the road across town to visit the other one. They finally meet in the middle and have a picnic!

Movement Song

"Baby Shark" by The Kiboomers
After all this time, I've finally found out who sings the version of Baby Shark I've been using for years, and located a YouTube video for it! Now you get to hear the actual version I use in storytime. I like it because it's slower than the version that's recently gone viral, giving the kids more time to figure out their movements and sing along. I used it for grandma storytime because there's a grandparent shark... I think they're actually saying "grandpa," but it's hard to tell for sure, so I just went with it.

Felt Story
"Grandma, Grandma, Look and See"
(Start with the flowers already up on the board.
Bolded text is the part kids can be encouraged to chant along with you.)

Grandma, Grandma, look and see! 
I brought a butterfly home with me (put butterfly on board)
Grandma says to let wild things be, so I set my butterfly free.

Grandma, Grandma, look and see! 
I brought an inchworm home with me (put worm on board)
Grandma says to let wild things be, so I set my inchworm free.

Grandma, Grandma, look and see!
I brought a songbird home with me (put bird on board)
Grandma says to let wild things be, so I set my songbird free.

Grandma, Grandma, look and see! 
I brought a slimy frog home with me (put frog on board)
Grandma says to let wild things be, so I set my slimy frog free.

Grandma, Grandma, look and see! 
Dad brought a kitten home for me (put kitten on board)
Grandma approves and I agree--seems like the perfect pet for me!

Movement Song
"Peek-a-Boo"
I went simple with this song today. It's very short, and somehow magically quiets a crowd of restless toddlers with very little effort.

Toddlertime 8-8-18: Monkeys

My Toddlertime format is:

• Intro and hello
• Book
• Toddlers are basically babies who can run away from you, so I tend to look for books with no more than two lines of text per page. When they're that age, kids are still figuring out how books work, how you hold and treat them, and looking at the pictures. They will listen to the story and participate if the book has an interactive element, so anything that will keep them engaged verbally or physically is Toddlertime gold.
• Movement song
• This is the time for a longer movement song. Ideally one that corresponds to your theme, but that's not a requirement. Some themes just aren't compatible with music, and that's okay.
• Felt story (or Book #2)
• My favorite felt stories are the ones where the kids have to help you chant, identify colors, count with you, or sing a song.
• Movement song(s)
• Depending on how much time we have, I'll use one 2-3 minute song or two that are under a minute long.
• Goodbye
• 10-15 minute toy time
• Toddler attention spans are short! In this storytime, I only plan 15-20 minutes of content because that's about as long as you can hold their attention. After that, we do a short community playtime with educational toys to give kids the opportunity to learn to play in a group, and parents the opportunity to meet and interact with one another.

Book
Monkey and Me by Emily Gravet
This book repeats a chant on almost every page: "Monkey and me, Monkey and me, Monkey and me, we went to see." I taught the chant before starting the book, and then encouraged the kids and caregivers to chant with me while practicing the ASL sign for "monkey." It was a great way to keep everyone engaged in the story and avoid wiggles.

Movement Song
"Five Little Monkeys"
I like to do this song in sign language. It includes several every-day signs, like the numbers up to five, "mom," "call," "hurt," and "no more" which doubles as the very useful sign "all done."

Monkey

Jumping

Fall off

Hurt head

Mom

Call

No more/All done

Book #2
Dear Zoo by Rod Campbell
This is a classic that I grew up with, and is timeless in my opinion. It's short and fun, and the kids get to help you guess where the animals are hiding. And of course, there are monkeys.

Movement Song
"Peek-a-Boo"
I went simple with this song today. It's very short, and somehow magically quiets a crowd of restless toddlers with very little effort.

Toddlertime 7/25/18: The Moon

Theming Toddlertime on the moon happened completely by accident. I found the book Circle Song by Diana Engel, and the rest of the planning sort of fell into place after that.

We did our usual intro, and then read Circle Song. This book has a few more words than I would usually prefer during a Toddlertime, but it is a sweet bedtime tale full of love and positivity. One of the circles mentioned in the book is the moon, so I decided to find a felt story about the moon as well and loosely theme the day on that.

