Storytime with Ms. Emily Library

cat knit, don't worry wuddles, and knit together book covers

Storytime: Knitting & Yarn

Posted on February 27, 2026February 27, 2026 by msemilylibrary

Any other knitters out there? Knitting and yarn is a fun storytime theme and I love that I get to share one of my hobbies with the littles. They always have some wide eyes when I show them a couple of knit stitches, and it’s a great way to think about the origins of things, tracing a sweater or hat all the way back to sheep. I did make up a couple of piggyback songs for this one (the first time I did this theme) and they work pretty well.

One thing I struggled a bit with is using Baa Baa Black Sheep. I couldn’t think of another way to use my “naked sheep” flannel and I wanted to do a sheep activity of some kind. I took another look at the origins and decided to use the song, though I did make some slight changes. I believe this is one of those rhymes that originally did not have any racial meaning, though of course connotative meanings get added over time and can also do real harm even if they weren’t original. The document that I have seen in the past of a list of problematic rhymes and songs has two notations for this song. The first looks to be the song basically as we sing it today, and the illustration does not show anything objectionable that I could tell – I’m not sure why it was listed in the document. The second is from a book called “Negro Folk Rhymes” which *does* include objectionable language, but from what I can tell is an adaptation of the original and not widely known. The tune to the song is the same as Twinkle Twinkle and the ABCs, so that’s not something that is tied to racism (unlike the “One Little, Two Little” song.) So, I did not do any “black sheep” verses, opting instead to do red, blue, and pink, and changed the word “master” to “mister.” Is it enough? I hope so. If you have an opinion that respectfully disagrees, I would love to hear it. And I’d love to hear alternative options for different colored and naked sheep flannel games, too!

See another version of this theme from 2021.

cat knit book cover, showing a irritated dark gray cat tangled up in red yarn, with the ball end in the foreground with a pair of knitting needles in it.

don't worry wuddles book cover, showing a shaggy sheep with a small yellow duckling making off with some wool.

knit together book cover, showing a mother and daughter hugging. The daughter is wearing a knit hat and scarf and the title is made with red yarn.

Early Development Tip: (two tips today!) Lacing activities help children develop fine motor skills, hand/eye coordination, motor planning, visual perception, improved attention, patience, and perseverance. In addition, lacing helps children practice the precursor skills for shoe tying and writing.
We count up and down from the number five often in storytime! It’s a great idea to mix it up sometimes and choose a different number to start with, such as in our rhyme “Six Balls of Yarn.”

Welcome Song: Hello, Friends*

Hello Friends rhyme sheet. Includes a smiling rainbow and two yellow ducks at the bottom. click the image to download a non-branded PDF

Warm Up Song: Wake Up, Feet*
This is a repeated song that everyone seems to enjoy. I always begin and end with feet and tummies, but find two other body parts to wiggle in the middle. I rotate between elbows, cheeks, hips, noses, arms, chins, thighs, heads, shoulders, ears, knees, and fingers.

Wake Up Feet thumbnail, with a graphic of three pairs of baby-sized shoes. click the image to download a non-branded PDF

Lifting Rhyme: Toast in the Toaster*

Toast in the Toaster thumbnail, with a graphic of a toaster with a piece of bread hovering above it. click the image to download a non-branded PDF

Intro: [Have some knitting to show.] This is yarn! And I’m knitting with my yarn! Knitting is a way to make yarn into clothes like sweaters, mittens, hats, scarves. Is anyone wearing a something made of yarn today? Are any grownups knitters?

In order to knit, your fingers need to be all warmed up. And someone who really knows how to weave and knit a beautiful web is spider!
Okay, a bit of a stretch, but it was a good way to get us started. I always repeat this one with GREAT BIG SPIDER with your whole hand and sing loudly and tiny shy spider with fingertips in a whisper.
Fingerplay: The Itsy Bitsy Spider
The itsy bitsy spider went up the water spout
Down came the rain and washed the spider out
Out came the sun and dried up all the rain
So the itsy bitsy spider climbed up the spout again
Source: traditional

the itsy bitsy spider thumbnail, with a graphic of a smiling spider next to a rain gutter attached to a red brick wall. click the image to download a non-branded PDF

Transition: If You’re Ready for a Story*

A funny and short book, perfect for my group. Lots of smiles and laughs.
Read: Cat Knit by Jacob Grant

Knit Togetheris a lovely story about a girl and her mom who work on designing a knit piece together, but my library doesn’t actually own it. I borrowed it from my home library as a backup but didn’t end up using it. My library DOES have Don’t Worry Wuddles, which is a cute one about a duckling who takes all of a sheep’s wool to keep the other animals warm, but it’s a little ambiguous about knitting – it kind of looks like the yarn is just wound around the animals.
Backup Reads: Knit Together by Angela Dominguez OR Don’t Worry Wuddles by Lita Judge

Do you know where woolen yarn comes from? Sheep! Sheep’s wool come in different colors, like white, black, gray, and brown, just like we have different hair colors. But I have some EXTRAORDINARY colored sheep!
See my note above for all my dithering about using this rhyme. I do like the second and third verses, I found them at Book Besotted Librarian but I don’t know if they are traditional or not. The last verse I’ve previously attributed to Piper Loves the Library (where I definitely stole the flannel pattern), but going to the site her rhyme is much different. It’s possible I made it up, but I don’t remember! The flannel is fun – the “naked sheep” has a removable sweater! Note that the rhyme sheet is two pages; the preview only shows the first, but the PDF includes both.
Nursery Rhyme: Baa, Baa, Sheep
Baa, baa red sheep have you any wool?
Yes, sir, yes, sir, three bags full
One for the mister, One for the dame
And one for the little boy who lives down the lane

Baa baa blue sheep have you any wool?
Yes, ma’am, yes ma’am, three needles full
One to mend a jumper, One to mend a frock
And one for the little girl, With holes in her socks

Baa baa pink sheep have you any wool?
Yes, child, yes, child, three bags full
One for the kitten, One for the cats
And one for the guinea pigs to knit some woolly hats

Baa baa, naked sheep have you any wool?
No, friend, no, friend, I’m cold right through!
Baa baa, naked sheep, what can we do?
Knit a sweater for me and you!
Source: traditional, 2nd and 3rd verses from Book Besotted Librarian, last vs adapted from Piper Loves the Library

flannel for baa baa sheep, showing sheep with red, blue and pink wool, and a sheep wearing a striped sweater.

baa baa sheep page one of two, thumbnail, with a graphic of a dark faced sheep with red wool and a light faced sheep with blue wool. click the image to download a non-branded PDF

Sometimes I put on glasses to read a book or to do my knitting!
We practice putting our glasses on and off, and opening and closing our books before we started. For “yarn” I pretended to hold a ball of yarn, and for “knit” I fiddled my fingers together.
Action Song: These Are My Glasses
These are my glasses, And this is my book
I put on my glasses, And open up the book
Now I read, read, read, And I look, look, look
I put down my glasses and…
WHOOP! Close up the book

These are my glasses, And this is my yarn
I put on my glasses And start to knit my yarn
Now I look, look, look, And I knit, knit, knit
I put down my glasses and…
WHOOP! It’s time to quit
Source: Laurie Berkner, from the album Whaddaya Think of That?
second verse by Ms. Emily

These are my glasses thumbnail, with a graphic of a pair of glasses, a green book, a pair of knitting needles, and a skein of pink yarn. click the image to download a non-branded PDF

I have some lovely yarn here! What colors do you see?
I used only six colors from my Ten Balls of Yarn set, as ten gets a bit much for this age. The flannel was a labor of love. I am so pleased with how it turned out, even though it was a lot of work! Click the link for more on how I made it, plus a downloadable template. For this storytime, I made a new felt basket to put them in! I also used a cat puppet to pull the balls off of the flannelboard.
Counting Rhyme: Six Balls of Yarn
Six balls of yarn, sitting in a bowl
One fell out and started to…. ROLL (roll arms)
It bounced on my foot and there it sits
How many balls are left to knit?
(count down to one)
Source: Canton Public Library (MI)

picture of ten balls of yarn flannel updated with a brown basket. The yarn colors are purple, green, white, blue, black, red, orange, yellow, brown, and pink.

six balls of yarn thumbnail, with a graphic of six multicolored yarn balls in a basket. click the image to download a non-branded PDF

Warm clothes can be knitted with warm yarn – like a sweater!
I have not figured out motions for this song that work REALLY well – I directed the group to rub their arms during the first part of the song, and do an exaggerated forward and back motion with their arms during the “bring back” portion. I played this on ukulele, so I wasn’t able to do any of the motions myself, which always makes it harder.
Ukulele Song: My Sweater
(tune of My Bonnie)
My sweater is warm and cozy
My sweater is warm and dry
When I play in very cold weather
Oh, bring me a sweater to wear
Oh, bring me, bring me, bring me a sweater to wear, to wear
Bring me, bring me, oh bring me a sweater to wear!
Source: Johnson County (KS) Library

Get a copy of the ukulele song sheet for My Bonnie!

my sweater thumbnail, with a graphic of an orange turtleneck sweater with a heart. click the image to download a non-branded PDF

Rhythm Sticks Intro: Let’s get out our rhythm sticks and practice! Can you make your sticks go Fast & Loud? Slow & Quiet? In a Circle? Drive them like a car? Rest them on your shoulders? Tap the ground? Okay, listen carefully! Fast, Quiet, Shoulders, etc.
It’s always good to do some practice with the sticks before we really get started. I use unsharpened pencils instead of traditional rhythm sticks to make it easier for the littles.

Let’s pretend our sticks are knitting needles!
I actually have a pair of jumbo knitting needles, so that’s what I used for my sticks! I have used variations on this rhyme many times – it works really well! This time I wanted to capitalize on the sticks, so made sure we did some tapping and rolling. The tricky one was tapping your sticks while turning in a circle, but the challenge made it fun.
Rhythm Stick Rhyme: Knitting Needles UP
Knitting needles up!
Knitting needles down!
Tap your knitting needles and turn around
Knitting needles up!
Knitting needles down!
Roll your knitting needles around and around
Source: One Little Librarian

knitting needles up thumbnail, with a graphic of a light skinned hand holding a pair of knitting needles. click the image to download a non-branded PDF

What kinds of noises do our needles make?
Rhythm Stick Song: Click Clack Went the Knitting Needles
(tune of Mmm Ahh Went the Little Green Frog)
Click, clack went the knitting needles one day (pretend to knit)
Click, clack went the knitting needles
Click, clack went the knitting needles one day,
and they both went click clack click!

