Toddler Storytime: Topic
Updated: -December 21, 2020
Introduction: This Storytime is developed specially for children two and three years old and their caregivers. On this blog you will find various books, songs, rhymes, fingerplays, socialization, and crafts ideas. Each session of toddler storytime consists of a variety of activities that incorporate reading, writing, singing, talking, and playing.
This blog also includes activities, crafts and books for older children for family and preschool storytimes.
Date: Every Wednesday
Time: 10:30 a.m.
Age Range: 2 to 3 years old
Letter and/or Color: Letter "T" and various colors
Skills Supported:
Print conventions and awareness
Phonological Awareness
Letter Knowledge
Background Knowledge
Vocabulary
Frequency: Weekly
Attendance: 20 children and their parent/caregiver
Staff or Volunteer Needed: 1 staff member, 1 volunteer
Format: Registration is required.
Books Shared: (from storytime)
Other Books to Display on Book Cart at Storytime:
Storytime Preparation:
Cut out a wreath from cardboard. Hang it in the lobby. Children will glue their hands onto the wreath.
Download, print and cutout hand print. One per child.
If you use option 2 for the felt board - print, laminate and cut out turkeys from the template below. Glue sandpaper to the back of each turkey. Have one turkey for each child.
1. Storytime Introduction: Welcome to Toddler Storytime. My name is Ms. Debbie. I am so glad to see you today. Our storytime is designed to be participated by everyone. We will share books, rhymes, and songs with your children. We encourage everyone to participate, but no worries if this doesn't happen. Sometimes when a child sees you participate, they might join in, but if your child is not in the mood, that is okay too. Our storytime can tend to be a little chaotic, but that is okay as well. If your child becomes disruptive, please take them outside the program room and then join us again when your child has settled down. This is normal, it is part of the process. So, let's start with our opening song.
2. Opening Song:
(Credit: No Time For Flash Cards. 2016, January 30).
Lyrics:
How Many Friends are Here Today?
How many friends are here today?
How many friends are here today?
Let's count it out!
Let's clap it out!
Let's dance it out!
There are ______ friends on their feet!
Now it's time to take your seat!
3. Early Literacy Aside: Explain:
Today's early literacy skill is focusing on [SKILL]
4. Theme Talk:
Today our storytime is about Thanksgiving, giving thanks, colors and the letter "T".
5. Action Song:
The Turkey Pokey
(Tune: The Hokey Pokey)
You put your wings in, You put your wings out.
You put your wings in and you shake them all about
You do the turkey pokey and you turn yourself around
That's what it's all about
6. Information Book:
The Story of Thanksgiving by Nancy J. Skameds
7. Shakers Shaker Song
Sung to the tune of “London Bridge
“Shake your shakers, shake, shake, shake,
Shake, shake, shake, shake, shake, shake
Shake your shakers, shake, shake, shake,
Shake your shakers!
Other Verses
Shake your shakers high, high, high,
Shake your shakers low, low, low,
Shake your shakers fast, fast, fast,
Shake your shakers slow, slow, slow"
(Mulvenna, L. (2013, January 17)
8. Early Literacy: Example
9. Movement Activity:
Option #1:
Hand out scarf's to each child.
Wobble, wobble, wobble walks the turkey (rock back and forth)
Gobble, gobble, gobble talks the turkey (talking motion with hands)
Turkeys spread their feathers on Thanksgiving Day (spread your arms)
Turkeys spread the feathers and they fly away! (flap your arms & scarf)
Have parents/caregivers hold onto the scarves. We will use them again.
Option #2: (Recommended if you have a very young crowd)
Fingerplay: Two Little Turkeys
Two little turkeys sitting on a hill One named Jack, the other named Jill Run away Jack, run away Jill Come back Jack, come back Jill (sitting on a pole/fast and slow & sitting on a cloud/quiet and loud)
Option #3: Five Little turkeys
Use the 5 little Turkeys Felt board template pieces to help sing this song. It has also been added to a parent newsletter called Gobble Gobble.
Print, laminate and cut out. Glue sandpaper to back.
10. Book: Have children go to the story rug. Read the story, Bear Says Thanks by Karma Wilson.
Give each parent/caregiver a "hand" and a marker. (You should print out handprints prior to storytime)
After the book, ask children what they are thankful for. Parents are to write what their child says. Child will take their hand and paste it onto the library wreath. We will hang up the wreath in the lobby. Kids go back to the story rug.
