This 2020 pre-pandemic plan was one of my BEST baby storytimes ever! Everything was just perfect: the atmosphere, the caregiver engagement, the flow. I can’t wait to return to this plan again when in-person storytimes resume.
Sing: Good Morning to You*
Welcome/Introductions
This morning, I had caregivers share something new their babies recently learned how to do. There was so much to celebrate together! First words, babbling, clapping, crawling, opening cupboards…
Rhyme: This is Big, Big, Big*
“Gosh those babies are growing up and getting SO BIG!”
Bounce: Toast in the Toaster (x2)*
Sing: I Wake Up My Hands…*
Read: Whose Chick Are You? by Nancy Tafuri
The babies loved the noises in this book! The older babies and some toddler siblings even started to make sounds with us, setting the stage perfectly for my lit tip.
Lit Tip: Animal Sounds & Phonological Awareness
Grown-ups, reading books and singing songs with animal sounds is so important! Animal noises contain lots of vowel sounds – the hardest sounds for kids to hear and recognize when they’re learning how to read. Reading feels far away, but science says that after 10-12 months, babies start losing the ability to discriminate sounds they haven’t been exposed to. This means the more you make noises together NOW, the more you help baby get ready to read LATER!
Then we pulled out some puppets and sang some songs with more animal sounds!
Sing: Owl in the Tree Says… (puppets)
Tune: The Wheels on the Bus
Owl in the tree says “hoo, hoo, hoo.”
“Hoo, hoo, hoo. Hoo, hoo, hoo.”
Owl in the tree says “hoo, hoo, hoo.”
All night long!
Repeat:
Duck in the pond says “quack, quack, quack…”
Hen on the farm says “Cluck, cluck, cluck…”
Chick in the nest says “Cheep, cheep, cheep…”
Parrot on the perch says “Squawk, squawk, squawk…”
CREDIT: PIGGYBACK
“You know who can’t resist playing with birds… CATS!”
Sing: One Kitty Cat Went Out to Play… (puppets)
Tune: Five Little Ducks
One kitty cat went out to play
With the birds on a sunny day.
They had such ENORMOUS fun!
They called for another kitty cat to come!
Meooooowww!
CREDIT: PIGGYBACK
The last cat I pulled out was a BIG lion.
“And where do you see lions? At the zoo! Let’s take a wagon ride through the zoo.”
Bounce: Little Red Wagon
“Speaking of the zoo, let’s get some yummy snacks!”
Rhyme: You Be the Ice Cream (x2)
You be the ice cream
And I’ll be the freezer
You be the lemons
And I’ll be the squeezer
You be the hot dog
And I’ll be the bun
You be the baby
And we’ll have some fun!CREDIT: JBRARY
Read: Counting Lions by Katie Cotton
The babies were SUPER drawn to the big, high contrast illustrations in this book! I didn’t read most of the text, just counted the animals on each page.
Rhyme: Tick Tock Cuckoo Clock*
“Look at that clock! Where does our time together go?”
Sing: Goodbye, Goodbye*
Stay and Play
*Please visit this page to learn more about my regular storytime songs and routines.
While I’m still feeling apprehensive about returning to in-person storytimes come August, blogging about all these fun past storytimes is also helping me get excited! What are your plans for fall? Would love to learn more in the comments below!
Storytime in the Stacks 
Seriously, you are my favorite! Thanks for sharing your ideas with us! Seeing your script and how you connect your stories, songs, and early literacy tips is so helpful!! I do miss your preschool storytime posts… 🙂 Thanks for all you do, Jessica!
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Awww, thanks Maggie! Your kind words mean a lot. Figuring out connections between different storytime elements is one of my favorite parts of storytime planning! I miss preschool storytimes, too. Maybe I’ll get regularly scheduled to one this fall when we resume our pre-pandemic storytime schedule? 🤞
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