But… We know needles go
Tappy-tappy-tap! Tappy-tappy-tap! (big taps!)
Tappy-tappy-tap!
We know needles go
Tappy-tappy-tap!
They don’t go click, click, clack

Additional verse:
Roll, roll went the big ball of yarn one day… (roll arms/sticks)
But… we know yarn goes
Bouncy-bouncy-bounce… (bounce sticks in a vertical position)
Source: Canton Public Library (MI)

click clack thumbnail, with a graphic of some green yarn being knit into a smallswatch. click the image to download a non-branded PDF

Can you listen carefully to the instructions in this song?
This was a song that a colleague played every week in storytime at my old library. It’s fun and has some good instructions, but isn’t too hard. I even had one caregiver ask about it afterwards as she wanted to play it at home!
Recorded Rhythm Stick Song: Tap Your Sticks
Source: Hap Palmer, from the album Rhythms on Parade

image of Rhythms on Parade album cover showing animals following a kangaroo

Action Song: Zoom, Zoom, Zoom!*

zoom zoom zoom thumbnail, with a graphic of a rocket ship. click the image to download a non-branded PDF

Craft: Yarn Hearts Craft
As this was the week before Valentine’s Day, I chose a craft that could be made into a Valentine if they wished. We have a die cut for a large heart with scalloped edges, so I cut those out in pink paper. Then I cut short lengths of yarn in varying colors and provided liquid glue for adhesion. Tip: wrap yarn around your hand (4 fingers) many times, then cut the whole bunch at the bottom and the top for neat, even short lengths of yarn. I mentioned that kids could follow the lines of glue on their papers or just scattershot, making sure their yarn was touching some glue. For even older kids, you could encourage them to draw or write with the glue and then follow it with the yarn. It’s a craft that scales for age!

photo of a pink heart with scallops around the edge with colored yarn glued on in a haphazard way.

Is it helpful to see the setup for crafts? This is what it looked like on each table. I put everything on a messy tray except some baby wipes for gluey hands.

photo of craft setup, showing piles of different colored yarn, pink paper hearts, and liquid glue on a messy tray, with a package of baby wipes on the table next to it.

Play Time
The toddlers have two laundry baskets of baby toys – rattles and cars, sorters and stackers, toy phones and spinners. For the older kids, I have foam blocks, soft food toys, puzzles, and a few other items that are a little more sophisticated than the baby toys. For Family Time, I gauge the overall age of the group and put out what seems right for them. We play for 5-10 minutes at the most, then I ring the bell and ask the kids to help me clean up. I think the clean up bit is good practice for them!

Goodbye Song: See You Later Alligator*

See you later thumbnail, with a graphic of a green alligator, brown crocodile, ladybug, and jellyfish. click the image to download a non-branded PDF

Other books I had available for families to browse (and may work for you on this theme)
Where Is the Green Sheep? – Mem Fox & Judy Horacek
Extra Yarn – Mac Barnett & Jon Klassen
Sweater Weather – Matt Phelan
Hide and Sheep – Andrea Beaty & Bill Mayer
A Hat for Mrs. Goldman – Michelle Edwards & G Brian Karas
While We Wait – Judy Ann Sadler & Élodie Duhameau
Silli’s Sheep – Tiffany Stone & Louis Thomas
Lester’s Dreadful Sweaters – KG Campbell
The Mitten – Jan Brett
Sheep Dog and Sheep Sheep – Eric Barclay
Knitty Kitty – David Elliott & Christopher Denise
If You Want to Knit Some Mittens – Laura Purdie Salas & Angela Matteson
Penguin in Love – Salina Yoon

This storytime was presented in-person on 2/11/26.

Storytime Handout:

handout with book suggestions, rhyme and song lyrics.

*Lyrics to these songs can be found on the Repeated Songs & Rhymes page.

† Click the image of rhyme/song sheets to download a non-branded PDF

say hello like this and hello hello book covers

Storytime: Hello & Goodbye

Posted on February 13, 2026February 13, 2026 by msemilylibrary

Some of baby’s first gestures are waves, so a hello and goodbye theme is great for babies and toddlers! We did a lot of waving and smiling and tried different kinds of greetings. My coworker did the majority of the planning and a lot of the rhyme sheet designs this week, though I did move a few things around and added one song I really wanted to try with this group. We thankfully have the freedom to be flexible with our own styles. I did try to balance hello and goodbye, but we may have skewed a little more on the hello side.

See another version of this theme from 2021.

say hello like this book cover, with an illustration of two yellow chicks peeping

Hello, Hello, book cover, with illustrations of colorful animals including a pangolin, iguana, lizard, fish, and a Rhinoceros Hornbill bird.

Early Literacy Tip: The concept of loud and soft plays an important role in music and throughout life. Children need to know when a loud voice is OK and when a soft voice is required. Through music they can have fun learning the difference between loud and soft. from The Early Literacy Kit: A Handbook and Tip Cards by Betsy Diamant-Cohen & Saroj Ghoting

Welcome Song: Hello, Friends*

Lifting Rhyme: Toast in the Toaster*

Intro: We can say hello & goodbye in many different ways – hi, howdy, hiya, bye, see ya, later! If you speak another language, you may have different words, like in Spanish you can say hola and adios. You might say hello and goodbye without words, like giving someone a hive five or fist-bump. Sometimes saying goodbye to things or people we love can be hard, but each goodbye brings a chance for a new hello!

Here’s a fingerplay you might know about friends saying hello and goodbye!
I gave the adults a heads up that the last line is a bit different from what they may have learned (the traditional “run away” is not really the best way to say goodbye!)
Fingerplay: Where is Thumbkin?
Where is Thumbkin? Where is Thumbkin?
Here I am! Here I am!
How are you today, friend? Very well, I thank you!
Say goodbye. Say goodbye.
Source: traditional

where is thumbkin thumbnail, with a graphic of two hands of light skin tone giving the thumbs up gesture. The pads of the thumbs have smiley faces on them. click the image to download a non-branded PDF

If you were a dog what might you say to say hello? What if you were a cow?
I do this one very often with my Book Babies programs, but hardly ever with the toddlers. They loved seeing the puppets and making the animal noises.
Puppet Song: Dog Says Hello
(tune of Farmer In The Dell)
The dog says hello
The dog says hello
Woof, woof, woof, woof, woof, woof
The dog says hello
(Repeat with other animals)
Source: King County (WA) Library System

the dog says hello thumbnail, with a graphic of a cartoon puppy with a speech bubble saying woof! click the image to download a non-branded PDF

Transition: If You’re Ready for a Story*

Lots of fun and opportunities for movement and noises to make.
Read: Say Hello Like This! by Mary Murphy

My backup. I wish there was a nice title that includes both hellos and goodbyes featuring humans and simple enough for toddlers. Tall order! This one only seems tangentially related to greetings, but it is a beautiful book.
Read: Hello, Hello by Brendan Wenzel

Action Rhyme: How Do You Say Hello?
Hey! Hi! Howdy! Yo!
There are many ways to say hello!
Wave your hand, Nod your head
Smile big or wink instead
Blow a kiss, Tip your hat
Shake your hands, Give a pat
Of all the ways to say hello,
Here’s the way I like to go…
HELLO! (choose your favorite!)
Source: Storytime Katie

how do you say hello thumbnail, with a graphic of a line drawing of a cowboy tipping his hat. click the image to download a non-branded PDF

Let’s practice saying hello and goodbye in different ways!
I chose a few words ahead: HELLO Quiet, loud, happily, GOODBYE silly, sadly, musically (like an opera singer!)
Action Rhyme: Bread and Butter
Bread and butter, marmalade and jam (pat knees rhythmically)
Let’s say hello as quiet as we can
Hello! (whisper)
Source: traditional

bread and butter thumbnail, with a graphic of anthropomorphic pat of butter and toast standing next to a jar of strawberry and grape jams. click the image to download a non-branded PDF

When we wave, we use our hands – let’s open and shut them.
Open Shut Them is a rhyme I’ve known for a long time – the person doing storytime here 20 years ago used it regularly. This is not that version (lay them in your lap, lap, lap), but a hello and goodbye version.
Fingerplay: Open Them Shut Them
Open, shut them, open, shut them
Put your hands down low, low, low
Open, shut them, open, shut them
Wave and say hello-lo-lo!

Open, shut them, open, shut them
Raise your hands up high, high, high
Open, shut them, open, shut them
Wave and say goodbye, bye, bye!
Source: One Little Librarian

open shut them thumbnail, with lyrics only. click the image to download a non-branded PDF

Let’s try this goodbye song.
This is the goodbye song my home library uses! I searched online and it appears to be an Mother Goose on the Loose song.
Action Song: Can You Kick with Two Feet?
Can you kick with two feet?
Two feet? Two feet?
Can you kick with two feet?
Kick, kick, kick, kick, kick

additional verses:
Can you clap with two hands…
Can you kiss with two lips… (blow kisses)
Can you wave bye-bye…
Source: Mother Goose on the Loose via the IndyPL

can you kick thumbnail, with a graphic of a smiling and waving happy frog. click the image to download a non-branded PDF

Let’s get out our shakers! Can we sing hello to them?
My colleague put the words for the hello and goodbye portion of this on the same rhyme sheet, but I did them separately, so I just flipped back to the sheet when I was ready to put them away.
Shaker Song: Hello, Shakers
(tune of Goodnight, Ladies)
Hello, shakers!
Hello, shakers!
Hello, shakers!
It’s nice to play with you!
Source: adapted from our hello song

hello, shakers thumbnail, with a graphic of a yellow egg with a speech bubble saying hello and a blue egg with a speech bubble saying goodbye. click the image to download a non-branded PDF

Shaker Song: Can You Shake?
(tune of London Bridge)
Can you shake along with me?
Along with me, along with me?
Can you shake along with me?
Put your shaker on your… knee!
(repeat with different body parts)
Source: Jbrary

can you shake thumbnail, with a graphic of a blue and a green egg shape with motion lines around them. click the image to download a non-branded PDF

The recording sings “clap” but we sang “shake” for the first verse.
Recorded Shaker Song: Clap Everybody and Say Hello
Clap everybody and say hello
Clap everybody and say hello
Clap everybody and say hello
No matter what the weather
(repeat: stamp, wiggle, jump, dance, sing)
Source: Kathy Reid-Naiman, from the album Sally Go Round the Sun

shake everybody and say hello thumbnail, with a graphic of five shaker eggs of varying colors. click the image to download a non-branded PDF

A reprise of our “Hello Shakers!”
Shaker Song: Goodbye, Shakers
(tune of Goodnight, Ladies)
Goodbye, shakers!
Goodbye, shakers!
Goodbye, shakers!
We’ll see you again soon!
Source: adapted from our hello song

Action Song: Zoom, Zoom, Zoom!*

Craft: Hello, Goodbye, Worm Craft
My colleague put this one together – it’s so cute. We have dies for a worm and a rectangular sheet with a square flap cut out. So the idea is to make our own lift-the-flaps so we can say hello and goodbye to the worm. She drew a window (though I noted that they could draw a door if they wanted) which opened to see the worm.

collage of three pictures of the craft - one showing the folded sheet closed, with a window drawn on. The second shows a flap opened (window pane) showing a worm. Third showing the folded sheet open, showing the full landscape of the worm on grass.

