Bedtime Stories

A good bedtime story is something I believe is important to people of all ages.  Little ones love being read to as they snuggle up at night, and even adults often find comfort in heading to bed with a good book.  My bedtime ritual almost always involves a chapter or two in whatever book I'm reading and a cup of tea to help me wind down.  To encourage the tradition of reading with your loved ones at the end of each day, I've put together a relaxing sleep-themed storytime to share.

Books

Chengdu Could Not, Would Not, Fall Asleep by Barney Saltzberg

Rise the Moon by Eileen Spinelli

Dream Animals: A Bedtime Journey by Emily Winfield Martin

Bedtime for Chickies by Janee Trasler

Lead-In

When I did this storytime at the library, we started by listening to themed music (see links at the end of this post for suggestions) and playing with puppets until it was time to "put the puppets to bed."  Once everyone arrived, we sang our good morning songs and talked a little bit each book before reading it.  There are so many wonderful bedtime books available, but these are some of my absolute favorites.  Dream Animals and Rise the Moon have gorgeous, whimsical illustrations on each page.  You're sure to be charmed by the cute, restless character of Chengdu.  Bedtime for Chickies will induce a giggle with the rhyming text, the cheeping of the chicks, and the anticipation for that magical moment when the little ones are finally asleep.

Songs & Rhymes

★Big Yellow Moon (source)

Big yellow moon shines so bright, (Arms above head in circle shape.) 

Glides across the starry night, (Arms move from left to right.) 

Looks down at me (Hand shades eyes, looking down.) 

Asleep in bed, (Hands together at side of face.)

Whispers, "Good night, sleepyhead." (Forefinger in front of mouth, whispering.) 

Big yellow moon, your turn is done. (Arms above head move down in front of body.) 

Here comes Mr. Morning Sun. (Arms move above head in circle shape.) 

I wake up. (Arms stretch out.) Moon goes to bed. (Hands together at side of face.) 

"Sleep well, Moon, you sleepyhead." (Forefinger in front of mouth, whispering.) 

★Twinkle Twinkle Little Star

Twinkle, twinkle, little star (hands open and shut in a "blinking" motion)

How I wonder what you are (hands open at sides in a questioning motion)

Up above the world so high (point to sky)

Like I diamond in the sky (point to sky)

Twinkle, twinkle, little star

How I wonder what you are

Felt Board Activity

We did an interactive game called Bedtime for Piglets on the felt board, and the kids were very engaged in helping me find all the piglets while getting in some basic counting practice.  You will need one large pig, 5 piglets, and a bed.  Place the large pig near the bed in the middle of the felt board, then hide the piglets around the area.  I told the kids that the mama pig was looking for her piglets to put them to bed, and she needed our help.  I made up a little rhyme to make the story more fun.

★Bedtime for Piglets

"It's bedtime for piglets!" the mama pig said.  (Cup hands to mouth and call out.)

"Let's clean you up (pretend to wash face)
and put you to bed" (fold hands along face and pretend to sleep).

The piglets are hiding (hide face behind hand)
and playing around (lower hand and peek up).

Let's make sure all of the piglets are found.

"Heeeeere piggy, piggy, piggy!" (Cup hands to mouth and call out.)

One by one, act surprised (sharp intake of breath, "I see one!") as you find each hidden piglet with the help of the kids and place them near the bed.  Once all the piglets are found, count them up and tell them good night.

Closure

We finished this storytime by singing the goodbye song with bubbles, then each child received a blue star stamp and a coloring sheet while the adults were encouraged to browse a selection of bedtime books available for checkout.

Additional Resources

Where Do Diggers Sleep at Night? by Brianna Caplan Sayres
Sleepytime Me by Edith Hope Fine
Bedtime Kiss for Little Fish by Lorie Ann Grover

Everyone Sleeps by Marcellus Hall

Someone's Sleepy by Deborah Lee Rose

The Sleepy Little Alphabet by Judy Sierra

Sheep Asleep by Gloria Rothstein

Are You Sleeping, Little One? by Hans-Christian Schmidt

A list of lullabies with lyrics and videos

Music- A few of my favorites are Bedtime with the Bealtes, All I Have To Do Is Dream by The Everly Brothers, Mr. Sandman by The Chordettes, and Little Star by The Elegants

Cute Hello Kitty bedtime coloring page

A Penguin Storytime for Chilly Weather

If you find yourself huddling together for warmth during the winter months, you've discovered the perfect habitat for a fun penguin storytime!  Penguins are a great storytime theme because they are adorable and fascinating animals to learn about, and you'll also discover that penguin books are plentiful.  Gather 'round for some fun wintertime stories about this cute creature.

