It’s a long weekend here in B.C., which I think might have contributed to the smaller group size we had this week, but it was still a lovely bunch, and we had heaps of fun.
This group tends to consist primarily of young toddlers, so we’ve been keeping the programs bouncy, active and full of movement, with lots of familiar songs and rhymes. Nothing fancy, but it seems to be doing the trick! Here’s what we did today:
Hello Song: Hello, Friends (with signs)
Wake Up Song: When Cows Get Up in the Morning (with puppets)
I like to try and do something unexpected at the end of this song, so today I had a dragon puppet who says “hi” and waves. It was very sweet to see all the kiddos waving at the dragon!
Book One: Bear Has a Belly
Yes, I did my own book in a story time program. I didn’t say it was my book, though, because that would have been weird.
Hand Songs / Rhymes : Open, Shut Them / Rolly Polly / The Wheels on the Bus
Book Two: The Bus for Us
Movement Songs: Zoom, Zoom, Zoom / The Elevator Song / Head and Shoulders
I like to connect all these songs together – so we take a rocket to the moon/sun/stars, we take an elevator back down to earth, and we check to see that we made it back down in one piece.
Cool Down Song: Rain is Falling Down
Sometimes I do a cool down song, sometimes I don’t, it depends on the group and how much time I have left in the program.
Goodbye Song: Goodbye, Friends (with signs)
I have the kids sit on their bums with their hands on their heads, and I walk around the room giving the kids their stamps. It avoids a toddler stampede, and provides a great opportunity for kids to practice listening, following instructions and waiting. All very important skills!
And that’s it! Like I said, a very simple program, but it’s a very young, very active group, so it works.
As I was sharing with a colleague, I always read books in my programs, but I’m not against shortening them or dropping one book entirely if a group seems particularly wiggly or energetic. I want storytime to be a positive experience, and that means reading the mood of the room and adapting my programs to meet the kids where they are. Sometimes a group can sit comfortably through several longer picture books, and sometimes you read three pages of a book before wrapping things up with a quick “and they all lived happily ever after” and moving on to a song. You just never know how each session is going to go, which is why you have to be willing to adapt, be flexible, smile and go with the flow! Definitely something that becomes easier with time and practice, of course.
If it’s a long weekend where you are, I wish you a very happy one. And if not, you have my sympathies!