Is it helpful to see the setup for crafts? This is what it looked like on each table. I put everything on a messy tray.

craft setup for worm craft, showing die cut worms, die cut papers with flaps in several colors, glue sticks and crayons.

Goodbye Song: See You Later Alligator*

Other books I had available for families to browse (and may work for you on this theme)
Hello – Aiko Ikegami
Hello, Baby! – Mem Fox & Steve Jenkins
Hello, Day! – Anita Lobel
Hello Day – Charlie Mylie
Hello, Sun! – Sarah Jane Hinder
Hello, Friend! Hola, Amigo! – 123 Andrés & Sara Palacios
Hello, Hello Opposites – Brendan Wenzel
Hello, New House – Jane Smith
Hello, Tobi! – Andrea Cáceres
Hey, Wake Up! – Sandra Boynton
Ploof – Ben Clanton & Andy Chou Musser
Hello Goodbye Dog – Maria Gianferrari & Patrice Barton
Goodbye, Friend! Hello, Friend! – Cori Doerrfeld
Bad Bye, Good Bye – Deborah Underwood & Jonathan Bean
Bye Bye Time – Elizabeth Verdick & Marieka Heinlen
Bye-Bye, Crib – Alison McGhee & Ross MacDonald
Evelyn Del Rey Is Moving Away – Meg Medina & Sonia Sánchez
How Do Dinosaurs Say Goodbye? – Jane Yolen & Mark Teague
The Goodbye Book – Todd Parr

This storytime was presented in-person on 2/4/26.

Storytime Handout:

*Lyrics to these songs can be found on the Repeated Songs & Rhymes page.

† Click the image of rhyme/song sheets to download a non-branded PDF

all are neighbors and they're heroes too book covers

Storytime: Community

Posted on February 7, 2026February 7, 2026 by msemilylibrary

Our library stays open for holidays like Veteran’s Day, President’s Day, and Martin Luther King, Jr Day. The idea is that these are holidays that have some deep meaning behind them and we should be available to provide information, education, and context. These usually end up being some of our busiest days, since kids are out of school and some other businesses are closed. This year, my coworker and I decided to do a “Community” theme for the week of MLK Day, since it is also a day of community service.

This theme was a little tricky to plan. I really wanted to focus on the community/communities that kids are a part of, as well as what it means to be a good community member. Searching for “Community Storytimes” online brought back results about “Community Helpers” almost exclusively. That is more about the jobs that people do rather than what a community is and how we can be a part of it. It also made searching for books more difficult, for the same reason. But I widened my searches to friendship, neighborhoods, citizenship, helping, and anything else I could think of and I’m really happy with the plan I put together. It’s simple enough to work well for toddlers, while still focusing on the aspects of the theme I wanted to hit, which did include community helpers, but didn’t focus on that concept alone. It flowed well and everyone seemed to enjoy it. (Gee, how many times can I write “community” in this intro?!)

all are neighbors book cover, showing diverse children playing

They're Heroes Too book cover, showing characters from the book, varying and diverse community helpers.

Early Literacy Tip: Singing games and playing music in groups encourage social responsiveness. Such activities also help your child learn to feel comfortable in a group setting. When your child begins school, such positive associations will help them adjust to being part of a class. from The Early Literacy Kit: A Handbook and Tip Cards by Betsy Diamant-Cohen & Saroj Ghoting

Welcome Song: Hello, Friends*

Lifting Rhyme: Toast in the Toaster*

Intro: We live in a community of people, and the people in our community help each other. Some people have jobs that let them help others. Many people are helpful even outside of their job! We can all do our part to make our community beautiful and welcoming.

Here’s a rhyme about some of those helpers and the jobs they do.
My nod to the community helpers idea! But I liked that the last line puts it back on the kids to be helper, and asks them to think about what they would like to do to help.
Fingerplay: This Little Helper
This helper builds our houses (thumb)
This helper brings our mail (pointer)
This helper teaches the children (middle)
And this one has groceries to sell (ring)
And this little helper, yes, it’s me (pinky)
When I grow up, what kind of helper will I be?
Source: North Olympic (WA) Library System

this little helper thumbnail, with a graphic of a handprint with each finger a different color. click the image to download a non-branded PDF

Transition: If You’re Ready for a Story*

Such a great book, with so much diversity and inclusion!
Read: All Are Neighbors by Alexandra Penfold & Suzanne Kaufman

Although this one is, yes, about community helpers, it also shows that kids can be hero helpers, too, which I loved. I think that is the element that is missing from too many of the other jobs books and lesson plans.
Read: They’re Heroes, Too: A Celebration of Community by Pat Brisson & Anait Semirdzhyan

What does your neighborhood look like?
The easiest community to understand, I think, is the physical one of a neighborhood.
Fingerplay: Five Little Houses
One little house, all alone it stood (count on fingers)
Then another was built. There grows the neighborhood!
(count up)

Five little houses, All together they stood
On a beautiful street in a happy neighborhood
Source: Jbrary

five little houses thumbnail, with a graphic of a colorful group of houses on a street with a tree and sun. click the image to download a non-branded PDF

We can start being a helper by being a good neighbor! Let’s greet each other
I simplified the actions on this a little bit, and changed hip bump to fist bump. I don’t love doing two songs with the same tune, but occasionally it’s fine.
Action Song: Hello, Neighbor
(tune of Goodnight Ladies)
Hello, neighbor (wave)
What do you say? (high five)
It’s going to be a beautiful day
Greet your neighbor (wave)
Boogie on down (wiggle)
Give a bump (fist bump)
And turn around!
Source: Dr. Jean Feldman

Hello neighbor thumbnail, with a graphic of 9 diverse children greeting each other. click the image to download a non-branded PDF

Let’s sing an old song about how good it is when we get together and work together
ASL Song: The More We Get Together
See ASL movements here: https://youtu.be/YZLlZoD3gU8
The more we get together, together, together
The more we get together the happier we’ll be
For your friends are my friends
and my friends are your friends
The more we get together the happier we’ll be

The more we read together, together, together
the more we read together the happier we’ll be
Read big books and small books (hands wide and then close horizontally)
Read short books and tall books (hands close and then wide vertically)
The more we read together the happier we’ll be
Source: traditional, verse 2: Story Time Secrets

the more we get together thumbnail, with a graphic of hearts and books. click the image to download a non-branded PDF

Parachute Intro: A parachute is really hard to have fun with all by yourself. We need a community of friends!
I don’t get the parachute out very often for our indoor storytimes, so it’s a treat when we do.

If we lived in a tall apartment building, we could visit our neighbors by riding in the elevator!
Parachute Song: Let’s Go Riding On an Elevator
Let’s go riding on an elevator, elevator, elevator
Let’s go riding on an elevator, Ride along with me!
First floor, Second floor, Third floor, Fourth floor, Fifth floor…
And down-down-down-down-down!
Source: Jbrary

let's go riding on an elevator thumbnail, with a graphic of a line drawing of a set of elevator doors. click the image to download a non-branded PDF

Let’s work together to row the boat!
I remind everyone to start rowing very gently, then after the first verse, say, “Oh, the wind is picking up, can we row more firmly?” and before the third verse, “Oh, no, there’s a storm! Row as strongly as you can!”
Parachute Song: Row Your Boat
Row, row, row your boat
Gently down the stream (wave gently)
Merrily, merrily, merrily, merrily
Life is but a dream
(wave more intensely and replace “gently” with firmly and strongly)
Source: traditional

row your boat thumbnail, with a graphic of a brown rowboat with oars. click the image to download a non-branded PDF

Breathing Break: Wow, rowing the boat really made me out of breath! Can we take a little breathing break? Let’s breathe in when we lift up, breathe out when we set it down. I repeat for about 5 breaths.

At this point, they don’t care about anything but shaking the parachute and crawling under it, so it doesn’t really matter how it connects to the theme! Our space and the participants are such that it would be difficult to actually walk in a circle for this one, so we just wave it and fall and then get back up.
Scarf/Parachute Song: Ring Around the Rosie
Ring around the rosie (walk in a circle and/or wave the parachute)
A pocket full of posies
Ashes, ashes
We all fall down! (stay seated/down)

Cows are in the meadow
Eating buttercups
Thunder, lightning, (vigorous waving)
We all stand up! (stand!)
Source: traditional

ring around the rosie thumbnail, with a graphic of a pocket with flowers coming out of it. click the image to download a non-branded PDF

This is a great way to put the parachute away. I ask for only grownups to hold on, and then let them know they are letting go at the end.
Parachute Song: Parachute Fly
(tune of Skip to my Lou)
(kids go under the parachute and adults raise and lower)
Up, up, up it goes,
Down, down, down so low
Raise our parachute to the sky
Count to 3 and watch it fly
Spoken:
Up on one…
Down on two…
Up on three…
and FLY! (adults let go and leader pulls ‘chute in to themselves)
Source: Gymboree

parachute fly thumbnail, with an aerial photo of children holding the edges of a multicolored parachute. click the image to download a non-branded PDF

Action Song: Zoom, Zoom, Zoom!*

Craft: My Neighborhood Craft
We used some leftover square and triangle shapes in varying construction paper colors to make houses and apartments on a sheet of light blue construction paper, and added details with crayons and some 3D clouds with cotton balls.

photo of craft, showing two small houses and one tall apartment building, with a road, landscaping, a sun, and cotton ball sky. The buildings are made with construction paper shapes, and the rest is crayon.

