Sports–Preschool

Opening Song

If You Want to Hear a Story
Tune: “If You’re Happy and You Know It”

If you want to hear a story, clap your hands!
If you want to hear a story, clap your hands!
If you want to hear a story,
If you want to hear a story,
If you want to hear a story, clap your hands!

Books

Hit the Ball Duck by Jez Alborough
Goodnight Football by Michael Dahl

Rhyme

A Little Ball
A little ball, (form circle with thumb and finger)
A bigger ball, (form circle with hands)
A great big ball I see.( form circle with arms)

Now let’s count them.
Are you ready?
One,(form circle with arms)
Two, (form circle with hands)
Three. (form circle with thumb and finger)
Source: Sturgis Kids

Baseball Player
Tune: Frère Jacques

Baseball player, baseball player
Swing the bat, hit the ball (Pretend to swing a baseball bat.)
Run around the bases, run around the bases (Pretend to be running.)
Homerun, homerun
Source:Preschool Plan It

Football Player

Football Player, Football Player
Punt the Ball, throw the ball
Run down the field, Run Down the field
Touchdown, Touchdown
Source: I made my own rhyme based off of the Preschool Plan It Rhyme.

Action Rhymes

Bounce the Ball

Bounce the ball, bounce the ball,
On the ground, against the wall.
Bounce it low, bounce it high,
Bounce it right up to the sky!

Bounce the ball, bounce the ball,
On the ground, against the wall.
Bounce it here, bounce it there,
Bounce it outside anywhere!

Bounce the ball, bounce the ball,
On the ground, against the wall.
This one rule you must abide:
Please don’t bounce your ball inside!
Source:Youth Literature

Bouncing Ball

I’m bouncing, bouncing everywhere,
(make bouncing movements)
I’m bouncing, bouncing like a ball,
I bounce and bounce until I fall. (drop to the floor)
Source:Sturgis Kids

Song

Take Me Out To The Ball Game!

Take me out to the ball game,
Take me out with the crowd;
Buy me some peanuts and Cracker Jack,
I don’t care if I never get back.
Let me root, root, root for the home team,
If they don’t win, it’s a shame.
For it’s one, two, three strikes, you’re out,
At the old ball game.

We sang along with Mickey’s Sports Songs

Matching Game

The matching game went a little smoother with my preschoolers than my toddlers. I had enough for everyone. The boys in my group really liked this game. I actually had to tell them several times to back up so that other kids could get to my board.

Final Activity

I put several rows of tape down on the ground and had the kids act like they were walking across a balance beam to music.

Take Home Craft

We revamped this project. It was originally a baseball puppet on Free Crafty Ideas. We just made it into a football puppet.

Closing Dance Song

Silly Dance Contest by Jim Gill

Closing Goodbye Song

We Wave Goodbye Like This
Tune: “Farmer in the Dell”

We wave goodbye like this.
We wave goodbye like this.
We clap our hands for all our friends.
We wave goodbye like this.

Observations

This was a difficult storytime to plan. There is very little books and songs out there.

The books were decent, but the rhymes stole the show. Like my toddlers, the kids really liked Bouncing Ball.

The matching game and balance beam were also a hit with this crowd. Several kids asked if we could do the balance beam. The balance beam actually worked fantastically to get almost all the kids up to the front. This allowed all the kids to dance together.

Sports–Toddler

Opening Song

If You Want to Hear a Story
Tune: “If You’re Happy and You Know It”

If you want to hear a story, clap your hands!
If you want to hear a story, clap your hands!
If you want to hear a story,
If you want to hear a story,
If you want to hear a story, clap your hands!

Books

Dunk Skunk by Michael Rex
Goodnight Football by Michael Dahl

Rhyme

A Little Ball
A little ball, (form circle with thumb and finger)
A bigger ball, (form circle with hands)
A great big ball I see.( form circle with arms)

Now let’s count them.
Are you ready?
One,(form circle with arms)
Two, (form circle with hands)
Three. (form circle with thumb and finger)
Source: Sturgis Kids

Baseball Player
Tune: Frère Jacques

Football Player

Football Player, Football Player
Punt the Ball, throw the ball
Run down the field, Run Down the field
Touchdown, Touchdown
Source: I made my own rhyme based off of the Preschool Plan It Rhyme.