Books

If You Were a Penguin by Wendell and Florence Minor

Penguins, Penguins Everywhere by Bob Barner

Penguin in Love by Salina Yoon

Baby Penguins Everywhere by Melissa Guion

Lead-In

After our usual songs and greetings took place, I got the kids excited for this theme by having them waddle like penguins and flap their "wings."  We pretended that it got very cold in the room, then settled down for our first book (If You Were a Penguin, which also happened to be the favorite with this group).

Songs and Rhymes
★ It is Snowing (source)- to the tune of Frere Jacques.  Mime the action of putting on each winter accessory as you sing the song.

It is snowing, it is snowing, 

On my head, on my head 

I will need a hat now, I will need a hat now, 

On my head, on my head

…On my neck… I will need a scarf...

...On my hand… I will need a glove...

…On my foot… I will need a boot...
★ I'm a Little Penguin (source)- Make your arms look like penguin wings, flapping them and waddling as you sing the song.

I'm a little penguin black and white. 

I waddle to the left and I waddle to the right. 

I cannot fly but I can swim, so I waddle to the water and jump right in!

Felt Board Activity
I couldn't seem to find the perfect penguin rhyme, so I made up my own for this storytime and it went over very well!  The idea was to start with one penguin and use a counting rhyme to keep adding friends until we reached five.  I'll include the motions along with the rhyme, because the kids really enjoyed doing them along with me.

★ Five Friendly Penguins

One friendly penguin in the cold, cold ice. (Hug arms close to your body and shiver)

She thought that an extra friend might be nice. (Tap your head as if you are thinking)

So she looked up high and she looked down low, (Shade eyes and look up, then down)

And found another penguin waddling through the snow! (Flap "wings" and waddle)

Two friendly penguins…

Three friendly penguins…
Four friendly penguins...

When we reached five, we celebrated the fact that our first friendly penguin now had four more friends to play with and then counted them all just to make sure we had all our penguins together.

Closure

We finished this storytime by singing songs and handing out penguin coloring sheets for the kids to color at the library or take home for later.  We also practiced our waddling and wing flapping again on the way out for good measure.

Additional Resources

Color-by-Penguins by Ed Heck

Penguin's Snowy Day by Salina Yoon

Lost Little Penguin by Tracey Corderoy

Penguins by Liz Pichon

Playful Little Penguins by Tony Mitton

Template for penguin felt pieces

Penguin coloring pages

If you're on the lookout for a fun winter storytime without having to worry about focusing on any specific holiday, waddle into your local library and grab a few books about penguins!

I Built a Construction Storytime!

I discovered during this storytime that tools, machines, and construction are pretty much always a good idea for boys and girls alike.  The kids were very receptive to this theme, and the parents seemed to enjoy it too.  In fact, one mom even expressed her enjoyment for this topic at the end of our storytime, commenting on how appropriate it was for young kids.  So get out your very best tools and let's build an awesome storytime together!

Books

Tip Tip Dig Dig by Emma Garcia

Road Work Ahead by Anastasia Suen

The Construction Crew by Lynn Meltzer

Diggers Go by Steve Light

Lead-In

I began this storytime by telling the kids that we were going to build a pretend house. In order to do so, we would need to learn a thing or two about construction so our house would be good and sturdy! So we ventured into a storytime full of tools and machines to help us build a strong, imaginary house.

Songs & Rhymes

★ Five Little Nails (source)- Hold up fingers and pretend they are nails, using a hammering motion with the other hand as you count through the rhyme.

Five little nails, standing straight and steady

Here I come with my hammer ready!

Bam, bam, bam! That nail goes down.

Now there’s just four nails to pound.

Four little nails…

Three little nails…

Two little nails…

One little nail, standing straight and steady.

Here I come with my hammer ready!

Bam, bam, bam! That nail goes down.

Now there are no more nails to pound.

★ Bumpity Goes the Dump Truck (source)- To the tune of "one little, two little, three little..." Bouncing motion accompanies song until the last line, at which point children lean to one side.

Bumpity-bumpity goes the dump truck, 

Bumpity-bumpity goes the dump truck,

Bumpity-bumpity goes the dump truck,

Duuuuuuuuuuump out the load.