Goodbye Song: See You Later Alligator*

Other books I had available for families to browse (and may work for you on this theme)
Cheer – Uncle Ian Aurora & Natalia Moore
All the Beating Hearts – Julie Fogliano & Cátia Chien
All of Us – Kathryn Erskine & Alexandra Boiger
A Little Book About Activism – Courtney Ahn
What Can a Citizen Do? – Dave Eggers & Shawn Harris
Miguel’s Community Garden – JaNay Brown-Wood & Samara Hardy
I Am We – Susan Verde & Peter H Reynolds
Thank You, Neighbor! – Ruth Chan
Stand Up! Speak Up! – Andrew Joyner
The All-Together Quilt – Lizzy Rockwell
Around the Neighborhood – Sarah L. Thomson & Jana Christy
The Power of One – Trudy Ludwig & Mike Curato
Fix-it Familia – Lucky Diaz & Micah Player
Maybe Something Beautiful – F. Isabel Campoy, Theresa Howell & Rafael López
The Umbrella – Beth Ferry & Tom Lichtenheld
I Promise – LeBron James & Nina Mata
All Kinds of Special – Tammi Sauer & Fernando Martin

This storytime was presented in-person on 1/21/26.

Storytime Handout:

*Lyrics to these songs can be found on the Repeated Songs & Rhymes page.

† Click the image of rhyme/song sheets to download a non-branded PDF

papa please get the moon for me and max and the tag-along moon book covers

Storytime: Moon

Posted on January 30, 2026January 29, 2026 by msemilylibrary

Here’s a new take on a Moon storytime theme, planned by my fabulous coworker. In the past I’d separated the idea of the moon in a scientific way, talking about space and astronauts in one program (2019, pre-blog) and the idea of the moon “from the ground” – as an object we see in the sky at night and tell stories about and give almost human qualities to. In this program, both aspects are given some time to shine! There were a couple of songs that had a count-down to blast-off that we’d considered (in addition to our evergreen Zoom, Zoom, Zoom), so I did cut one of them to save feeling repetitive, but I’ll include both below as a resource. Note that most of the rhyme sheets and the MOON shapes flannel were made/designed by her and not me!

See other versions of this theme from 2020 and 2022.

papa please get the moon for me book cover, with a large moon showing a small crescent on the left and the remainder darkened with an abstract face. Below is a very small ladder

max and the tag-along moon book cover, with a large yellow moon in the top right corner framing a little boy looking upward from playing with cars

Early Literacy Tip: Talk about the shapes you see with your children! Circles and triangles are often parts of letters. Being able to see shapes will help children later recognize letters. from The Early Literacy Kit: A Handbook and Tip Cards by Betsy Diamant-Cohen & Saroj Ghoting

Welcome Song: Hello, Friends*

Lifting Rhyme: Toast in the Toaster*

Intro: What’s something big big big that comes out at night? The Moon!

Flannel Activity: Spelling with Shapes
What shape is the Moon? A circle! Let’s spell the word, MOON. Can you spot any shapes in this word? The Os are circles! And this shape (triangle!) fits into the M and the N.
I had a few older siblings who jumped on this activity and were very excited to let us know the answers. For the younger, it may have been a little more difficult, so supplying the answers is fine.

Moon word flannel: the word moon is spelled in capital letters in grey felt, with a realistic looking felt moon above it.

Moon word flannel: the word moon is spelled in capital letters in grey felt, with tan triangles in the spaces of the M and N, and blue circles covering the Os. A realistic looking felt moon is above the word.

So the moon is round like a circle – kind of like our faces!
Fingerplay: The Moon is Round
The moon is round –
As round can be (trace the circle of your face)
Two eyes, a nose, (point at eyes and nose)
And a mouth like me! (point at mouth, then hug baby or self)
Source: Jbrary

the moon is round thumbnail, with a graphic of an illustration of a full moon with a face. click the image to download a non-branded PDF

Transition: If You’re Ready for a Story*

We have a large board book edition of this in our office collection, in addition to our circulating hardback. Both have really fun fold-out pages, but the circulating one understandably has been pretty beat-up. Our office edition was perfect, though, and all those fold-out pages are wow-inducing!
Read: Papa, Please Get the Moon for Me by Eric Carle

Love this story of the moon that helps a little boy feel close to his grandpa.
Read: Max and the Tag-Along Moon by Floyd Cooper

Sometimes the moon is hard to find. When it’s cloudy out, it can be covered up. Let’s see if we can find the hide and seek moon.
My take on the classic guessing game flannel. I reused the moon from my Five Coyotes set and created some clouds in dreamy sunset/twilight colors. We identified each color before we started since they were a little amorphous.
Flannel Board Rhyme: Find The Moon
Little moon, little moon, shining bright
Which cloud are you hiding behind tonight?
[Can you make a big wind gust to blow that cloud away? Woosh!]
Source: original

Find the Moon flannel, with four clouds (blue, peach, lilac, and mint green) with a white and gray moon peeking from behind the blue one.

find the moon thumbnail, with a graphic of four clouds (blue, purple, pink and green) with a moon peeking out from the blue one. click the image to download a non-branded PDF

Some people actually get to go to the moon! They are called astronauts! Outer space is not easy to be in, so they have to wear very special clothes to protect them.
Action Song: If You’re Going To The Moon
(tune of Happy and You Know It)
If you’re going to the moon, wear your boots (stomp, stomp)
If you’re going to the moon, wear your boots (stomp, stomp)
If you’re going to the moon, this is what you have to do
If you’re going to the moon, wear your boots (stomp, stomp)

Additional Verses:
…wear your suit (ziiiip)
…wear your helmet (pat head)
…wear your gloves (clap, clap)
Source: Harford County (MD) Public Library

If you're going to the moon thumbnail, with a graphic of an astronaut in a space suit reading a book. click the image to download a non-branded PDF

Now that we are suited up, it’s time to go!
Counting Rhyme: Climb Aboard The Spaceship
(tune of Itsy Bitsy Spider)
Climb aboard the spaceship
We’re going to the moon
Hurry and get ready
We’re going to blast off soon
Put on your helmets
And buckle up real tight
Here comes the countdown
Let’s count with all our might
10-9-8-7-6-5-4-3-2-1- Blast Off!
Source: Preschool Express

climb aboard the spaceship thumbnail, with a graphic of a space shuttle blasting off. click the image to download a non-branded PDF

Time to get out our scarves! Shake them out, make sure they are working! Can you pretend your scarf is a blanket?
This wasn’t originally a scarf rhyme, but it works well, with an opportunity to snuggle the scarf under your chin at the beginning, and to throw it up in the air at the end (they loved that part!)
Scarf Rhyme: Sun And Moon
Moon comes out, Sun goes in (moon is a crescent as one hand and sun is other, fingers outstretched)
Here is a blanket to cuddle your chin
Moon goes in, and Sun comes out
Throw off the blankets and wiggle about!
Source: Sunflower Storytime (no longer online)

sun and moon thumbnail, with a graphic of a stylized moon and sun overlapping. click the image to download a non-branded PDF

I’ve done a modified version of this before, but I think these are the original Romper Room lyrics.
Scarf Song: Sky Stretch
Bend and stretch, Reach for the stars
There goes Jupiter, Here comes Mars
Bend and stretch, Reach for the sky
Stand on tippy toes, Oh so high!
Source: Romper Room via Molly Whuppie

sky stretch thumbnail, with a graphic of jupiter and mars with cartoon arms stretching up. click the image to download a non-branded PDF

This is the one I cut – it was just too similar to Climb Aboard the Spaceship.
Scarf Song: I’m A Little Astronaut
(tune of I’m A Little Teapot)
I’m a little astronaut flying to the moon
My rocket is ready, we blast off soon
I climb aboard and close the hatch
5-4-3-2-1, off we blast!
Source: Preschool Express

I'm a little astronaut thumbnail, with a graphic of an astronaut in their space suit doing a space walk. click the image to download a non-branded PDF

Ready to dance in outer space?
Scarf/Ukulele Song: Baby Bear Waltz
1, 2, 3, 1, 2, 3 Waltzing with bears
1, 2, 3, 1, 2, 3 Dance ‘round the chairs
1, 2, 3, 1, 2, 3 That’s what we’ll do
1, 2, 3, 1, 2, 3 Waltzing with you
1, 2, 3, 1, 2, 3 Waltz round the room
1, 2, 3, 1, 2, 3 Dance ‘round the moon
1, 2, 3, 1, 2, 3 Glide past the stars
1, 2, 3, 1, 2, 3 Waltzing to Mars
Source: Kathy Reid Naiman, from the album Say Hello to the Morning

Download a ukulele songsheet for Baby Bear Waltz!

baby bear waltz thumbnail, with a graphic of bears prancing with magic wands and stars. click the image to download a non-branded PDF

Here’s a slow song about the moon. You can snuggle up with your grown up or pretend your scarf is a blankie if you like, or dance and sway.
Scarf/Ukulele Lullaby: I See the Moon
(tune of Hush, Little Baby)
I see the moon and the moon sees me
Down through the leaves of the old oak tree
Please let the moon that shines on me
Shine on the ones I love

Over the mountain, over the sea
Back where my heart is longing to be
Please let the moon that shines on me
Shine on the ones I love
Source: Jbrary

Download a ukulele songsheet for I See the Moon

Thumbnail of I See the Moon ukulele chord sheet

i see the moon thumbnail, with a graphic of a watercolor gray and white moon with a smiling face. click the image to download a non-branded PDF

The most appropriate time for this one we do every week!
Action Song: Zoom, Zoom, Zoom!*

Craft/Activity: Telescopes
A very simple craft – we used toilet paper rolls, paint sticks, and foam shape stickers to create our own telescopes to see the moon.

telescope craft - a brown toilet paper tube decorated with paint and foam shape stickers.

Goodbye Song: See You Later Alligator*

Other books I had available for families to browse (and may work for you on this theme)
Moonlight – Helen V. Griffith & Laura Dronzek
Kitten’s First Full Moon – Kevin Henkes
Like the Moon Loves the Sky – Hena Khan & Saffa Khan
The Moon Is Going to Addy’s House – Ida Pearle
City Moon – Rachael Cole & Blanca Gómez
Can’t Sleep – Chris Raschka
Hello, Moon – Evan Turk
Moonday – Adam Rex
Moonlight – Stephen Savage
Music for Mister Moon – Philip C Stead & Erin E Stead
The Mouse Who Ate The Moon – Petr Horáček
Goodnight, Moon – Margaret Wise Brown & Clement Hurd
Astronaut – Lucy M. George & AndoTwin
Moon – Marion Dane Bauer & John Wallace
Snail in Space – Rachel Bright & Nadia Shireen
Rocket Beams, Lunar Dreams – Chiara Colombi & Scott Magoon

This storytime was presented in-person on 1/14 & 1/15/26.