Action Rhymes

Bounce the Ball

Bounce the ball, bounce the ball,
On the ground, against the wall.
Bounce it low, bounce it high,
Bounce it right up to the sky!

Bounce the ball, bounce the ball,
On the ground, against the wall.
Bounce it here, bounce it there,
Bounce it outside anywhere!

Bounce the ball, bounce the ball,
On the ground, against the wall.
This one rule you must abide:
Please don’t bounce your ball inside!
Source:Youth Literature

Bouncing Ball

I’m bouncing, bouncing everywhere,
(make bouncing movements)
I’m bouncing, bouncing like a ball,
I bounce and bounce until I fall. (drop to the floor)
Source:Sturgis Kids

Song

Take Me Out To The Ball Game!

We sang along with Mickey’s Sports Songs

Matching Game

I handed out laminated sports balls and equipment pictures and had the two-year-olds match their picture to the correct picture.

Final Activity

I put several rows of tape down on the ground and had the kids act like they were walking across a balance beam to music.

Take Home Craft

We revamped this project. It was originally a baseball puppet on Free Crafty Ideas. We just made it into a football puppet.

Closing Goodbye Song

We Wave Goodbye Like This
Tune: “Farmer in the Dell”

We wave goodbye like this.
We wave goodbye like this.
We clap our hands for all our friends.
We wave goodbye like this.

Observations

I thought a Sports Storytime would be a lot of fun. Little did I know that finding rhymes and books would be a long and tedious process. I was definitely not impressed with the book choices. The kids were not that attentive during Dunk Skunk and I was able to get their attention with Goodnight Football by having them yell hooray and waving goodbye.

The rhymes were the fun part. Bouncing Ball was the favorite. We had to repeat it several times, as the kids wanted to do it again and again.

The matching game and the balance beam were also fun. I had only done 25 sets of pictures based on my average number of attendants. I ended up with 35 plus toddlers. This made storytime go over and we were not able to do our final dance.

Waddlers–Bounces

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)

Rhymes

Muffin Man

Oh, do you know the Muffin Man,
The Muffin Man, the Muffin Man?
Oh, do you know the Muffin Man,
Who lives on Drury Lane?

Oh, yes, I know the Muffin Man,
The Muffin Man, the Muffin Man.
Oh, yes, I know the Muffin Man,
He lives on Drury Lane.

A-Bouncing We Will Go

A-bouncing we will go,
A-bouncing we will go,
Hi-ho the derry-o,
A-bouncing we will go.

A-tickling we will go…
A-kissing we will go…
Source:Baby Storytime Magic: Active Early Literacy through Boucnes, Rhymes, Tickles and More by Kathy Macmillan & Chrstine Kirker

Bouncing Song

Bounce and bounce and bounce and stop.
Bounce and bounce and bounce and stop.
Bounce and bounce and bounce and stop.
Now bounce that baby right to the top! (lift baby up)

Repeat slowly and then quickly.
Source:Baby Storytime Magic: Active Early Literacy through Boucnes, Rhymes, Tickles and More by Kathy Macmillan & Chrstine Kirker

Book

You’re Tutu Cute! by Sandra Magsamen

Sensory Time

Painting! I discovered this awesome project for babies on Read, Sing, Play blog. I simply took a sandwich bag, a small cardboard paper, three dollops of paint (red, blue, and white), and duct tape to create mini projects for each baby. Each baby was able to mash their own creations

Here are just a few of their creations!

Fun Rhyme With Fact

This Little Piggy

This Little Piggy Went to the Market. (shake one arm)
This Little Piggy Stayed Home. (shake the other arm)
This little Piggy had roast beef. (shake one leg)
And this little piggy had none. (shake the other leg)
And this little Piggy ran wee, wee, wee, (tickle belly)
All the way home.

