Storytime Share

Bop ‘Til You Drop Song by Mr Al

Introduction: Research shows that there are six early literacy skills that influence a child’s ability to learn to read. Today, you will probably notice several examples of narrative skills, which is the ability to describe things and events and to tell stories.

Go through the sequence of motions that are in the song, Bop ‘Til You Drop
Song:  Bop ‘Til You Drop

Closing Aside: One thing that you can do at home to develop narrative skills is to describe regular activities such as taking a bath–”first we’ll get out the towel, then we’ll put the water in the tub and add the bubbles/toys, then we’ll take off your clothes, and get in the water. We can scrub our toes, our ears . . . ” With older kids, let THEM describe the sequence of events with prompts like, “What do we have to do before we put the bubbles in? or “What do we do next?”

Ten Little Campers Fingerplay

Fingerplay:
Ten Little Campers 
Ten little campers putting up their tent. (Put finger tips of fingers together forming tent roof)
Ten little campers close the vents. (Intertwine fingers together to signify closure)
Ten little campers make a ring. (Form circle putting tips of fingers together and thumbs together)
Ten little campers start to sing. (Cup hands to mouth)
Ten little campers around the fire. (Form circle puttingtips of fingers together again)
Ten little campers dance till they tire. (Put all ten fingers up in the air and dance them around)
Ten little campers say good-night. (Wave good-night with both hands)
Ten little campers closer their tent up tight. (Intertwine fingers together again to signify closure)

Aside: Nursery rhymes are fun to sing and say with your child. Because they rhyme, they also help children develop phonological awareness, an important skill for later reading.
Submitted by Beth Grai, Independence (MI) Township Library

Any Rhyming Song

Introduction: Rhyming is one of the things that children learn that lets them hear that words are made of smaller parts. By doing rhyming songs and fingerplays with your child, you are supporting phonlogical awareness. It’s fun for you and your child and will help them when it comes time for them to learn to read.
Submitted by Molly Beedon, Ypsilanti (MI) District Library

Bear Wants More by Karma Wilson

Aside: Having your child say a repeated phrase with you throughout the book keeps him involved. Thisi s a great way to support print motivation and encourage participation in reading.
Read Bear Wants More and have the children chime in with the repeated phrase.
Submitted by Rhonda Butler, Public Libraries of Saginaw (MI)

Wide-Mouthed Frog by Keith Faulkner

Introduction: Print motivation is an interest in and enjoyment of books. Children need this skill prior to formal reading instruction. One way to develop this skill is to use pop-up books and other books that provide surprises. Let’s see what surprises this book brings.
Read Wide-Mouthed Frog.
Submitted by Lisa Watson, Flat River (MI) Community Library

Candlewick Press Storytime Plan

Storytime Plan includes these books with suggested activities and relation to the six early literacy skills.
Arabella Miller’s Tiny Caterpiller by Clare Jarrett
On the Farm by David Elliott
A Visitor for Bear by Bonny Becker
Tweedle Dee Dee by Charlotte Voake
[Some activities are more for school-age children.]
readtousstoryhourkit.pdf 

Orange Pear Apple Bear by Emily Gravett

Introduction: When you choose books for your children, they like the ones that have pictures of things that are familiar to them.  So, here is one with a picture of an apple.  You can talk about the apple in the picture, its color, its shape.  Then get a real apple and show it to your child.  Talk about how it tastes–sweet, how it feels–round and smooth, the sound it makes when you bite it–CRUNCH!  By showing your child the real object, you are helping them realize that pictures represent real things.  Later they will also understand that printed words represent real things as well.  This develops print awareness. I’ll read this story to you once, then we’ll use the flannel board to tell it again!

Read Orange Pear Apple Bear by Emily Gravett

Re-tell the story using flannel pieces with the children telling the story as you put the pieces on the board.  As the whole story has four words the children learn it quickly.  This book can also be used to demonstrate narrative skills.
Submitted by Leslee Farish Kuykendal, Chicago Public Library

Little Raindrops Fingerplay

Fingerplay:  Little Raindrops
This is the sun, high up in the sky. (Form large circle with arms up)
A dark cloud suddenly comes sailing by.  (Move hands through the air in a parallel motion.)
These are the raindrops,  pitter, pattering down. (Bring arms down, flutter fingers)
Watering the flowers, growing on the ground. (Cup hands to form flowers.)
Activity: Make a book based on this fingerplay. Use the pattern here (Little Raindrops Booklet pattern) to represent the items in the fingerplay. There are four pages for your book (one for each line of the fingerplay). The pattern is a Word document so you can change the size of the objects to save paper, if you wish. The children cut out the pictures. They can cut around them to make it easier. The adults write the words to the fingerplay on each page. For children too young for this craft, the adults make the book FOR their young children. The umbrella can be used on the cover of the book.
Aside: Making a book with or for your child is very special. By showing care in making them and including your child in the process you make this activity around a book enjoyable. Your child can memorize the words to the rhyme and can “pretend” read it to you. Praise your child. This helps develop print motivation, a child’s interest and enjoyment of books and reading.
Submitted by Jaime Duval and Whitney Whitaker, Radford (VA) Public Library

Rain by Robert Kalan

Read the book.
Aside: It is really important for children to be able to tell and re-tell stories or ideas in chronological order. We are going to use this flannel board (Rain flannel board) to let the children re-tell the story we just read. Plus, they will see how each item affects the next one. This activity will help them develop their narrative skills.
Flannel Board: Place pieces on the flannel board as the children retell the story.
You can use some of the pieces from the flannel board pattern as a handout so that the children can retell the story at home.
Submitted by Jaime Duval and Whitney Whitaker, Radford (VA) Public Library

Mouse Mess by Linnea Riley

Our next story is Mouse Mess by Linnea Riley.
Aside: Notice the words on boxes and bottles as Mouse finds food to eat.
Read the book, saying the words on the boxes and bottles as you point to them.
Aside: Pointing out the words we see on boxes and bottles is one way to help children develop one of the six early literacy skills, print awareness, understanding that print has meaning.
Activity: At the end of storytime put out cereal boxes, bottles, any containers with writing on it and let the children “read” them.
Closing Aside: Don’t forget, when you go shopping or are just out and about, talk with your children about the signs and labels they see, just as we did with Mouse Mess.
Submitted by Saroj Ghoting