Felt Board Activity

Transitioning into my felt board story, I told the kids that it was time to begin building our house. I had four wooden pieces with felt accents in the shape of a paintbrush, screwdriver, hammer, and saw. So we went through the different tools and sang a verse of the following song for each item.

★ This is How We Work

This is the way we build a house (hands over head in the shape of a roof), 

build a house, build a house. 

This is the way we build a house. 

So early in the morning. 

This is the way we hammer nails... (hammering motion)

This is the way we turn the screws… (wrist turning motion)

This is the way we saw the wood… (sawing motion)

This is the way we paint the house… (pretending to paint with paintbrush)

Closure 

We finished up this storytime by singing our goodbye song and heading to the children's area of the library for Stay & Play, where we utilized our new construction knowledge to work with building blocks! 

Additional Resources 

I Love Trucks! By Philemon Sturges 

My First Trucks and Diggers by Marie Greenwood 

Little Dump Truck by Margery Cuyler 

Dig It, Dump It, Push It by Holly Karapetkova 

Construction coloring pages can be found here.
Music- We listened to It's a Beautiful Day by Dino O'dell as families entered the room.

Whooooo Loves Owls?

Good evening, night owls!  I've noticed that most of my animal-themed storytimes seem to go over pretty well with the kids who attend my storytime.  I had collected quite a few adorable books featuring owls at my library location, and I remembered that my niece used to get a kick out of hooting like an owl when she was first learning animal sounds, so I decided to build a theme upon this fascinating creature.  We had such a good time with this one!  And I think it had a lasting impact, because I heard that one of my young visitors was hooting like an owl for many days after storytime.  Enjoy!

Books

Good-Night, Owl! by Pat Hutchins

Little Friends: Home Sweet Home by Roger Priddy

Little Owl’s Night by Divya Srinivasan

Who Hoo Are You? by Kate Endle

Lead-In

I started off this storytime by telling the kids a little bit about owls.  Since my group is made up of very young children, many of them are still learning the names and sounds of animals.  So we began by describing the characteristics of owls including their big eyes, their nocturnal sleeping patterns, and the "hoooot hoooot" sounds they make.

Songs & Rhymes

★ Owl in the Tree- to the tune of Skip to My Lou (source).

*We sang this one with our hands around our eyes to look like owls.*

Owl in the tree says, "Who, who, who."

 Owl in the tree says, "Who, who, who."

 Owl in the tree says, "Who, who, who."

"Who, who, are you?"

★Wide-Eyed Owl Rhyme (source)

There's a wide eyed owl
(thumbs and forefingers around eyes)

With a pointed nose,
(point to nose)

Two pointed ears,
(forefingers extended up from head)

and claws for toes,
(fingers and arms bent in front of chest)

He lives way up in the tree,
(point to tree)

And when he looks at you,
(point at the group)

he flaps his wings,
(fold arms into arm pits and flap)

and he says "whoo, whoo"
(hands cupped around mouth, calling out)

Felt Board Activity

I put together a fun felt board activity using colored owls and a catchy, quick song that is easily adaptable to sing a verse for each color.  I printed out a template and used it to make 6 owls, each a different color.  I glued white and orange felt and googly eyes to create the eyes and beak, then drew on the wing details with a Sharpie.  They were quick and easy to make, and I thought they turned out pretty cute.  I started with a blank board and revealed one owl at a time, at which point we would flap our "wings" (folded arms) and sing the following little rhyme in a sing-songey tune.

Whooo, whooo

I am an owl.

Whooo, whooo

A little yellow owl.

We repeated the song for each color until all 6 owls had been revealed, then reviewed the colors as each owl was once again removed from the board.

Closure

After blowing bubbles and singing the Goodbye Song, I had the kids come to see me for a tiny owl stamp.  As they approached me, I'd ask them what the owl says and have them hoot as I stamped their hands (SO cute!).

Additional Resources

Owls by Gail Gibbons

Little Hoot by Amy Krouse Rosenthal

Owl template for felt pieces or craft projects

The owl stamp I used at the closure of this storytime can be found here.

Intro music- I played Do the Owl by The Wiggles as families entered the storytime room.

A Panda Storytime

Pandas are quite possibly some of the cutest creatures on earth.  Their fuzzy, adorable faces and distinctive features make them a perfect candidate for a storytime with young children since they are just so charming.  Little ones and parents alike will enjoy this theme because really, deep down inside, I think everyone gets a little giddy at the sight of such a cute animal.

Books

If You Were a Panda Bear by Wendell and Florence Minor

Yummy Ice Cream by Emma Quay

Panda Bear, Panda Bear, What Do You See? by Bill Martin Jr.