I wasn't able to find a movement song about the moon, so we went with one of my favorite standbys, "Clap Your Hands."

Click here for the version of "Clap Your Hands" that I use. 

For our felt story today, I used "The Moon Up Above." To the tune of "Wheels on the Bus," we sing...

The moon up above is big and bright,
Big and bright, big and bright.
The moon up above is big and bright
In the sky.

The moon up above is near the stars,
Near the stars, near the stars.
The moon up above is near the stars
In the sky.

The moon up above helps me to sleep,
Me to sleep, me to sleep.
The moon up above helps me to sleep
In my bed.

With each verse, I add the felt piece that corresponds. Sometimes we sing each verse twice through; once as a slow call and response and once together as a group, depending on how quickly the families catch on to the lyrics and melody.

Finally, it was time to say goodbye until next time!

Toddlertime 7-18-18: Dogs

Today our Toddlertime theme was dogs and it was a ton of fun!

After our usual hello and intro, we read I Got A New Friend by Karl Newsom Edwards. I loved reading this to a group exactly as written, then right before turning the page to reveal that the dog was narrating the whole time, asking the kids who they think is talking. Today no one guessed that the dog was talking about their new friend, the little girl!

Our first movement song was "Happy and You Know It," which isn't necessarily related to dogs but is a very fun wiggle-reducer. I love the Mr. Jon version because he brings out the tickle bugs.

For our felt story today, I went for a throwback and did BINGO. Keeping it super simple, I put a picture of a farmer up for ~atmosphere~ and then the large letters B, I, N, G, and O that I printed off the computer, laminated, and backed with velcro We sang the song as a group, eliminating one letter each verse and clapping in its place. At the end, I put all the letters back and we sang a final verse with all five letters. While singing, I did my best to point to each letter to help the kiddos make the connection between the letter we were verbalizing and what it looks like.

Our final song before saying goodbye was "Clap Your Hands," the eternally crowd-pleasing directed movement dance.

Click here for the version of "Clap Your Hands" that I use. 

Toddlertime 7-11-18: Shapes

After our hello this morning, the first story for shape-theme Toddlertime was Box Meets Circle by Aaron Hartline. I knew the art in this book would be a hit with the toddlers because it's fun to look at and draws your attention. It's also a cute story about friendship with few words per page, and introduces the basic idea of squares and circles. To get the kids involved in the reading, and therefore engaged instead of distracted, I had them name the shapes on each page ("Who is this again?" "CIRCLE!")

The first movement song of the day was "Follow the Leader" by Ella Jenkins. This song is an old/new discovery of mine. I knew Ella Jenkins as a child and went to a few of her concerts when I was in preschool, but have recently re-discovered her and have begun using her call-and-response songs in storytime. I especially like "Follow the Leader" because it's mellow and strangely enchanting. As soon as I put it on and start clapping along, the kids immediately calm down and start following me.

In lieu of a second book, I like the second story in Toddlertime to be an interactive felt story. Today I had regular old felt shapes I cut out myself, and we sang a call-and-response song for each one:

Do you know what shape this is?
Shape this is, shape this is?
Do you know what shape this is,
In my hand?

Circle is what shape it is,
Shape it is, shape it is.
Circle is what shape it is,
In your hand.

Lather, rinse, repeat with at 3-5 shapes. We did circle, square, triangle, rectangle, and star.

Jbrary has a similar song. It's been a while since I shouted out those awesome ladies, so here's their version. The tune they sing to is the same one I use with the felt shapes and song above.

Our final movement song was "Clap Your Hands," which is always a hit with the extra-wiggly toddlers.

Click here for the version of "Clap Your Hands" that I use. 

And then we sang "Peek-a-Boo" and said goodbye to our friends with bubbles and toys.

Toddlertime 4-25-18: Ocean

Sticking to a theme for Toddlertime is much more difficult than it is for Preschool Storytime, especially since my revelation that toddlers are large babies, not small preschoolers. But, sometimes choosing a theme still helps me make a storytime plan. Today I decided to revisit my theme of the ocean, which has been successful in the past. Plus, who wouldn't take every opportunity possible to sing the Goldfish song?

