Do you have a favorite storytime song that never gets old, no matter how many times you sing it? For me, it’s “Sleeping Bunnies.” Kids always ask to do this song over and over again. Nothing more fun than pretending to be asleep under your scarf (or parachute), then waking up and jumping all around!
The original goes like this:
See the little bunnies sleeping
Till it’s nearly noon.
Come and let us gently wake them
With a merry tune.
Oh how still.
Are they ill?
Wake up soon…
Hop, little bunnies, hop hop hop!
Hop, little bunnies, hop hop hop!
Hop, little bunnies, hop hop hop!
Hop, little bunnies, hop hop hop!CREDIT: Kathy Reid-Naiman
We love the original and often sing mutiple verses with different hopping animals – frogs, grasshoppers, kangaroos. Or we do different animals and change the action each time!
Over the years, I’ve also adapted the lyrics to go with various storytime themes:
BUGS & BUTTERFLIES
See the caterpillar sleep
Inside its chrysalis,
Waiting very patiently
For metamorphosis.
Soon they’ll fly…
In the sky…
Butterflies!
Fly, little butterflies, fly fly fly!
BEARS & HIBERNATORS
See the little bears sleeping
Deep inside their caves,
Dreaming about strawberries
And warmer springtime days.
Spring is near…
Almost here…
Wake up, bears!
Growl, little bears, growl growl growl!
I like to ask the kiddos what we’ll dream about next time we fall asleep when we go through our inevitable second and third repetitions! I also have a version where we pretend to be different hibernating animals:
See the little bears sleeping
Through the winter days.
Waiting for the springtime
While they hibernate.
Spring is near…
Almost here…
Wake up, bears!
BIRDS & OVIPAROUS ANIMALS
See the little eggs sleeping
Together in the nest.
They will hatch very soon.
For now it’s time to rest.
What is that?
CRACK, CRACK, CRACK!
Time to hatch!
(actions vary depending on what we hatched into)
OWLS & NOCTURNAL ANIMALS
See the little owls sleeping
All throughout the day.
They will wake up at night
And then they’ll want to play.
The moon is high…
In the sky…
Owls fly!
Fly, little owls, fly fly fly!
The last line can easily change to include all nocturnal animals, flying or not:
See the little raccoons sleeping
All throughout the day.
They will wake up when it’s night
And then they’ll want to play.
The moon is high…
In the sky…
Open your eyes!
COOKIES & GINGERBREAD
See the little cookies baking
In the oven hot.
Soon they will be ready
When the timer stops.
I can’t wait…
To celebrate…
Cookies bake…BEEEEEEEP!
Run, little cookies, run, run, run, run!
Run, little cookies, run, run, run, run!
Run, little cookies, run, run, run, run!
Run so you don’t end up in a tum!
I love pairing this song with a literacy message about building self-regulation skills:
Grown-ups, right now we’re helping our little ones build self-regulation skills. Research shows that a child’s ability to self-regulate is a strong predictor of both school and lifelong success. When you sing stop and go songs together, or play stop and go games, you’re helping raise a lifelong learner!
Do you know another twist to this never-tired tune? I’d love to learn it in the comments below!
Storytime in the Stacks 