Storytime Handout:

*Lyrics to these songs can be found on the Repeated Songs & Rhymes page.

† Click the image of rhyme/song sheets to download a non-branded PDF

I'm going to build a snowman and snow days book covers

Storytime: Winter Fun

Posted on January 23, 2026January 21, 2026 by msemilylibrary

I’ve found that sometimes when you’re collaborating on planning storytime, there are occasionally some things that get overlooked. For example, we chose “winter” as a theme this month, but as I was starting to plan I realized we had just had a storytime on “Winter Animals” in November. Whoops. But, it also illuminates how versatile some of these broad themes like “winter” are. In this program, I focused solely on the fun we can have in wintery (mostly snowy) weather, so included topics like building snowpeople, sledding, and so on. So even if you’ve done a theme in the past, there are ways to think about it in new ways, and present activities that are unique.

See other posts about winter and winter-related themes here!

book cover of I'm going to build a snowman with a boy with brown skin, black hair, a red hat and yellow coat is standing in the snow.

snow days book cover, with a picture of a child with pale skin and a red hat and striped scarf sticking their tongue out in the snow. The snowflakes are intricate and of varying sizes.

Early Literacy Tip: Seeing patterns and trying to recognize things that are alike and things that are different is a fun game for children. Such activities help them develop the mathematical concepts of patterns and relationships.

Welcome Song: Hello, Friends*

Lifting Rhyme: Toast in the Toaster*

Intro: This is the season for cold weather and snow! It can be chilly, but if we bundle up, we can still have a lot of fun outside. Does anyone like to play in the snow?

Let’s see, what do we need to put on to stay warm?
Can I admit something? I really don’t like HSKT. I avoid doing it when I can. But this worked so well for the theme (and yes, I know the kids like it) that I added it in. Because I already have a flannel set for Froggy Gets Dressed that includes all these clothes, I used it just as a visual of someone getting them all on. (Psst, you can download him at Kizclub.com and see more details on how I made it (plus my story cheat sheet) at this post.)
Action Song: Hat, Coat, Pants, & Boots
(tune of Head, Shoulders, Knees, & Toes)
Hat, coat, pants, and boots (Pants and boots)
Hat, coat, pants, and boots (Pants and boots)
A scarf and mittens we’ll wear when it is cold!
Hat, coat, pants, and boots (Pants and boots)
Source: adapted from Storytime in the Stacks

printed and laminated flannelboard prop for froggy gets dressed, with a frog wearing a hat, coat, scarf, mittens, pants, and boots.

hat coat pants and boots thumbnail, with a graphic of each of these items. click the image to download a non-branded PDF

Now that we’re all bundled up, let’s go sledding!
Rhyme: Here’s a Hill
Here’s a hill (tilt one arm diagonally)
And here’s a hill (tilt other arm diagonally)
All covered with snow (wiggle fingers downward)
I’ll put on my coat, (mime putting a coat on)
And jump on my sled (jump)
And ZOOM, down the hill I go! (clap, slide hands)
Source: Storytime Katie

here's a hill thumbnail, with a graphic of a rabbit sledding down a gray incline. click the image to download a non-branded PDF

Transition: If You’re Ready for a Story*

Such a cute book! I emphasized the word “perfect” in the first few pages, and then mentioned – “Wow, perfect is such a hard thing to do! I hardly ever make anything perfect. Do you?” I think Awan is an author/illustrator to keep an eye on for storytime gold – his Towed by Toad is also fantastic.
Read: I’m Going to Build a Snowman by Jashar Awan

This is a gorgeous book – I love the cut-paper and mixed media illustrations, and the thoughtful way the author presents different experiences of snow.
Read: Snow Days by Deborah Kerbel & Miki Sato

Based on this post by Abby Johnson on the ALSC Blog (and in turn, inspired by Mel’s Desk!), we looked at some colorful shapes.
The idea is to lay out several shapes of one color, saying something like, “I see a white snowflake. And a white cloud. And a white rabbit. And a white pumpkin!” The kids will likely correct you that no, that is an ORANGE pumpkin, thank you very much. Then you start again with orange things, messing up at the end of each line. When all your items are out, you can say you see something that has all those colors, what could it be? A snowman!
My shapes were mostly die cuts, though I did search for a few shapes online like the cat, crow, cloud, rabbit, and leaf.
I see some colors through the snow.
Flannel Activity: Colors in the Snow

colors in the snow felt. Shapes in different colors are lined in a grid shape:
white: snowflake, cloud, rabbit
orange: pumpkin, butterfly, leaf
black: cat, bat, crow
red: ladybug, apple, fire truck
a snowman with a black hat, orange nose and red scarf sits to the side.

It’s starting to snow again!
I have several “Snowflake” songs in my repertoire, but I like this one because it includes a “freeze!”
Action Song: Snowflake, Twirl
(tune of Twinkle, Twinkle)
Snowflake, snowflake Twirl around
Snowflake, snowflake Touch the ground
Snowflake, snowflake Touch my nose
Snowflake, snowflake Touch my toes
Touch my ear and then my knees
Snowflake, I’m about to FREEZE! (pause)
Snowflake, snowflake Twirl around
Snowflake, snowflake Sit back down
Source: Storytime Jennifer

snowflake twirl thumbnail, with a graphic of blue snowflakes. click the image to download a non-branded PDF

What do we use to make a snowman’s face? Maybe some sticks for the eyebrows, rocks or coal for the eyes and mouth, and what about the nose? It’s a carrot! Who likes carrots? You do? Me, too. What animal likes carrots? (bring out puppet)
This flannel was copied from one made by Storytime in the Stacks. Isn’t he cute?
Rhyme: A Chubby Little Snowman
A chubby little snowman, Had a carrot nose
Along came a bunny, And what do you suppose?
That hungry little bunny, Looking for some lunch
Ate that snowman’s nose, With a nibble, nibble, crunch!
Source: Storytime in the Stacks

Chubby Little Snowman felt and puppet - the snowman's nose has been caught by the pink bunny puppet, who holds the carrot shape. The snowman felt is just the head, with eyes, a mouth and eyebrows.

chubby little snowman thumbnail, with a graphic of a snowman's head with eyebrows and a carrot nose, with a pink rabbit looking at it. click the image to download a non-branded PDF

Time to get out the parachute! Let’s practice a little. Can you lift the parachute up? Now down. Can you shake it fast? Shake slow?

Let’s build our snowman up. But then the sun comes out!
Parachute/Action Song: Once there Was a Snowman
Once was there was a snowman, a snowman, a snowman
Once there was a snowman – Tall, tall, tall!
In the sun he melted, he melted, he melted
In the sun he melted – Small, small, small!
Source: Jbrary

once there was a snowman thumbnail, with a graphic of a tall snowman with a smile on the left and the snowman's head only with a wavy smile on the right. click the image to download a non-branded PDF

At the end of this, I added a bunch of cotton balls to the parachute. Then we did it again!
Parachute Song: Dance Like Snowflakes
(tune of Frère Jacques)
Dance like snowflakes, Dance like snowflakes
In the air, in the air
Whirling twirling snowflakes, Whirling twirling snowflakes
Everywhere, everywhere
Source: Jbrary

dance like snowflakes thumbnail, with a graphic of blue snowflakes suspended by strings. click the image to download a non-branded PDF

Parachute Activity: Snow on the Parachute!
A fun activity I borrowed from Adventures of a Bookworm! Once you have cotton balls all over the parachute, you can put the ‘chute down and invite kids to lay down on their backs and make snow angels. Then let them pick up the parachute and make it snow! Inevitably, they bounce off, so take a moment to collect snow to throw into the middle again. Then you can ask grownups to hold the parachute while kids go underneath (what they generally want to do the whole time) to watch the snow bounce above them.

This is a great way to put the parachute away. I ask for only grownups to hold on, and then let them know they are letting go at the end. Once the parachute was whisked away, I asked the kids to help me pick up all the cotton balls that were scattered about.
Parachute Song: Parachute Fly
(tune of Skip to my Lou)
(kids go under the parachute and adults raise and lower)
Up, up, up it goes,
Down, down, down so low
Raise our parachute to the sky
Count to 3 and watch it fly
Spoken:
Up on one…
Down on two…
Up on three…
and FLY! (adults let go and leader pulls ‘chute in to themselves)
Source: Gymboree

Action Song: Zoom, Zoom, Zoom!*

Craft/Activity: Salt Snowflakes
Inspired by the Loudest Librarian, we made snowflakes out of salt. I used black cardstock (construction paper felt too flimsy) and liquid glue, then bought a big 3 lb container of kosher salt. Looking at similar crafts online, I saw that some took it a step further, using liquid watercolors or food coloring to demonstrate the way salt wicks water. Since that seemed messy and would work better after the glue dried, I prepped a little half sheet of instructions for them to do at home if they wished. Info for that sheet was from the Little Bins for Little Hands blog.

shows a salt snowflake craft with a large snowflake on black paper surrounded by smaller snowflakes and the name Emily. All have a crystalline look from the salt.

Salt Snowflakes extension activity how-to sheet, with instructions on how to add color to snowflakes and the science behind it.

Goodbye Song: See You Later Alligator*

Other books I had available for families to browse (and may work for you on this theme)
Mouse’s First Snow – Lauren Thompson & Buket Erdogan
Best in Snow – April Pulley Sayre
Whose Footprints Are These? – Gerda Muller
Winter Is for Snow – Robert Neubecker
The Snowy Day – Ezra Jack Keats
A Big Bed for Little Snow – Grace Lin
Ten Ways to Hear Snow – Cathy Camper & Kenard Pak
Making a Friend – Tammi Sauer & Alison Friend
One Snowy Day – Diana Murray & Diana Toledano
Snow Scene – Richard Jackson & Laura Vaccaro Seeger
The Snowman Shuffle – Christianne Jones & Emma Randall
In My Anaana’s Amautik – Nadia Sammurtok & Lenny Lishchenko

This storytime was presented in-person on 1/7/26.

Storytime Handout:

*Lyrics to these songs can be found on the Repeated Songs & Rhymes page.