After saying hello this morning, our first story was Hooray for Fish! by Lucy Cousins.

I love this book for toddlers. The combination of very few words on each page and the happy, dynamic illustrations keep a large group of toddlers engaged.

Because I couldn't choose between them, we did two movement songs after the book: "The Goldfish" (because duh) and "Slippery Fish."

To calm everyone down after our dance party and get ready to hear a felt story, I used the "Everybody Do This Just Like Me" chant. This one is interesting because you need to change up the movements often to keep the kids interested. The point is for them to watch your movements and try to follow what you do, instead of wiggling around. You might have to repeat the first verse 2 or more times. I wouldn't move on to "Everybody sit down" until the group is calm, listening, and ready to sit.

Everybody do this just like me (movement 1)
Everybody do this just like me (movement 2)
Everybody do this just like me (movement 3)
Everybody do this just... (movement 1)
Like... (movement 2)
Me. (movement 3)

(motion for kids to sit down)
Everybody sit down quietly
Everybody sit down quietly
Everybody sit down quietly
Everybody sit down just... like... me.

I did a very simple felt story today, "Five Little Jellyfish."

I like to get the kids involved with this by asking them to help me count down as I remove jellyfish one verse at a time, and to help me identify what color each jellyfish is.

Five little jellyfish swimming by the shore
The yellow one got lost, and then there were four.

Four little jellyfish swimming in the sea
The blue one swam far away, and then there were three.

Three little jellyfish in the ocean blue
The red one took a seahorse ride, and then there were two.

Two little jellyfish swimming in the sun
The orange one took a dive, and then there was one.

One green jellyfish swimming all alone
And then it was time for him to go home!

Finally, we sang "Baby Shark," "Peek-a-Boo," and then said goodbye to all our friends until next time. 

Click here to listen to the version of "Peek-a-Boo" I use. 

Toddlertime 4-18-18: On the Farm

Our loose theme for today was the farm.

After our introduction, our first story was Big Fat Hen by Keith Baker. I like this book because it's the usual "one, two, buckle my shoe" nursery rhyme, with colorful pictures toddlers respond to.

For our first movement song, I used "I Know a Chicken" by Laurie Berkner and passed out egg shakers. Whenever I do this song I make sure to emphasize that it is a call and response song. I usually take the role of the lead singer, and encourage the kids and parents to repeat after me. Many of our Toddlertime kids aren't quite that verbal yet, but it still helps their development to hear the songs and see those around them singing. 

The collection of egg shakers is always a little disorganized, and usually ends up with a group of mobile babies running toward me at full speed, and slam dunking their instruments into the bucket. We definitely needed a little calm-down chant after all that excitement. I used the "Everybody Do This Just Like Me" chant. This one is interesting because you need to change up the movements often to keep the kids interested. The point is for them to watch your movements and try to follow what you do, instead of wiggling around. You might have to repeat the first verse 2 or more times. I wouldn't move on to "Everybody sit down" until the group is calm, listening, and ready to sit.

Everybody do this just like me (movement 1)
Everybody do this just like me (movement 2)
Everybody do this just like me (movement 3)
Everybody do this just... (movement 1)
Like... (movement 2)
Me. (movement 3)

(motion for kids to sit down)
Everybody sit down quietly
Everybody sit down quietly
Everybody sit down quietly
Everybody sit down just... like... me.

Our felt story today was "Old Macdonald Had a Farm." I used the farm animals from a large set of felt animals I found in our workroom, and had everyone sing the song with me as each one was revealed. Just like the call and response in "I Know a Chicken," it's important for pre-verbal kiddos to hear these songs before they're able to sing them themselves. And of course, making animal sounds is something pre-verbal toddlers can do very well.

Finally, we sang "One, Two Hands" and "Peek-a-Boo" before saying goodbye for the day.

Click here to listen to the version of "Peek-a-Boo" I use. 

Books to Display:

• Goose on the Farm—Wall 
• Old MacDonald Had a Farm—Berry (ill.) 
• Over on the Farm—Berkes 
• Cock-a-Doodle-Doo, Creak, Pop-Pop, Moo—Aylesworth