11. Song:
The More We Read Together [Tune: "The More We Get Together" ]
Lyrics:
The more we read together, together, together.
The more we read together, the better it is!
'Cause reading and singing and talking together,
is how you learn the six skills for reading by six.
(Johnson County Library, 2011, February 8).
12. Felt board:
Purchased: Esty
(Image: Fagnan, 2018, October)
Put the turkey on the board without the feathers. Ask the kids what is missing?
Yep, he needs some feathers. Since I had already passed out colored-scarves (for the songs & rhymes), I asked the kids to help the turkey get his feathers by calling out the colors of their scarves. So, if they said, "Red!" then all the kids with red scarves would wave it around frantically while the rest of us chanted...
(Pat knees along the beat)
Turkey wore a red feather
red feather, red feather
Turkey wore a red feather
And flapped his wings
Then Turkey got a feather.
Go through each color of the scarves until Turkey wasn't so naked.
Five Little Turkeys Felt Board - Great for preschool programs
Another fun activity. Print, laminated and cut out 5 little turkeys from the template below. Use the felt board pieces to play a counting game. Great for preschool. Each template has five turkeys. Have one for each child.
Idea for the game:
Go around the circle and count the children like duck duck goose. When you tap the child's head, give them a turkey.
Announce a number, and have the child with that number go up and put their turkey on the felt board.
13. Early Literacy Aside: Empower
14. Good-bye Song
(L.E. Phillips Memorial Public Library, 2014, September 28).
Goodbye Bubbles:
(Librarian/staff associate will blow bubbles while the parents/caregiver and children sing the song.
Lyrics:
Goodbye Bubbles
Goodbye Bubbles
Time to Go
Time to Go
I will help you
I will help you
With a blow
With a blow
15. Storytime Activity Ideas:
Option #1: Turkey Craft
Paint a paper cup brown or purchase brown cups. Party City
Turn the cup upside down and glue a pom-pom to the top of the cup for the head.
Need to make a template for this craft.
Cut nine 4-inch leaf shapes from different colors of construction paper.
Fold a 1-inch-square piece of orange construction paper in half; cut a triangle shape out of the folded paper for the beak.
Using a 2-inch square of red paper folded in half, cut a heart shape to create the turkey’s wattle.
Glue the beak and wattle to the pom-pom.
Add goggly eyes.
Glue on the “feathers.”
Material:
1″ Pom Poms by Creatology ($1; michaels.com)
9″ x 12″ Construction Paper, Assorted Colors
Wiggle Eyes
Paper cups
Glue sticks
White glue
Scissors
Option #2: Craft for Younger Children
With help from Parents/caregivers, children will:
Paint their paper plates with the Do-A-Dot paint.
Glue on nose and waddle.
Glue on goggly eyes.
(Credit: Fagnan, 2018)
16. Takeaway:
Parents/caregivers are given the Early Literacy Newsletter for Toddlers.
The newsletters are developed around the specific program so they usually have to be tweaked every time we run the program.
Symbols of Thanksgiving
This activity is great for school age children.
Material Needed:
Tan pipe cleaners
Pony beads in fall colors
Apple pie to share with children
Have kids go to the story rug. Ask kids what kinds of foods they like to eat on Thanksgiving. Tell them your favorite food comes at dessert time - apple pie! Read the book, All for Pie, Pie for All by David Martin, illustrated by Valeri Gorbachev (Candlewick Press, 2006) – This book doesn’t really have anything to do with Thanksgiving except that pie is something that is traditionally eaten and it’s a sweet story about sharing food with family and friends.
After you read the story, ask children if they know what Indian corn is? IF time permits you can read parts of the nonfiction book about Indian Corn: Turkeys, Pilgrims, and Indian Corn: The story of the Thanksgiving Symbols by Edna Barth.
Or just share these facts:
Flint corn, or Indian corn, those ears with the multicolored kernels, crops up in all sorts of fall decorations. How is it different from other types of corn, and can you eat it?
Flint corn, or Indian corn, is one of the oldest varieties of corn, a type that Native Americans taught the early colonists how to cultivate.
Its kernels, which come in a range of colors including white, blue and red, have “hard as flint” shells, giving this type of corn its name.
Flint corn kernels contain a small amount of soft starch surrounded completely by a larger amount of hard starch, which means the kernels shrink uniformly when drying and are dent-free and less prone to spoiling (and therefore ideal for autumnal décor).