† Click the image of rhyme/song sheets to download a non-branded PDF

the cow loves cookies and who put the cookies in the cookie jar book covers

Storytime: Cookies

Posted on January 9, 2026January 8, 2026 by msemilylibrary

I don’t know about you, but I tend to eat most of my year’s worth of cookies in December, which makes it a perfect time to do a cookie theme!

See another version of this theme from 2022.

The cow loves cookies book cover, featuring a light brown cow and a farmer with a white beard, baseball cap and overalls in front of a farm scene.

who put the cookies in the cookie jar book cover, featuring a cookie jar with various kinds of cookies in it, and two hands (one fair and one brown) pulling one out each.

Early Literacy Tip: Groups of items like our cookie feltboard (where there is a mix of colors, sizes, and shapes of the same kind of item) give a great opportunity to practice some early math skills. We can count, compare, practice recognizing shapes and colors, build descriptive vocabulary, and more. Try asking about differences and similarities, sizes, and what ifs like how many cookies should cow buy if she wants to get a cookie for herself and a cookie for her friend? adapted from Storytime in the Stacks

Welcome Song: Hello, Friends*

Lifting Rhyme: Toast in the Toaster*

Intro: Today we’re going on a sweet adventure, because we’re celebrating cookies! It’s the time of year when people like to bake sweet treats for each other. Who here likes cookies? Who’s made their own cookies before?

Let’s pretend we’re in a big kitchen today, and all of us are the bakers. Can we put our chef’s hats on for this first rhyme?
Action Rhyme: Pat-A-Cake (Cookie Edition)
Pat a cake, pat a cake, Baker’s man
Bake me a cookie as fast as you can
Roll it, And pat it, and mark it with a “C”
And put it in the oven for you and me!
Source: adapted from the traditional

Pat a cake cookie edition thumbnail, with a graphic of chocolate chip cookies on a baking tray. click the image to download a non-branded PDF

Transition: If You’re Ready for a Story*

Fun rhyming, with opportunities to make farm animal noises and a repeated phrase to encourage interaction.
Read: The Cow Loves Cookies by Karma Wilson & Marcellus Hall

A book about all the people who are involved in the making of cookies, from the farming of the wheat to sewing the oven mitts. I didn’t end up using it, but a good backup.
Read: Who Put the Cookies in the Cookie Jar by George Shannon & Julie Paschkis

There are a lot of steps to making cookies. Do you still have your baker’s hat on? Let’s get out a big mixing bowl (curve arm to the side). We’ll start by pouring out some flour.
I tried to imitate actual cookie making while still having a different motion for each verse.
Action Song: This Is the Way We Make Cookies
(tune of Here We Go Round the Mulberry Bush)
This is the way we pour the flour, (shaking motion into the “bowl”)
Pour the flour, Pour the flour
This is the way we pour the flour
To make our cookie treats

additional verses:
Mix butter & sugar… (stir)
Spoon the dough… (scoop)
Bake the dough… (two hands forward into an “oven”)
Cool the cookies… (wave hand or blow)
Eat the cookies… (ASL for eat)
Source: original piggyback

this is the way we make cookies thumbnail, with a graphic of flour and sugar bags and a cookie with a bite taken out. click the image to download a non-branded PDF

We made some delicious looking cookies! Should we put them in our bakery and see who might want to buy one?
I have six felt cookies (template from Storytime Shorts!), and we started there (even though the rhyme sheet says five). When we got to the last cookie, I asked the cow if she was still hungry, and she shook her head no. “There’s one cookie left – let’s save it for later in our cookie jar.” So I “put” the cookie in a toy picnic basket we have and walked behind the easel, then stuck the cookie in the mouth of my alligator puppet, as a set up for “Who Took The Cookie” later.
Counting Rhyme: Down Around the Corner
Down around the corner at the bakery store
Were six sugar cookies with frosting galore!
Along came a cow looking for a treat…
She saw those cookies and she took one to eat!
Source: Storytime Shorts

Six flannel sugar cookies with different colored icing. A large white circle, a small blue circle, a large pink heart and a small green heart, a large blue star and a small white star.

down around the corner thumbnail, with a graphic of five differently shaped and iced sugar cookies with a cow sticking her head in the frame. click the image to download a non-branded PDF

Should we make some special cookies? How about gingerbread people?
Action Rhyme: Mix and Stir
Mix and stir and pat in the pan
I’m going to make a gingerbread man
With a nose so neat and a smile so sweet
And gingerbread shoes on his gingerbread feet
Source: Jbrary

mix and stir thumbnail, with a graphic of a gingerbread man with candy nose and buttons and icing eyes, smile, shoes and mittens. click the image to download a non-branded PDF

Let’s check on our last cookie. OH NO, it’s GONE!
So much drama! The adults all knew this and chanted along. I used puppets I had: Kitty, Frog, Bear, and last, Alligator. Alligator came out with the cookie in his mouth, and when he said “not me” it fell on the floor to great hilarity. I asked if we should let Alligator eat the cookie, and both of my groups said no! So I took the cookie and told him he should find something else to snack on.
Puppet Rhyme/Game: Who Took the Cookie?
Who took the cookie from the cookie jar?
Kitty took the cookie from the cookie jar
Meow, me? Yes, you! Not me! Then who?
Repeat with any animal puppets you may have.
Source: adapted from the traditional

Storytime easel showing the rhyme sheet for Who took the Cookie as well as a cat, frog, and bear puppet along the bottom, and an alligator puppet with a felt sugar cookie in its mouth at the top.

who took the cookie thumbnail, with a graphic of an orange cat looking at a gray cookie jar. click the image to download a non-branded PDF

Let’s clean up!
I actually mimed this as cleaning the bowl and our faces, but gave the belly option for littles.
Tickle Rhyme: Round The Batter Bowl
Round & round the batter bowl (circle on baby’s belly)
One, two, three! (gentle poke on each number)
A little here, a little there (touch both cheeks)
As tasty as can be! (tickle or nibble baby’s belly!)
Source: Storytime in the Stacks

thumbnail, with a graphic of a red mixing bowl with batter and a wooden spoon. click the image to download a non-branded PDF

At this point I handed out our cookie props – laminated cardstock cookies with various colored frosting. I asked everyone to take a look at their cookie and talk with their grownup about how it looks, including what color it is.
Prop Activity: Cookie Colors
Who has a red cookie? Green? (all the colors) Who has a ROUND cookie? (everyone!)

Download a template of the cookies here!

A good action rhyme for any props – I’ve used it for penguins, bunnies, and more!
Action/Prop Rhyme: Cookies Up!
Cookies up! Cookies down!
Hold your cookie & turn around
Cookies up! Cookies down!
Wave your cookies all around
Source: adapted from One Little Librarian (no longer published)

cookies up thumbnail, with a graphic of four round sugar cookies with different frosting and sprinkles (purple, green, blue, and red). click the image to download a non-branded PDF

Raise your cookies when you repeat a phrase!
So this is a fun song to sing and play, but it does require a little set up. I let the group know that the song sounds best if they repeat the end phrase (“cookie crumb” in the first verse) in a high pitched voice, and they could raise and wave their cookies when they did that. We practiced a time or two and the song went perfectly! I wanted to make the song a little longer, so made up the second and third verses. I’m particularly proud of the “mustachy” couplet!
Ukulele/Prop Song: I Wish I Were a Little Cookie Crumb
(tune of If You’re Happy and You Know It)
Oh, I wish I were a little cookie crumb (cookie crumb!)
Oh, I wish I were a little cookie crumb (cookie crumb!)
I’d go crumby, crumby, crumby over everybody’s tummy
Oh, I wish I were a little cookie crumb (cookie crumb!)

additional verses:
Oh, I wish I were a little chocolate chip (chocolate chip!)…
I’d be melty and sweet and leave chocolate in your teeth…

Oh, I wish I were a cold glass of milk (glass of milk!)…
I’d go splishy, splishy, splashy and leave you a cute mustachy…
Source: vs 1, North Mankato Taylor Library (MN), vs 2 & 3, Ms. Emily

Get a downloadable ukulele songsheet here!

I wish I were a little cookie crumb thumbnail, with lyrics only. click the image to download a non-branded PDF

You know who else loves to eat cookies? Cookie monster!
This was made with a fairly high resolution picture of Cookie Monster, printed on cardstock and laminated, then attached to an empty tissue box covered in blue paper. We sang the song to Cookie Monster first, then I asked if anyone wanted to feed their cookie to him, since he was VERY hungry! A good way to collect the props – just be sure to make lots of growly “nom nom nom” noises when he’s eating!
Prop Song: C is For Cookie
C is for cookie, That’s good enough for me
Yes, C is for cookie, That’s good enough for me
C is for cookie, That’s good enough for me
Oh, cookie, cookie, cookie – Starts with C!
Source: Sesame Street, From the Album “Sesame Street Platinum All-Time Favorites”

Cookie monster prop made with a printed CM face attached to an empty tissue box covered in blue paper, with the mouth/hole cut out. Also pictured are 5 paper sugar cookies with sprinkles, orange, green, red, blue, and purple.

c is for cookie thumbnail, with a graphic of a cookie in the shape of a C and cookie monster's face. click the image to download a non-branded PDF

Action Song: Zoom, Zoom, Zoom!*

Craft/Activity: Homemade Play Dough
Not exactly a craft, but my colleague made some homemade play dough (undyed so it looked like cookie dough) and we set out a bunch of cookie cutters and let the kids play with it. There was a little quarter-sheet handout with the recipe on it (from Jessica Etcetera) they could take home and make. It’s a cooked recipe so we couldn’t do it in the library. It stayed nice and soft for the four days we used it, and on the last day I offered it to anyone who wanted to take some home.

messy tray with a number of plastic and metal cookie cutters, a gallon size zip top bag with five balls of neutral colored homemade playdough, and quarter sheet paper with the recipe for homemade play dough.

Goodbye Song: See You Later Alligator*

Other books I had available for families to browse (and may work for you on this theme)
A Big Mooncake For Little Star – Grace Lin
The Smart Cookie – Jory John & Pete Oswald
Cookies For Elmo – Erin Guendelsberger & Ernie Kwiat
Cookie Time – Jessie Sima
If You Give A Mouse A Cookie – Laura Numeroff & Felicia Bond
Stop And Smell The Cookies – Gibson Frazier & Micah Player
The Cookie Vote – Margaret McNamara, Daniel Bernstrom, & G. Brian Karas
The Cookie Fiasco – Dan Santat
Who Took the Cookies from the Cookie Jar? – Bonnie Lass, Philemon Sturges, & Ashley Wolff
The Gingerbread Man Loose in the School – Laura Murray & Mike Lowery

This storytime was presented in-person on 12/17 & 12/18/25.

