Updated 3/2022
I have worked for three different libraries and seen so many different ways to do baby storytimes! It seems every system and every storyteller has a special way of doing things. Here’s what’s been working well for me:
Baby Storytime Outline
WELCOME SONG: GOOD MORNING TO YOU
Good morning to you.
Good morning to you.
Good morning, dear friends.
It’s nice to see you!
MEET & GREET
Then I ask caregivers to share their baby’s name, age, and a fun fact (e.g. one day we might share baby’s favorite food). I often overhear caregivers connecting with each other over this information during Learning Through Play time later! If we have a large group, I invite caregivers to pair share instead of sharing whole group.
Then we sing a clapping song to get everyone’s attention. If the group is small enough, we clap for each individual baby and use their name. If we have a large crowd, we clap and sing for different groups: babies, mommies, daddies, grandmas, nannies, etc.
SING: LET’S ALL CLAP…
Let’s all clap for the babies are here,
The babies are here, the babies are here!
Let’s all clap for the babies are here
On our story morning!
Gosh, those babies are growing up so fast and getting so big! We do this next rhyme twice. I model for caregivers with a baby on the lap first, then I kneel to demonstrate the rhyme for my walkers.
RHYME: THIS IS BIG, BIG, BIG (x2)
This is big, big, big.
This is small, small, small.
This is short, short, short.
This is tall, tall, tall!
This is fast, fast, fast.
This is slow, slow, slow.
This is yes, yes, yes.
And this is no, no, no!Credit: Mel’s Desk
Those babies must be eating breakfast every day to get so big! Let’s make some…
RHYME: TOAST IN THE TOASTER
Toast in the toaster
Getting very hot.
Tick tock, tick tock,
Up you pop!
Speaking of food, I then ask caregivers to save snacks for outside the storytime room, so that no one is exposed to any food allergens today.
SING: THIS IS THE WAY WE CLAP OUR HANDS
This is the way we clap our hands,
Clap our hands, clap our hands.
This is the way we clap our hands
So early in the morning!(repeat with tap our toes, bounce up and down, share a hug, read a book)
READ: WHOLE GROUP BOOK
Before reading, I remind caregivers it’s totally okay if their baby wants to come closer to the book, or if their baby wants to take a break.
3 SONGS: BOUNCES, TICKLES, FLANNELBOARDS, PUPPETS AND/OR INSTRUMENTS
READ: ONE-ON-ONE BOOKS
Again, I reiterate that we follow baby’s lead, whether that’s eating the book or reading just one page. What matters most is that their baby has a positive experience with the book, no matter how short!
PLAY: BUBBLES
RHYME: TICK TOCK CUCKOO CLOCK (x2)
Tick tock, tick tock
I’m a little cuckoo clock.
Tick tock, tick tock
Now the time is one o’clock… CUCKOO!
Then we sing goodbye to our books before getting out our toys.
SING: GOODBYE, GOODBYE
Goodbye, goodbye,
We’ll see you soon, see you soon.
Goodbye, goodbye,
We’ll see you soon on another day!
STAY AND PLAY
Planning for Baby Storytime
At my first library system, we were encouraged to keep our songs and rhymes the same for three whole months. We had only two board book sets for choral reading, which rotated round the district every quarter.
At my second library system, I wanted a little more variety, but still wanted my caregivers to feel really comfortable and confident. I read books within the same theme for a month at a time, keeping most of the same songs and rhymes each week. For example:
Monthly Theme: Farm
- Week 1: Hens & Horses
- Week 2: Cats & Cows
- Week 3: Dogs & Ducks
- Week 4: Pigs
My third library system had HUGE crowds and no registration required, so I really had to re-think my baby storytime game! It was at this point that I decided to incorporate one-on-one lapsit reading and bubbles into every baby storytime. I mostly read big books, or had a storytime volunteer help display a second copy.
Favorite Baby Storytime Resources
A Beginner’s Guide to Baby Storytime from Jbrary
What are some of your baby storytime tips and tricks? Would love to learn more in the comments below!
Storytime in the Stacks 