Giant Pandas by Michelle Levine

Lead-In

The introduction to this theme was easy for me, because I have a panda puppet named Piccolo who makes an appearance at the beginning of every storytime.  My kids are very fond of him, which is why I chose to focus on pandas in the first place.  So I started by letting everyone get a closer look at Piccolo, and explaining that he is a panda bear and that pandas eat bamboo.  Then I flipped through a non-fiction book, Giant Pandas by Michelle Levine, to show photos and read facts about pandas to get the kids excited about the theme.

Me with Piccolo the Panda

Songs

★I am a Panda- to the tune of You Are My Sunshine, sung while holding your hands in a circle around your eyes to look like a panda bear. (source)

I am a panda

A furry panda

I live in China and eat bamboo

It is a thick grass

That grows in my land

And it is not that easy to chew (shake head)

★If You're a Panda and You Know It- to the tune of If You're Happy and You Know It. (source)

If you’re a panda bear and you know it, clap your paws (clap clap)

If you’re a panda bear and you know it, clap your paws (clap clap)

If you’re a panda bear and you know it, then your face will surely show it (hands in circles around eyes)

If you’re a panda bear and you know it, clap your paws (clap clap)

If you're a panda and you know it, stomp your feet... (stomp stomp)

If you're a panda and you know it shout hooray... (Hooray!)

Felt Board Activity

I put together a rhyme and the felt pieces specifically for this storytime, and it was SUCH a hit!  Parents and children alike were smiling and playing along as we counted down our pandas.  Here's the rhyme I made up, as well as the actions to go with it.

Five Fuzzy Panda Bears

Five fuzzy panda bears eating bamboo (pretend to eat)

They chomp, chomp, chomp 

And they chew, chew, chew (use hands to make "chomping" motions)

One playful panda bear tumbles away (remove one panda from board, spin it in loops as the panda tumbles away)

While all the other pandas just eat all day (pretend to eat)

Four fuzzy panda bears eating bamboo...

Three fuzzy panda bears eating bamboo...

Two fuzzy panda bears eating bamboo...

One fuzzy panda bear eating bamboo...

He'll crunch, crunch, crunch And he'll chew, chew, chew

He tumbles off with his friends to play

And now all the panda bears have gone away

Click here for a template you can use if you'd like to make your own panda bear faces.  Simply print the document, then cut out the features and trace them onto felt, flannel, or fleece.  Glue the pieces together using tacky glue or any other glue that will adhere to fabric.

Closure

At the end of this storytime, I told all my little panda bears to come see me for a stamp.  I had a small leaf stamp and green ink, so I stamped each of their hands and told them it was a bamboo leaf.  If you have a panda bear stamp, even better!  I didn't have one at the time, but since my panda puppet is a mascot of sorts for my storytime, I have since ordered one on Etsy.

Additional Resources

Panda Stamps- I bought this one and this one.

Panda Whispers by Mary Beth Owens

Panda themed activities and crafts for preschoolers.

I don't feel like I can emphasize enough how much fun this theme was.  Seeing tiny children holding their hands around their eyes to mimic the markings of a panda bear is priceless.  One little guy kept thanking me for his "bamboo" (the stamp I gave as the kids left the storytime room) multiple times as he wandered the children's area of the library with his mom afterwards.  It's also a great way to raise awareness about a rare and endangered animal.  So gather up your little panda bears for a sweet, memorable storytime!

Reading to Small Children about Colors

If you're around me for any length of time, you'll quickly establish that I am a color fiend.  So naturally, one of my favorite storytime themes so far has been color.  My audience is composed of very young children, so I put together a fun session for little bitties to learn the basics about colors.

Books

Planting a Rainbow by Lois Ehlert

I Say, You Say Colors by Tad Carpenter

Magic Colors by Patrick George

Colors by Orla Kiely

Lead-In

Begin the storytime by singing any songs you typically sing, introducing the theme, and pointing out any bright colors around the room.  With older children, you might even ask children wearing red to stand up, then blue, and so on as you move through the spectrum.  You could also have a brief discussion about color, naming your favorite and asking kids and parents to name their favorites, too.

Songs and Rhymes

I found a cute rhyme I found here, but I added pictures to make it more visual and interactive.  I printed out color copies of clip art to go with each item, and cut them into flash card sized pieces so I had a picture to show with each color.