Storytime Handout:

*Lyrics to these songs can be found on the Repeated Songs & Rhymes page.

† Click the image of rhyme/song sheets to download a non-branded PDF

Storytime: Blankets and Bedtime

Posted on December 19, 2025December 18, 2025 by msemilylibrary

Winter makes me want to feel cozy, so here’s a new-to-me storytime theme: Blankets! I expanded it a bit beyond blankets to bedtime in general because I was worried I wouldn’t be able to find enough material for just blankets, so it was nice to have that flexibility. I actually had trouble finding a lot of books appropriate for toddlers about having a special blanket or lovey at my library. So expanding to bedtime helped with book selection, but I mostly focused on blankets and loveys like teddy bears in our rhymes and songs.

Unfortunately, I was sick the day of this storytime so I never got a chance to present it, though my wonderful coworkers stepped in for me. I’ll definitely have to try it again sometime.

close your eyes book cover, with an illustration of a bundle of adorable baby animals looking sleepy, including a lion, owl, fox cat, bunny, guinea pig, tarsier, and bluebirds.

cat nap book cover, with a cat holding a blanket and stuffed bear.

Early Literacy Tip: Singing a lullaby while putting your baby to sleep will help them settle down. Singing lullabies to your older children will bring them back to that safe, calm, soft place and will also help to settle them down. So continue singing lullabies, even when your children are no longer babies. from The Early Literacy Kit: A Handbook and Tip Cards by Betsy Diamant-Cohen & Saroj Ghoting

Welcome Song: Hello, Friends*

Lifting Rhyme: Toast in the Toaster*

Intro: Today we are talking about bedtime! Who loves bedtime? (grownups?!) Okay, sometimes bedtime is hard, but it’s important that we get good sleep every night so that our bodies can rest and grow and be healthy. Maybe you have something that helps you at bedtime. Maybe it’s a special song your grownup sings, a certain book you read together, or a lovey or stuffy or special blanket that you sleep with.

Action Rhyme: Time for Bed
Time for bed, time for bed
Fluff up the pillow Lay down your head
Pull up the blanket Tuck it in tight
Close your eyes And sleep all night
Source: Storytime Katie

time for bed thumbnail, with a graphic of a small bed with a green blanket and pillow. click the image to download a non-branded PDF

Transition: If You’re Ready for a Story*

I think Sydney Hanson has got to win the award for most adorable animal illustrations. This is one of those “let’s reverse psychology you into going to sleep” but it’s so darn cute. And I love the wide variety of animals represented. There’s one page that talks about a little ape with their blanket, but that’s the only blanket connection.
Read: Close Your Eyes: A Book of Sleepiness by Lori Haskins Houran & Sydney Hanson

This and the companion Bird Bath are really fun, very simple titles that my little one loved. This one has a great rundown of the bedtime routine, and Cat has both a blanket and a teddy bear. Okay, technically it’s about naptime and not bedtime proper, but it works in every other aspect.
Read: Cat Nap by Steve Antony

Who has a special blanket? What color is it?
I had fun making this flannel, trying to do different patterns with different hues of each color.
Guessing Rhyme: Blanket Colors
I once had a blanket, It was fluffy and new.
I once had a blanket, And its color was… (blue)

I once had a blanket, The prettiest I’ve seen
I once had a blanket, And its color was… (green)

I once had a blanket, Soft as a pillow
I once had a blanket, And its color was… (yellow)

I once had a blanket, At the foot of my bed
I once had a blanket, And its color was… (red)
Source: Anne’s Library Life

flannel showing four blankets - a blue one with lighter blue stripes, a green one with lighter green checks, a yellowy-orange one with bright yellow stars, and a red one with a dark pink heart.

blanket colors thumbnail, with a graphic of a folded up blue striped blanket. click the image to download a non-branded PDF

OH! There is a teddy bear under this blanket who wants to play hide and seek!
I had the teddy under the blanket as I put it up with the previous flannel. This rhyme doesn’t mention the color as you say it, so you have to set it up each time – which blanket do you think bear is under? Okay, let’s check the red blanket!
Flannel Game: Where is Teddy Bear?
Teddy bear, teddy bear,
Are you under there?
Source: Anne’s Library Life

the same flannel as for blanket colors, but with a brown teddy bear showing waving from under the blue blanket.

where is teddy bear thumbnail, with a graphic of a teddy bear peeking its head from behind a red blanket with pink hearts. click the image to download a non-branded PDF

I know a song that teddy bear likes to hear!
The Jazzy Ash version of this is superb, and fun that it speeds up with each repetition.
Action Song: Teddy Bear
Teddy Bear, Teddy Bear, turn around
Teddy Bear, Teddy Bear, touch the ground
Teddy Bear, Teddy Bear, wave up high
Teddy Bear, Teddy Bear, wink one eye
Teddy Bear, Teddy Bear, bend your knees
Teddy Bear, Teddy Bear, flap in the breeze
Teddy Bear, Teddy Bear, climb up to bed
Teddy Bear, Teddy Bear, rest your head
Source: traditional, as recorded by Jazzy Ash

teddy bear thumbnail, with a graphic of a teddy bear standing on two legs. click the image to download a non-branded PDF

The last line is the only reason this rhyme fits with the theme, but it’s a good movement one.
Fingerplay: Dance Your Fingers
Dance your fingers up,
Dance your fingers down
Dance your fingers side to side
Dance them all around
Dance them on your shoulders
Dance them on you head
Dance them on your tummy
and put them all to bed (tuck under arms)
Source: Storytime Katie

dance your fingers thumbnail, with a graphic of six hands with various skin colors doing things like finger walking and waving. click the image to download a non-branded PDF

This was an optional add for me based on time, but I think my coworker did do it!
Ukulele Song: I Wish I Were a Fuzzy Wuzzy Blanket
(tune of the Oscar Meyer Jingle)
Oh, I wish I were a fuzzy wuzzy blanket
That is what I’d truly like to be
For if I were a fuzzy wuzzy blanket
Everyone would snuggle up with me!
Source: Book Besotted Librarian Blog

Click here for a ukulele songsheet of this tune (words are for Pepperoni Pizza, but tune/chords are the same)

thumbnail of "I Wish I Were a Pepperoni Pizza" ukulele songsheet

fuzzy wuzzy blanket thumbnail, with a graphic of four folded knitted blankets piled on each other: blue, red, yellow, and light green. click the image to download a non-branded PDF

I hadn’t done this scarf song before, so it’s always nice to switch things up. I planned to sing “Blanket” instead of scarf
Scarf Song: Wave Your Blanket/Scarf/Stuffy
(tune of London Bridge)
Wave your blanket up and down
Up and down, up and down
Wave your blanket up and down
Wave your blanket

additional verses:
left and right – fast and slow – high and low – around and around
Source: Jbrary

wave your scarf thumbnail, with a graphic of a yellow scarf. click the image to download a non-branded PDF

If you bring your blanky everywhere, it may get dirty and need a wash.
My idea was to really play up the washing and laying out to dry motions. And the original text had PB at lunch and mustard at snack time, but it made more sense to switch those in my mind. Just a personal preference!
Scarf Rhyme: Wash My Blanket
At breakfast time, oh me, oh my
Milk spilled on my blanket – oh me, oh my
Have to wash my blanket And lay it out to dry

Repeat with:
Lunch time – mustard / Snack time – peanut butter / Dinner time – spaghetti

At bedtime, oh me, oh my
Cookie crumbs fell on my blanket – oh me, oh my
Have to shake my blanket out, No time to wash or dry
I need my blanket, It’s time for beddy bye
Source: Anne’s Library Life

wash my blanket thumbnail, with a graphic of various smudges, stains, ans smears looking like milk, peanut butter, mustard, spaghetti sauce, and cookie crumbs. click the image to download a non-branded PDF

It’s almost bedtime and I’ve still got some wiggles! Let’s dance with our blankies.
Recorded Song: Dancing Scarf Blues
from the album “Dancing Feet” by Miss Carole

album cover for Miss Carole's Dancing Feet

*Yawn* I think it’s time for bed. Let’s sing a lullaby. Can you wave your scarf gently?
Scarf Lullaby: Twinkle, Twinkle
Twinkle, twinkle, little star
How I wonder what you are
Up above the world so high
Like a diamond in the sky
Twinkle, twinkle, little star
How I wonder what you are
Source: traditional

twinkle twinkle thumbnail, with a graphic of a smiling blue star in front of a pink cloud. click the image to download a non-branded PDF

Action Song: Zoom, Zoom, Zoom!*

Craft: Bear’s Blanket
This craft was inspired by the Fun With Friends at Storytime blog. Apparently the image was inspired by the book Stormy Night by Salina Yoon (which my library does not own). I actually borrowed the book from my home library just to read it, and I didn’t see this image anywhere! Maybe she drew it in the style of Yoon? Anyway, I used my own magic to create a copy for myself, put it on cardstock, folded in half, and cut away the top of the blanket to show bear’s head. We used tissue paper squares to create his quilt. Because it is clearly Yoon’s artwork I don’t feel comfortable sharing my template for this one publicly, sorry.

bear's blanket craft closed, showing bear's head on his pillow peeking up above a blanket of colored tissue paper squares.

bear's blanket craft open, showing bear laying on his pillow and holding his rabbit lovey

Goodbye Song: See You Later Alligator*

Other books I had available for families to browse (and may work for you on this theme)
Blanket: Journey to Extreme Coziness – Loryn Brantz
Sloth Wasn’t Sleepy – Kate Messner & Valentina Toro
I Love You, Baby Burrito – Angela Dominguez
The Twins’ Blanket – Hyewon Yum
Sleepy Snuggles – Diana Murray & Charles Santoso
I’m Not Sleepy! ¡No tengo sueño! – Angela Dominguez
Go Sleep in Your Own Bed – Candace Fleming & Lori Nichols
The Best Bed for Me – Gaia Cornwall
Farm Lullaby – Karen Jameson & Wednesday Kirwan
Dreamland – Noah Klocek

This storytime was presented in-person on 12/10/25.

Storytime Handout:

*Lyrics to these songs can be found on the Repeated Songs & Rhymes page.

