Hello Song
Tickles / Fingerplays
Eyes, nose, cheeky cheeky chin
Book 1: This Little Chick
Bounces
A hippopotamus got on a city bus
Book 2: Peek a Moo
Movement Songs
Cool Down Songs
Haru ga kita (where is spring?)
Good Bye Song
I had a mother with a one-month-old baby come to story time for the first time today – my youngest baby ever! We also had two mothers from Japan, so I pulled out one of the few Japanese children’s songs I know, and they helped me teach it to the group. The very new mother came to thank me afterwards – she’s been terribly homesick, and she was so thrilled to hear her own language being used in the library, even if we did sort of mangle most of the words…
I highly, highly recommend trying to include other languages in your story time programs whenever possible. Ask your families what languages they speak at home, and try to learn a simple, traditional children’s rhyme or song that the families who speak that language can help you share with the group. Baby time, more than any other program, is very much about supporting new parents, and when you’re far away from home, just being able to share a piece of your culture with new friends can really mean a lot.
Wow, I imagine that must have been so nice for those moms to hear something in Japanese.
My kids are a little older, but my two year old adores story time and “Paint A Story,” where an art teacher reads two picture books with different illustration styles and then they get to use watercolors.
That sounds like so much fun! I love doing art projects with the kids, it’s so much fun to watch them explore and express themselves. If you’re making a big mess, you know you’re doing something right. 🙂