ORANGE as a carrot, 

YELLOW as a pear,

PURPLE as a plum,

BROWN as a bear,

GREEN as the grass,

BLUE as the sky,

BLACK as a cat

RED as cherry pie

Felt Board Activity

We did a fun action game based on colored cars we might see as we go for a "drive".  I told the kids we were going for a pretend car ride and had them put their hands on an imaginary steering wheel.  I used felt cars in all the colors mentioned in a rhyme I found here.  Model each action as you reveal the color of the cars one by one.

When I See RED I put my hand on my head

When I see BLUE I touch my shoe

When I see GREEN I start to lean

When I see YELLOW I wave and say "Hello!"

When ORANGE is found I point to the ground

When I see PINK I think, think, think

Closure

Finish the storytime by singing any final songs you typically sing together such as the Goodbye Song, and make the topic more memorable by giving children a stamp or sticker as they leave.  For mine, I gave them a ladybug stamp with red ink and said "here is your little red ladybug" as I stamped their hand.  You could also have stickers available in multiple colors and have children tell you which color they'd like.

Additional Resources

Printable Rainbow Coloring Page

Baby Basics: Colors by Roger Priddy

Oh, the Colors/ De Colores: Sing Along in English and Spanish! by Ashley Wolff

A Color for Sketch: A Book About Colors by Orli Zuravicky

Color Crafts for Kids Pinboard by Tisha Baker

If you're looking for music to accompany a color-themed lesson, you'll love this!  To welcome families to the storytime room and hint at the theme, I played Ziggy Marley's "What a Wonderful World" from the Disney Reggae album.  We played shakers and danced to the music while we waited for everyone to arrive, which created a relaxed, happy atmosphere.

One last suggestion I have for anyone who intends to do a storytime or lesson based on color is to dress the part!  Wear colorful clothing and share you enthusiasm for all the beautiful hues waiting to be discovered in the world around us.  Happy reading!

Hop in for a Frog Storytime

I am so excited to share this storytime theme because it was one of the absolute best sessions I've done to date!  The kids and parents all loved this theme.  Everyone was participating in the songs, paying close attention to the stories, and checking out the books I put on display after storytime was over.

Books

Jump! by Scott M. Fischer

Little Green Frogs by Frances Barry

Move! by Liesbet Slegers

The Croaky Pokey by Ethan Long

Lead-In

I started by playing music as people entered the room.  I love playing upbeat oldies with instruments as an intro to storytime, so we listened to "At the Hop" and played with shakers to help break the ice and get kids in a happy mood.  Once everyone arrived, I introduced myself and we sang a few of our favorite songs such as Hi Hello, Open and Shut Them, and Mr. Sun.  Then I asked the children what a frog says.  They all started croaking and ribbitting, so I asked what the frog DOES.  The answer is...  he jumps!  This lead us to our first book, Jump! by Scott M. Fischer, which also seemed to be the favorite of this session.

Songs and Rhymes

★Little Frog (source)

I’m a little frog, (point to self)

Sitting on a log. (hands on knees)

Listen to my song. (hand to ear)

I sing it all day long: (cup hands to mouth)

Ribbit! Ribbit! Ribbit! Ribbit! Ribbit! (sway side to side)

CROAK! (in a deep voice)

★The Croaky Pokey (source)

We sang and acted out this song as I read the book

★Five Speckled Frogs 

Five little speckled frogs

Sat on a great big log 

Eating the most delicious bugs (yum yum) 

One jumped into the pool 

Where it was nice and cool 

Now there are just four speckled frogs  

Four little speckled frogs… 

Three little speckled frogs… 

Two little speckled frogs...

One little speckled frogs...

Felt Board Activity

Make a scene to go along with Five Speckled Frogs by cutting out frogs from green felt with darker green spots, a log from brown felt with a wood grain pattern drawn on, and a blue "pool" from aqua felt or paper with Velcro on the back.  Move the frogs into the pool as you sing the song and hold up your fingers to indicate how many frogs are left.  

Closure

Have children practice hopping and croaking like frogs, then show parents a selection of nonfiction books about frogs that are available for checkout if their kids would like to learn more.  Blow bubbles and sing the goodbye song, then give each child a frog stamp on their hand before they leave.

Additional Resources

Can You Growl Like a Bear by John Butler (to teach animal sounds)
Tell Me the Difference Between a Frog and a Toad by Leigh Rockwood
A Frog’s Life by Ellen Lawrence
Everything You Need to Know about Frogs and Other Slippery Creatures
Frogs by Peter Murray
Frog Coloring Pages