For those not following on social media, I moved libraries and became a youth services supervisor in September. This is my first library to host a traditional lapsit baby storytime! We do Book Babies (which is designed for crawlers approximately 0-12 months) and Fun for Ones (which is for walkers approximately 12-24 months).
My last baby storytime was nearly three years ago, when I said goodbye to a crowd of 72. (Where does time go?!) My new library limits storytime to 20 families, so it’s a much more intimate experience. I’m loving getting to know the babies and caregivers on a really personal level!
Here was my first Book Babies Lapsit Storytime:
Sing: Good Morning to You*
Welcome & Gratitude**
Sing: When Cows Get Up in the Morning*
We have a large stash of Lakeshore’s big mouth animal puppets that we pass out for this song. After every animal gets a turn, our friends wake up and make noise all together!
Sing: So Early in the Morning…*
Sing: Hello, Friends*
Introductions/Sharing: Read Aloud Memory
As we went around the circle, I asked the caregivers to introduce themselves, their babies and to share a book they remembered being read to as a child (or reading with their children, as we had several grandparents who couldn’t recall). Their faces lit up as they remembered reading favorites such as Chicka Chicka Boom Boom, Mike Mulligan and His Steam Shovel and Where the Wild Things Are.
Sing: Who is Here Today?*
After singing for each baby, our final verse is for all those grown-ups who got out of bed and got themselves and their little ones dressed and to the library today! Adulting is hard.
“My, how fast those babies are growing up! Our babies are getting so big…”
Rhyme: This is Big, Big, Big*
“Those babies must be eating a good breakfast every day to get so big!”
Bounce: Toast in the Toaster*
After we pop our toaster babies, we butter them up and spread jelly all over their bellies. Then we gobble them up!
Sing: If You’re Ready for a Story…*
Read: Brown Bear, Brown Bear, What Do You See? by Bill Martin Jr. & Eric Carle (Big Book)
We sang the words to the tune of “Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star.” The babies and grown-ups were blown away!
Sing: Colors Over You (scarves)
Tune: Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star
Red and green and yellow and blue,
These are the colors over you.
Red as an apple and green as a tree,
Yellow as the sun and blue as the sea.
Red and green and yellow and blue,
These are the colors over you!CREDIT: KENDRA @ READ SING PLAY
Sing: Peekaboo (scarves)
Tune: Frere Jacques
Peek-a-boo, peek-a-boo.
I see you, I see you!
I see your button nose,
I see your tiny toes.
Peek-a-boo! I see you!CREDIT: KCLS
Sing: Talk, Read, Sing, Write, Play*
My new team uses a song cue before sharing their early literacy messages. It’s a great way to capture everyone’s attention and set the stage!
Lit Tip: Building a Love of Reading from the Beginning
Grown-ups, remember how we all smiled this morning when we shared reading memories? Reading books one-on-one with your baby gives them those same fuzzy warm feelings! Learning to read is HARD work. The more your child has positive memories and feelings associated with books, the more motivated they will be to stick with learning to read!
Sing: If You’re Ready for a Story…*
Read: Brown Bear, Brown Bear… (Lapsit Board Books)
Play: Bubbles
Stay and Play
*Please visit this page to learn more about my regular storytime songs and routines.
**For more about why and how I set storytime expectations, read these posts.
It feels good get back in the storytime game! I’m still finding my feet as a new supervisor, so it helps to have something I feel good at. 😂
Storytime in the Stacks 
Oh wow, being able to really get to know families in a small group setting sounds lovely – I love the high energy of big groups (we had 46 at my storytime last week), but it does sometimes end up feeling more like a performance than a story time when you’ve got that many kids squeezed into a space!
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