Hi Guys,
Yesterday was my monthly Lapsit storytime. This storytime is for babies up to 11 months. We do lots of bounces and rhymes and we tend to focus on early literacy tools like repetition and phonetic awareness. Lapsit is always a lot of fun!
Here’s a list of what we did this time:
Rhyme – Welcome, Welcome Everyone
This is to the tune of twinkle, twinkle little star and it is my way to welcome my crew to storytime.
Welcome, welcome everyone
Now you’re here, we’ll have some fun!
First we’ll clap our hands just so,
Then we’ll bend and touch our toes.
Welcome, welcome everyone
Now you’re here, we’ll have some fun!
ASL – Hello Friends
I like to use sign language in my story time. We go over the signs for: Hello, Friends, Time and Say. Thanks to Jbrary for this one!
Movement Exercise – Head, Shoulders, Knees & Toes
I like to get warmed up with this classic.
Song w/ Movement – Tap Your Toes and Follow Me by Susan Salidor.
This is a song with easy movements that can help with dexterity.
Movement Exercise – Open Shut Them
This is a great one for working with those hands and getting some mobility practice.
Open shut them Open shut them Give a little clap, clap, clap
Open shut them Open shut them Lay them on your lap, lap, lap
Creep them creep them Creep them creep them Right up to your chin, chin, chin Open wide your little mouth But do not let them in
Story – Chicka Chicka Boom Boom by Bill Martin Jr.
I used our big, BIG version of the book and pointed out the letters
as we went to work on identifying the letters that go with our ABCs.
Bounce – This is the way the lady rides
This is one of my most popular bounces. We get faster and faster with each verse.
This is the way the lady rides
Lady ride, lady rides.
This the way on her way to town.
Repeat with Gentleman, Doctor and Cowboy.
Puppet – Alligator, Alligator
I don’t normally do puppets but this is an easy one that gets the kids giggling.
Alligator, alligator Long and green Alligator, alligator, Teeth so mean Snapping at a fly Snapping at a bee Snapping at a frog But you can’t catch me!
Song – Roll, roll, roll your hands
Just a quick song with prompts, to give my voice a break.
Roll, roll, roll your hands
As fast as fast can be
Do it now, let me see. Do it now with me.
(repeat with verses for clapping hands, tapping feet, and shaking legs)
Bounce – Going Up and Down in an Elevator
Obviously we like our bounces. Baby goes up and down as you do the rhyme.
Going up and down in an elevator
Up and down in an elevator
Up and down in an elevator
First floor, second floor, third floor, Yay!
Story – Sheep Go To Sleep by Nancy Shaw
This one has a fun rhyme and we can work on our counting. Mostly, it is my favorite Shaw book.
Song with Shakers – Mr. Sun
I play any version of the song Mr. Sun and we use shakers and sing along.
Movement Rhyme – Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star
We slow things down with this rhyme and get ready to say goodbye.
ASL – Goodbye Friends
We learn to say goodbye in ASL and use the same signs and song as our hello.
Song – Goodbye, So long, Farewell My Friends by Music Together
Just a slow, goodbye song I always put on as I open the doors to say goodbye.
How’d it go: Well, this was my smallest group for Lapsit storytime to date. We only had six sets of grownups and little ones. So it was an intimate little storytime but it still went well. No tears and quite a few giggles!
I have to say, I was just in a funk in planning this one. I kept changing my stories. They were too long or not interactive enough or this, that and the other thing. For this age group, I like to do stories that have some movement with it where the kids can bounce along or clap, etc. But ultimately, the books I chose worked and that’s all that matters. If anyone has any good, short picturebooks with easy movements send them my way!
Overall, a successful if small storytime.
That’s all for now!
-M-