Storytime at Home
Storytimes are a big part of our week at the library. We’d like to give you some ideas for storytimes you can do on your own at home. Our goal is to give you the tools to do stories, songs, and rhymes at home with your children just like the ones you enjoy when you come to the library for storytime. All of the books listed are available on Hoopla for you to checkout, or a link is provided to watch a video of the author, illustrator, or a celebrity read the book to you. Also, you can always substitute a favorite book you already have at home.
Colors!
Books: Mouse Paint, Steam Train Dream Train COLORS, and Green is a Chile Pepper
Hoopla is available on the latest browser, phone, tablet, and TV products. Each Hoopla user can check out five items per month. To start using Hoopla, all you have to do is create an account with your library card. Visit the website and click “get started today,” on the homepage. All of the books on this flyer are available as ebooks, and may be available as audiobooks.
Songs
These songs are great to use with a rhythm instrument like a shaker egg (you can make one with a plastic Easter egg!) or rhythm sticks (or spoons!), or drums (boxes, pots & pans, or bowls!). We like to use instruments in our songs, but you don’t have to. You can always just clap your hands or tap your feet if you’d rather.
One little red fish swimming in the water, Swimming in the water, swimming in the water. One little red fish swimming in the water, Bubble, bubble, bubble, pop.
Two little blue fish swimming in the water….. Bubble, bubble, bubble, pop.
Three little yellow fish swimming in the water…. Bubble, bubble, bubble, pop.
Five green & speckled frogs,
Sat on a bumpy log,
Eating some most delicious bugs.
Yum yum!
One jumped into the pool,
Where it was nice and cool,
Then there were four speckled frogs.
Glub glub!
Count down until there are no frogs left!
Don’t forget to get up & move between books! Moving around helps children get ready to sit and listen again.
Teddy Bear, Teddy Bear
Teddy Bear, Teddy Bear touch your nose.
Teddy Bear, Teddy Bear touch your toes.
Teddy Bear, Teddy Bear reach up high.
Teddy Bear, Teddy Bear wink your eye.
Teddy Bear, Teddy Bear turn around.
Teddy Bear, Teddy Bear sit back down.
My Two Hands Go Clap, Clap, Clap (Tune: Twinkle, Twinkle)
My two hands go clap, clap, clap
My two feet go tap, tap, tap
My two hands go thump, thump, thump
My two feet go jump, jump, jump
My one body turns around and it quietly sits down.
Rhymes
Rhymes and fingerplays are a great way for children to number concepts and to increase their vocabulary. Adding motions also strengthens both fine and gross motor skills.
Choo-Choo Train
This is a choo-choo train
(Make a circular motion with your arms)
Puffing down the track.
Now it’s going forward.
(Make a circular motion forward)
Now it’s going back.
(Make a circular motion backward)
Now the bell is ringing.
(Pretend to ring a bell)
Now the whistle blows.
(Cup hands to mouth & say, “Whoo-whoo”)
What a lot of noise it makes
(Cover ears)
Everywhere it goes.
(Make a circular motion with arms)
5 Little Jelly Beans
5 little jelly beans, I wish I had more, I ‘ll eat the red one; now there are four!
4 little jelly beans, tasty as can be, I’ll eat the green one; now there are three!
3 little jelly beans, only a few, Ill eat the pink one; now there are two!
2 little jelly beans, eating them is fun, I’ll eat the blue one; now there’s only one!
1 little jelly bean, the last one for me, I’ll eat the purple one; I’m happy as can be!
You can substitute any colors you like in this rhyme. It’s really fun if you can gather different colored objects to be the jelly beans and let your child tell you which color to eat next.