{"id":30034,"date":"2024-01-24T00:00:00","date_gmt":"2024-01-24T05:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.alsc.ala.org\/blog\/?p=30034"},"modified":"2024-01-23T19:03:17","modified_gmt":"2024-01-24T00:03:17","slug":"baby-storytime-songs","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.alsc.ala.org\/blog\/2024\/01\/baby-storytime-songs\/","title":{"rendered":"Baby Storytime Songs"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Baby storytime is my FAVORITE! Baby storytime songs have been on my mind lately because storytimes just started up again for the season. Generally, I stick to a few favorite songs because repetition is so important for the littles. Repetition also helps the adults learn the songs and they are more likely to join in if they know the songs well. Occasionally, I add a new song if there is a fun theme for the week. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Songs can create a structure in storytime which helps them know what to expect. Having a starting song or two and a few songs in between books is a great place to start. Singing is also one of the five early literacy practices! It helps slow down language and often has different notes for each syllable. I think songs are just as important as books in storytime, especially for babies and toddlers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n

Welcome Songs<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

I start with two welcome songs! The first one helps me learn all of the kids’ names and helps them (the other parents) learn each other’s. The second song gets everyone loosened up and ready for a story.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

You Are Here Today<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

_____ is here today, _____ is here today,<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Let’s give a cheer, let’s give a cheer, because _____ is here today.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Credit: Jbrary<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/div>\n\n\n\n

Well Hello Everybody<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Well hello everybody can you touch your nose, touch your nose, touch your nose,<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Well hello everybody can you touch your nose, touch your nose?<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Repeat with: touch your toes, pat your head, rub your belly, clap your hands, etc. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Storytime Favorites<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

I enjoy singing songs that the parents know the words to and that children recognize. They get so excited when they hear a familiar tune and can join in. We do Head, Shoulders, Knees, and Toes and Apples and Bananas along with a couple of others every week. I especially like classic songs like The Isty-Bitsy Spider or Old MacDonald because there won’t be a quiet person in the room. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Sometimes, I enjoy teaching everybody some new songs like these:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Popcorn Kernels<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Popcorn kernels, popcorn kernels,<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

In a pot, in a pot,<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Shake them, shake them, shake them,<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Shake them, shake them, shake them,<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Until they POP!<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Credit: I learned this one when I was interning at a library and it is a really fun scarf song. Have everybody bunch a scarf up really small in their hands and then at the end they launch it into the sky and giggles erupt.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/div>\n\n\n\n

Hurry, Hurry<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Hurry, hurry drive the firetruck.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Hurry, hurry drive the firetruck.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Hurry, hurry drive the firetruck.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Ding, ding, ding, ding, ding.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Other verses: turn the corner, climb the ladder, spray the water.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Slowly, slowly back to the station.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Slowly, slowly back to the station.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Slowly, slowly back to the station.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Ding, ding, ding, ding, ding. <\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Credit: I learned this one from Miss Rachel. We love her in my house!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/div>\n\n\n\n

Zoom, Zoom, Zoom!<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Zoom, zoom, zoom,<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

We\u2019re going to the moon.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Zoom, zoom, zoom,<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

We\u2019re going to the moon.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

If you want to take a trip,<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Climb aboard my rocket ship.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Zoom, zoom, zoom,<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

We\u2019re going to the moon.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

In 5, 4, 3, 2, 1…BLASTOFF<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Credit: I also learned this one as an intern and once the families learn the words, it is a super fun one. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/div>\n\n\n\n

Mary Voors on the ALSC blog had a great post <\/a>a few years ago about singing songs with a picture book that goes with it. I have done this and I can say that it is a really fun way to read a book.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Closing Song<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

I have not found a closing song that I love yet, so I would love to hear your suggestions. Usually, I sing and read until I can tell the kids are antsy and ready for playtime. They stay to play, and then they slowly trickle out of the room, so I feel like a goodbye song isn’t a good fit for my current group. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Jbrary<\/a> has a good one called Now It’s Time to Say Goodbye<\/strong> sung to the tune of “Mary Had a Little Lamb”. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Now it’s time to say goodbye, say goodbye, say goodbye, <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Now it’s time to say goodbye, I’ll see you all next week.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Do you have a good way to do a closing song? What other songs do you love to sing during baby storytime?<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Baby storytime is my FAVORITE! Baby storytime songs have been on my mind lately because storytimes just started up again for the season. Generally, I stick to a few favorite songs because repetition is so important for the littles. Repetition also helps the adults learn the songs and they are more likely to join in if they know the songs well. Occasionally, I add a new song if there is a fun theme for the week. Songs can create a structure in storytime which helps them know what to expect. Having a starting song or two and a few songs in between books is a great place to start. Singing is also one of the five early literacy practices! It helps slow down language and often has different notes for each syllable. I think songs are just as important as books in storytime, especially for babies and toddlers.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":360,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_uf_show_specific_survey":0,"_uf_disable_surveys":false,"footnotes":"","_members_access_role":[],"_members_access_error":""},"categories":[2448,136],"tags":[1804,574,1488,117],"class_list":["post-30034","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-blogger-kirsten-caldwell","category-storytime-2","tag-baby-storytime","tag-singing","tag-songs","tag-storytime"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.alsc.ala.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/30034","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.alsc.ala.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.alsc.ala.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.alsc.ala.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/360"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.alsc.ala.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=30034"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.alsc.ala.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/30034\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.alsc.ala.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=30034"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.alsc.ala.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=30034"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.alsc.ala.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=30034"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}