Despite its tough exterior, this type of corn can be consumed by livestock and humans, and is used in such dishes as hominy and polenta.
Have kids go to the craft table. They are going to make their own Indian Corn.
Material Needed:
Tan pipe cleaners
Instructions:
To make an ear of Indian corn, you just need four tan pipe cleaners and pony beads in yellow, orange, white, and maroon.
Take two of your pipe cleaners and make an “X”. Twist them around each other in the middle.
Take two more pipe cleaners and wrap them around the middle the same way.
Add beads to each pipe cleaner. Can you make a pattern? Leave a couple inches at the end of each pipe cleaner.
Bring all of the ends together.
Take one of the pipe ends and wrap it around the others.
Wrap another piece of pipe cleaner around the stem if it’s not secure enough, and you are done!
End the program with a piece of apple pie.
Notes:
References:
Memorial Public Library. (2014, September 28). Goodbye bubbles. [Video]. Retrieved from https://youtu.be/RXXQqVx0gT0
Johnson County Library. (2011, February 8).
Shake Shake Shake [Web log post]. Retrieved from http://lisaslibraryland.blogspot.com/2013/07/shake-shake-shake.html
No Time For Flash Cards. (2016, January 30). Circle Time Chant. [Video]. Retrieved from https://youtu.be/ECHXNMFVumM
Family Storytime: Thanksgiving
Updated: Jul 25, 2019
Introduction: This storytime is developed specially for children up to 8 years old and their families. Enjoy an hour of books, songs, rhymes, socialization and a craft with other young children and their families. Each family storytime consists of a variety of activities that incorporate reading, writing, singing, talking and playing. If you want to be a storytime reader for this program, please see Ms. Debbie before the program begins. Date: Every Friday Time: 7:00 p.m. Age Range: infant to 8 years old Skills Supported: Technology, Prior knowledge, motor skills, visual tracking skills, and socialization. Frequently: Weekly Attendance: 20 children and their parent/caregiver Staff or Volunteer Needed: 1 staff member, 1 volunteer Format: Drop-in Budget: $20.00 Supplies:
Turkey puppets: Oriental Trading $20.00 (Makes 20)
iPads loaded with Animal Sounds app.
Glue sticks
Associated board games such as Operation, Battleship, Chutes and Ladders, and Headbanz to name a few.
Books shared: (from storytime)
The Story of Thanksgiving by Nancy J. Skarmeas (boardbook)
Thanksgiving Is Here! by Diane Goode
Other books to display on book cart at storytime:
1,2,3 Thanksgiving! by W. Nikola-Lisa
10 Fat Turkeys by Todd Parr
Over the River and Through the Woods by Lydia Maria Child
The Thankful Book by Todd Parr
Thanksgiving at the Tappleton's by Eileen Spinelli
Thanksgiving is For Giving Thanks by Margaret Sutherland
Storytime Preparation - None
1. Storytime Introduction:
Welcome to Family Storytime. My name is Ms. Debbie. I am so glad to see you this evening. Our Storytime is designed to be participated by everyone. We will share books, songs, games and a craft with your families. So let's start with our opening song.
2. Opening Song (If you have a young audience)
If you are ready for a story, clap your hands.
If you are ready for a story, clap your hands.
If you are ready for a story, if you are ready for a story, if you are ready for a story, clap your hands.
If you are ready for a story, nod your head.
If you are ready for a story, nod your head.
If you are ready for a story, if you are ready for a story, if you are ready for a story, nod your head.
If you are ready for a story, rub your tummy.
If you are ready for a story, rub your tummy.
If you are ready for a story, if you are ready for a story, if you are ready for a story, rub your tummy.
If you are ready for a story, sit so still.
If you are ready for a story, sit so still.
If you are ready for a story, if you are ready for a story, if you are ready for a story, sit so still
(Jbary, 2014, April 4).
3. Early Literacy Tip:
When you read to your child every day, it becomes a routine that your child will remember as comforting. Reading together gives you time to be with your child, sharing the joy and adventure of books. It also will build strong memories of the special times you spent with one another. Our literacy tip tonight is background knowledge. Background knowledge, covers a wide range of areas. Coming to Family Storytime is one way, in and of itself, adds to children's general knowledge (Ghoting, Diaz-Martin, 2013, p. 31).