Fact:This helps babies start to develop body awareness.
Source:Baby Rhyming TIme by Linda L. Ernest

Itsy-Bitsy Spider

The itsy-bitsy spider climbed up the water spout.
(baby on tummy, walk/tickle up baby’s back)

Down came the rain and washed the spider out.
(slide fingers down baby’s back from head to toes)

Out came the sun and dried up all the rain.
(rub baby’s back)

And the itsy-bitsy spider climbed up the spout again.
(baby on tummy, walk/tickle fingers up baby’s back)

Book Bounding

Ten Tiny Tickles 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.

Playtime

Observations

I really enjoyed this session. It was fun to notice when the babies liked a certain rhyme, and the parents are always wonderful in giving feedback. When I told a mom that we were doing the Itsy-Bitsy Spider again, she squealed with excitement. I got to witness firsthand how much her baby loves this tickle rhyme.

Zoo–Preschool

Opening Song

If You Want to Hear a Story
Tune: “If You’re Happy and You Know It”

If you want to hear a story, clap your hands!
If you want to hear a story, clap your hands!
If you want to hear a story,
If you want to hear a story,
If you want to hear a story, clap your hands!

Props

I put several different animals into these two boxes. I then pulled each animal out of the box and we talked about what noises they made.

Books

The Giraffe who Cock-A-Doodle-Doo’d by Keith Faulkner
The Underpants Zoo by Brian Sendelbach

Action Rhymes

Let’s Hear You Roar Like a Lion

Let’s hear you roar like a lion!
Let’s see you jump like a frog.
Let’s see you snap your jaws like a crocodile.
Let’s hear you woof like a dog.
Pretend you’re an elephant with a big, long trunk.
Pretend you’re a monkey; let’s see you jump, jump, jump.
And now you’re a mouse. Just let me see
How very, very quiet you can be.
Source:So Tomorrow

Animals at the Zoo
Tune: “The Wheels on the School Bus”

The lions at the zoo go roar, roar, roar.
Roar, roar, roar.
Roar, roar, roar.
The lions at the zoo go roar, roar, roar.
All day long!

The snakes…go hiss, hiss, hiss.
The hyenas…go ha, ha, ha.
The monkeys…go eee, eee, eee.
The birds…go tweet, tweet, tweet.
Source:King County Library System

Zoo Animals
Tune: “If you are happy and you know it”

If you want to be a monkey, jump up high!
If you want to be a monkey, jump up high!
If you want to be a monkey, if you want to be a monkey,
If you want to be a monkey, jump up high!

Parrot – flap your wings
Elephant – wing your trunk
Lion – roar out loud
Giraffe – stand up tall
source:Once Upon a (Story) Time

The Elephant Hokey Pokey

You put your elephant ears in.
You put your elephant ears out.
You put your elephant ears in,
And you shake them all about.
You do the elephant pokey,
and you stomp yourself around.
That’s what it’s all about!

…elephant trunk…
…elephant foot…
…whole self…
source:Falling Flannelboards

The Monkeys in the Zoo

The monkeys in the zoo turn round and round,
Round and round,
Round and round.
The monkeys in the zoo turn round and round,
Just like I do.

The monkeys in the zoo all touch their toes,
touch their toes,
touch their toes.
The monkeys in the zoo all touch their toes,
Just like I do.

The monkeys in the zoo all rub their tummies,
Rub their tummies,
Rub their tummies.
The monkeys in the zoo all rub their tummies,
Just like I do.

The monkeys in the zoo all pat their heads,
Pat their heads,
Pat their heads.
The monkeys in the zoo all pat their heads,
Just like I do.

The monkeys in the zoo jump up and down,
Up and down,
Up and down.
The monkeys in the zoo jump up and down,
Just like I do.

