Welcome Song
Opening Rhyme/Movement
Hands are Clapping
Book
Charlie Chick by Nick Denchfiels
This was definitely the crowd favorite. The babies who could walk, all came up to touch the pop-ups, and the parents thought it was very sweet. Pop-ups have always worked really well with my babies!
Rhyme/Movement
Itsy-Bitsy Spider
Rhyme/Movement
Giddy-Up, Giddy Up
Rhyme/Movement
Roly-Poly
Book
Hurry Hurry by Eve Bunting
I should have clipped more pages in this one. It was running a little long, so I began turning multiple pages at a time. However, this led into a literacy tip!
Literacy Tip
Make sure the time you spend reading to your little one is enjoyable. If they're not feeling the book- skip some pages or just stop reading that book. It's better to read in short 5 minutes segments during the day and have them really enjoy what is happening! If you are trying to force them to sit still and listen while you finish your book, you will both be unhappy by the time you're done. Reading should be fun and stress free!
Rhyme/Movement
Row, Row, Row Your Boat
Rhyme/Movement
This is Big
Choral Reading
Brown Bear, Brown Bear, What Do You See? by Bill Martin Jr.
Everyone loves this book. If your library has the money, buy enough board book copies for everyone to have one in their hands. It is so wonderful to see the families interact during the book!
Egg Shakers
Twinkle Twinkle Little Star
Baa, Baa, Black Sheep
Rhyme/Movement
Zoom, Zoom, Zoom
Playtime!
For a while I have been contemplating some sort of craft during baby storytime. What do you do with 15 babies in a room though? With my master google skills ('baby craft'), I found the Paint and Prozac blog which told me exactly what to do! There are tons of great ideas on there, so check it out. This craft was super easy and very cheap. Make sure you prep the bags right before storytime though. I found out the hard way that the paint will eventually make the cardstock too soggy if you don't squish it around within an hour.
At the end of storytime, I announced there was a small, mess-free, craft project for the babies if they wanted it. I explained the craft and spoke briefly about why it was so important to let babies start creating. The parents were all very wary, so I said, "It will be there very first art masterpiece!" For whatever reason, no parent can pass up a "baby first". By clean-up time, they were all playing with the bags and talking about colors, how it felt, etc. It was a beautiful thing.
I am a very visual person, especially when it comes to crafting. So, here is my step-by-step process of art in a bag.
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| Paint, tape, bags, cardstock |
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| Insert cardstock into sandwich bag |
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| Add tape to cover both sides of the opening |
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| Pick two colors that mix well |
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| You're done! |
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| My very own art masterpiece- Yes, I will accept credit card payments or cookies. |