Opening Song

“Let’s All Clap”

Let’s all clap cause _____ is here,
____ is here, _____ is here
Let’s all clap cause _____ is here.
____ is here today!
(insert child’s name)

 

Traditional Rhyme

“Patty-Cake”

Patty-Cake, Patty-cake, baker’s man.
Bake me a cake as you can.
Roll it and pat it and mark it with a B.
And Put it in the oven for baby and me!

 

Book

All of Baby Nose to Toes by Victoria Adler

 

Sensory Time

Feathers with music. I handed out feathers to the parents. They then ran the feather over their babies.

 

Fun Rhyme With Fact

“Stinky Diaper, Stinky Diaper”

Tune:Frère Jacques

Changing time, changing time.
Let’s Take off the dirty one,
Let’s Put on a clean one.
Glad you’re mine, glad your mine.

Fact: Singing to your baby just before and during stressful times (diaper changes, shots, etc) can reduce stress and distract your baby.
Source:Baby Storytime Magic: Active Early Literacy through Boucnes, Rhymes, Tickles and More by Kathy Macmillan & Chrstine Kirker

 

Book Bounding

Counting Kisses by Karen Katz

This is essentially my closing of storytime. I read the story and the parents/guardians give their babies the designated number of kisses.

This if followed by single one-on-one reading. Parents/guardians read with their babies. I have a tub of board books.

 

Playtime

 

Observations

This was my first structured baby time ever, so I was slightly nervous about how the parents/guardians would receive it. Overall, I was extremely pleased with how well it went.

For my preparation, I made large posters that I could put up on our easel. I did not want to paper sheets, as I had read many times that parents start focusing on reading tiny print instead of interacting with their babies.

I also made sure to make the environment inclusive for everyone attending. I sat directly on the floor with the parents. We all formed a circle, so no one felt left out. The circle is great for keeping babies from escaping. I also had everyone introduce themselves and their babies.

For the actual storytime, it was the perfect length. Rhymes were repeated 2-3 times. The book was fun. Parents actually interacted with their baby when I talked about the ears, nose, and etc. The babies even stopped for a few moments to listen to me read.