The monkeys in the zoo swing through the trees,
Through the trees,
Through the trees.
The monkeys in the zoo swing through the trees,
Just like I do.
source:Storytime Hooligans

Flannel Board

Five Elephants in a Bathtub

One elephant in the bathtub
Going for a swim.
Knock, Knock, (Clap twice)
Splash, Splash, (Slap knees twice)
Come on in! (Motion with both hands to come in.)
Two elephants elephants in the bathtub… etc.
(Until…)
Five elephants elephants in the bathtub
Going for a swim.
Knock, Knock,
Splash, Splash,
They all fell in!
Source: Storytime Katie

Take Home Craft

Source: First Palette

Closing Dance Song

See Ya Later Alligator by Laura Doherty

Closing Goodbye Song

We Wave Goodbye Like This
Tune: “Farmer in the Dell”

We wave goodbye like this.
We wave goodbye like this.
We clap our hands for all our friends.
We wave goodbye like this.

Observations

This storytime was so much fun! I kicked off the storytime by putting on my zoo hat and opening each box. The kids and I then discussed each animal I pulled out.

The books get an A+ for this storytime. The Giraffe who Cock-A-Doodle-Doo’d had the kids making the appropriate noises for each animal. I even had a little girl who stood up and turned my page because she wanted to know what was going to happen next. The Underpants Zoo had the kids laughing.

I definitely went heavy on the action rhymes. How could I not? And the kids loved them. We were all sweaty and out of breath by the end. I did change my closing song, but I thought “See you later Alligator” was a better fit for this storytime.

The funniest part happened after storytime. I knew that I would be moving around quite a bit, so I made sure to bring in my water. I kept joking that this elephant was thirsty as I guzzled down water. During a playtime a mother gently tapped me on the shoulder and pointed out a little boy. The little boy (a sibling of a preschooler) was wearing my zoo hat and drinking my water!

Rainbows–Toddler

Opening Song

If You Want to Hear a Story
Tune: “If You’re Happy and You Know It”

If you want to hear a story, clap your hands!
If you want to hear a story, clap your hands!
If you want to hear a story,
If you want to hear a story,
If you want to hear a story, clap your hands!

Props

Scarves

Books

Duckies’ Rainbow by Frances Berry
Color Dance by Ann Jonas

Action Rhymes

Colors

Blue is the lake, (point to the floor)
Yellow is the sun (point to the sky)
Silver are the stars,
When the day is done (wiggle fingers in the air)
Red is the apple, (make circle with hands)
Green is the tree (raise arms over head like branches)
Brown is a chocolate chip cookie (rub tummy)
for you and me!
Source:Harris County Public Library

Let’s All Twirl
Tune: “The Mulberry Bush”

Let’s all twirl with our scarves today,
Scarves today, scarves today,
Let’s all whirl our scarves today,
All around the room.
Source:Harris County Public Library

Let’s Make a Rainbow!

Let’s wave our scarves high!
Let’s wave our scarves low!
Let’s wave our scarves fast!
Let’s wave our scarves slow!
Now let’s crumple up our scarves.
One, Two, Three! (Throw scarves into the air and watch the rainbow of colors fall to the ground.)
Source: Library Village

Flannel Board

Rainbow Stew

Take an apple, put it in the pot
Stir it, stir it, stir it a lot.
Take it out. What will it be?
The prettiest red you ever did see.

Take an orange…
Take a banana…
Take a pear…
Take some blueberries…
Take some grapes…
Source: Storytime ABC’s

Scarf Song

Rainbow of Colors by The Wiggles

Take Home Craft

Source: Library Village

Closing Dance Song

Silly Dance Contest by Jim Gill

Closing Song

“We Wave Goodbye Like This”
Tune: “Farmer in the Dell”

We wave goodbye like this.
We wave goodbye like this.
We clap our hands for all our friends.
We wave goodbye like this.

Observations

This theme was a bit harder for my toddlers to get excited about.

I started my storytime with the rainbow stew flannel board. The kids liked telling me what kind of fruit I was about to put in the pot.

As for my stories, they were kind of meh about Duckie’s Rainbow and Color Dance was a complete flop. I quickly ended the story and transitioned to scarves. This is where the storytime took off. We did action rhymes with the scarves and the kids LOVED when we got to throw them up in the air. I also added an extra dance song about rainbows so that the kids could keep dancing with the scarves.