4. Theme Talk: This time of year is full of excitement as Thanksgiving arrives. Can anyone something about Thanksgiving time? Today, I am going to read some books about this holiday. We also have a guest reader. Mr. Jones, Emily's uncle has volunteered to be one of our readers tonight. So let's start with our first book.
5. Information Book
The Story of Thanksgiving by Nancy J. Skarmeas (boardbook)
(Image: Goodreads, n.d.)
6. ShakersShaker Song - Sung to the tune of “London Bridge
”Shake your shakers, shake, shake, shake,
Shake, shake, shake, shake, shake, shake
Shake your shakers, shake, shake, shake,
Shake your shakers!
Other Verses
:Shake your shakers high, high, high,
Shake your shakers low, low, low,
Shake your shakers fast, fast, fast,
Shake your shakers slow, slow, slow"
(Mulvenna, L. (2013, January 17)
7. Early Literacy: Example
Thanksgiving time is the perfect time to share books about an everyday experience and the feeling of giving thanks. There are many age appropriate books that introduce the concept of Thanksgiving which will help your child to develop beginning knowledge which will be used later to build on. This is called prior knowledge or background knowledge.
8. Action Song
Hello Mr. Turkey(Tune: If You’re Happy and You Know It*) Hello Mr. Turkey, how are you? (clap, clap) Hello Mr. Turkey, how are you? (clap, clap) With a gobble, gobble, gobble (hand under chin, wiggle fingers) And a wobble, wobble, wobble (shake body) Hello Mr. Turkey, how are you? (clap, clap)
(Credit: Sunflower Storytime, 2014, February 08)
9. Book
For younger crowd:
1, 2, 3, Thanksgiving! by W. Nikola-Lisa
(Credit: Goodreads, n.d.)
Great for preschool
Thanksgiving Is Here! by Diane Goode
(Credit: Goodreads, n.d.)
10. Song
The More We Read Together [Tune: "The More We Get Together" ]
The more we read together, together, together
The more we read together, the better it is!
'Cause reading and singing and talking together,
is how you learn the six skills for reading by six.
(Johnson County Library. (2011, February 8).
11. Early Literacy Aside: Empower
As you talk about the pictures in books with your children at home, it is helpful to take the time to show them the real item, as you read the story. Using a computer, tablet, or smartphone is one way to share pictures of real turkeys while reading books about Thanksgiving. After storytime, we will have five iPads that you can use to show pictures of these crazy birds. One of the apps loaded on our ipads is called Animal Sounds. Just click on Turkey and you will see a turkey as well as hear it. We hope you can stay for our activity. We will be making Turkey puppets. After you and your child make the puppet, enjoy time playing in our puppet theater with other children from storytime. If you can't stay, please see Ms. Peggy and get a kit to take home.
12. Closing Song
Goodbye Bubbles (Librarian will use the bubble machine while the parents/caregivers and children sing the song.
Goodbye Bubbles
Goodbye Bubbles
Time to Go!
Time to Go!
I will help you
I will help you
With a Blow
With a Blow
13. End of Storytime Activity
Children will make a turkey puppet and enjoy playing together in our puppet theater. The puppet kit was purchased at Oriental Trading. For those who might not want to make the craft, can enjoy family board games that will be put on the tables for families to play. iPads will also be available for families to use.
References:
Goodreads. (n.d.). Thanksgiving Is Here. [Digital Image]. Retrieved from https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/4836520-thanksgiving-is-here
Goodreads. (n.d.). The Story of Thanksgiving. [Digital Image]. Retrieved from https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/1206366.The_Story_of_Thanksgiving
Jbary. (2014, April 12). If You're Ready for a Story: Storytime Hello Song. [Vidoe]. Retrieved from https://youtu.be/NC91yfzan3E
Johnson County Library. (2014, May 13). Bubbles, Chalk and Wonder" Storytime [Web log post]. Retrieved from https://www.jocolibrary.org/kids/storytime-blog/bubbles-chalk-and-wonder-storytime
L.E. Phillips Memorial Public Library. (2014, September 28). Goodbye bubbles. [Video]. Retrieved from https://youtu.be/RXXQqVx0gT0
Mulvenna, L. (2013, January 17). Shake Shake Shake [Web log post]. Retrieved from http://lisaslibraryland.blogspot.com/2013/07/shake-shake-shake.html
Sunflower Storytime. (2014, February 8). Turkey Time [Web log post]. Retrieved from https://sunflowerstorytime.com/2010/11/26/turkey-day/
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