**These symbols indicate the program sessions I used the activities for:
(TT) Toddler Time, ages 1-2
(TB) Teddy Bears, ages 2-3.5
(FT) Family Time, ages 0-3.5

† Click the image of rhyme/song sheets to download a non-branded PDF

old macdonald had a farm and the neighborhood mother goose book covers

Storytime: Nursery Rhymes

Posted on December 5, 2025December 4, 2025 by msemilylibrary

Nursery rhymes seem so integral to childhood, but I feel that fewer kids are hearing them. That’s not the end of the world (especially if they are hearing other rhymes), but the traditional Mother Goose rhymes are rich in vocabulary and do a good job of using language and nonsense syllables in a fun way to help highlight rhyme and the phonemes that make up the sounds of words. They are also part of an oral tradition that spans generations – grandparents and great-grandparents likely know and can share these with young children. Nursery rhyme characters and plots are common background knowledge and can be found “remixed” in different ways – we see them used in new books like Pop Goes the Nursery Rhyme by Betsy Bird and After the Fall by Dan Santat. If you don’t know who Humpty Dumpty is, that book doesn’t make as much sense. Of course, there are some rhymes that are outdated (I’m looking at you, Peter, Peter, Pumpkin Eater), but there are plenty of options that still work well today.

So what does that mean for storytime? I see that it’s an opportunity to remind caregivers of these rhymes that they often already know, and can easily start using in their day-to-day interactions with their children. It’s fun to do a little remixing of our own (like “Shake it on Your Shoe”) and look at these rhymes in a slightly different light. I felt like I had a lot more grown-up participation because of how familiar these rhymes are, which always makes it more fun for kids.

old macdonald had a farm book cover, showing a man with light skin and gray hair hugging a cow, with a pig and chicken looking on.

neighborhood mother goose book cover, showing a large full moon behind the top of an apartment building, with a small cow flying above.

Early Literacy Tip: Singing or saying nursery rhymes helps children get ready to read. These verses help them hear the smaller sounds in words by using rhythm, nonsense syllables, and rhyme. Traditional rhymes use a wider vocabulary than we may use in our everyday speech, too!

Welcome Song: Hello, Friends*

Lifting Rhyme: Toast in the Toaster*

Intro: Today we are celebrating some traditional rhymes and songs – called nursery rhymes! You may know some already, but there might be a bit of a twist in some of my versions! I love nursery rhymes because they often have fun rhyming words.

Many of these rhymes are from collections by someone named Mother Goose! Here is HER rhyme. See how she’s flying on her goose? Can you flap your arms like a big goose?
I noted (mostly for the grownups) that sometimes these older verses rhyme better in an accent that’s different than ours.
Rhyme: Old Mother Goose
Old Mother Goose, when she wanted to wander
Would fly through the air on her very fine gander
Source: traditional

old mother goose thumbnail, with a graphic of an older woman riding on a large white goose. click the image to download a non-branded PDF

Here’s a rhyme that’s a little more popular – you might know it already!
This flannel was part of a large set that was gifted to my library. I think it was made with milk filters and crayon.
Flannel Rhyme: Hey, Diddle, Diddle
Hey, diddle, diddle, the cat and the fiddle
The cow jumped over the moon
The little dog laughed to see such a sight
And the dish ran away with the spoon
Source: traditional

photo of hey diddle diddle flannel, with a green cat playing a fiddle, a red cow jumping over a yellow crescent moon with a face, a purple dog laughing, and a blue dish and a pink spoon.

hey diddle diddle thumbnail, with a graphic of a pink cat playing the fiddle and a brown cow leaping over a crescent moon. click the image to download a non-branded PDF

Transition: If You’re Ready for a Story*

This storytime was pretty well hinged on this title since we didn’t do the song elsewhere and the craft tied to it. It’s a cute rendition, but it is a little long for my group. They started getting antsy after the 5th or 6th animal.
Read: Old MacDonald Had a Farm by Jane Cabrera

I always like to tout this title since it has fun modern photographs that illustrate the traditional rhymes. It would have been a backup to pick out several rhymes if we weren’t doing Old MacDonald.
Read: The Neighborhood Mother Goose by Nina Crews

Let’s do another rhyme about one of Old MacDonald’s animals. I usually do this one on toes, but let’s try it on our fingers this time.
Tickle Rhyme: This Little Piggy
This little piggy went to market
This little piggy stayed home
This little piggy had roast beef
And this little piggy had none
And this little piggy cried “wee wee wee” all the way home

This little piggy had a rub-a-dub-dub
And this little piggy had a scrub-a-dub-dub
This little pig-a-wig ran upstairs
And this little pig-a-wig cried out ‘BEARS!’
Down came the jar with a big slam bam (clap or pat foot)
And this little piggy had all the jam
Source: traditional, second verse found with King County (WA) Library System

this little piggy thumbnail, with a graphic of a pink pig and a fallen and spilled jar of strawberry jam. click the image to download a non-branded PDF

I’m hungry! Can you help me bake a cake?
On the second time though, I always suggest grown ups trace their child’s first initial and say their name in place of “B” and “baby.”
Clapping Rhyme: Pat a Cake
Pat-a-cake, pat-a-cake, Baker’s man
Bake me a cake As fast as you can
Roll it, And stretch it And mark it with a “B”
And put it in the oven For baby and me!
Source: traditional

pat a cake thumbnail, with a graphic of a front of an oven with a cake showing through the oven door. click the image to download a non-branded PDF

My fingers are wiggly – like a spider!!
After the usual itsy bitsy, we did a verse of the great big spider (uses our whole hand and a big voice) and the little shy spider (uses just the fingertips and a whisper)
Fingerplay: The Itsy Bitsy Spider
The itsy bitsy spider went up the water spout
Down came the rain and washed the spider out!
Out came the sun and dried up all the rain
and the itsy bitsy spider went up the spout again!
Source: traditional

Speaking of falling down… who might this be? Humpty Dumpty! I have a version that starts and ends with a little extra verse that isn’t in the original. You can do this one with a little one in your lap, with a rocking side-to-side motion. Or, if you’re a big kid, you can stand up and do it with your whole body, like me. Okay, can you make yourself into an egg shape?
I really like this version, and have used it in my baby program as well. I got the idea from Intellidance– they have a lot of fantastic rhymes and songs with motions for kids and babies. My flannel is double sided, so a quick flip shows Humpty cracked.
Action Rhyme: Rock on the Wall
Rock and rock and rock on the wall (rock side to side)
Rock and rock and hope we don’t fall…
Humpty Dumpty sat on a wall (bounce up and down)
Humpty Dumpty had a great fall! (tilt back or thru legs)
All the king’s horses and all the king’s men (bounce or rock fast!)
Couldn’t put Humpty together again
Humpty Dumpty fell in a puddle
Humpty Dumpty needed a cuddle (give baby a big hug)
Source: Felt-tastic Flannelboard Funtime & Intellidance (see it here as a lap rhyme, and here as a full body action rhyme)

flannel of rock on the wall, with a piece of dark red felt with brown bricks. Two eggs are superimposed, one sitting at the top of the wall with a smile and a big red bowtie, the second on its side at the bottom of the wall frowning, with cracks and tie askew.

rock on the wall thumbnail, with a graphic of a cartoon humpty dumpty sitting on the wall and another at the bottom, cracked. click the image to download a non-branded PDF

I cut this one for time.
Whew, after all that I’m ready for a little break! Will you have some tea with me?
Action Song: I’m a Little Teapot
I’m a little teapot, Short and stout
Here is my handle, Here is my spout
When I get all steamed up Then I shout:
“Tip me over and Pour me out!”
Source: traditional

I'm a little teapot thumbnail, with a graphic of a smiling blue teapot with a wisp of steam coming out of the spout. click the image to download a non-branded PDF

Let’s get some shakers out! Here’s a rhyme that’s based on One, Two, Buckle My Shoe, but has been updated to fit with our shakers.
Shaker Rhyme: 1 – 2, Shake it On Your Shoe
1, 2 – Shake it on your shoe
3, 4 – Shake it on the floor
5, 6 – Stir and mix
7, 8 – Stand up straight
9, 10 – Wave to your friends!
Source: Jbrary

one two shake it on your shoe thumbnail, with a graphic of a purple and a blue shaker egg. click the image to download a non-branded PDF

Here’s one where we put our shaker on the ground! Can you try to jump over your shaker like Jack? Your grownup can help if you want.
Shaker Rhyme: Jack Be Nimble
Jack, be nimble
Jack, be quick
Jack, jump over the candlestick
Source: traditional

jack be nimble thumbnail, with a graphic of an old fashioned candlestick holding a white lit taper candle. An arrow is arced over the candle. click the image to download a non-branded PDF

Can you make your shaker into a twinkling star?
(that just meant shaking up high!)
Lullaby: Twinkle, Twinkle
Twinkle, twinkle, little star
How I wonder what you are
Up above the world so high
Like a diamond in the sky
Twinkle, twinkle, little star
How I wonder what you are
Source: traditional

Action Song: Zoom, Zoom, Zoom!*

Craft: Old MacDonald Paper Bag
This was a craft created by my coworker Ali, and it was so well received! Everything was pre-cut, so the kids only needed to glue the pieces down. I love crafts that encourage families to sing and rhyme at home.

old macdonald paper bag craft. A red barn with a hayloft and red and white barn doors is glued to a brown paper lunch bag. Above the barn is the title of the song. Around the bag are nine square pieces of paper with various farm animals printed on them.

Goodbye Song: See You Later Alligator*

Other books I had available for families to browse (and may work for you on this theme)
My Very First Mother Goose – Iona Opie & Rosemary Wells
I’m a Little Teapot – Iza Trapani
A Spider Named Itsy – Steve Light
After the Fall – Dan Santat
Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star – Iza Trapani
The Three Little Kittens & One Hungry Mouse! – Barbara McClintock
Little Buckaroo and Lou – Jennifer Sattler
This Little Piggy – Tim Harrington
Big Fat Hen – Keith Baker
1 2 Buckle My Shoe – Anna Grossnickle Hines
Hey, Diddle, Diddle – Eve Bunting & Mary Ann Fraser
Mary Had A Little Glam – Tammi Sauer & Vanessa Brantley-Newton

This storytime was presented in-person on 12/3/25.

Storytime Handout:

*Lyrics to these songs can be found on the Repeated Songs & Rhymes page.

**These symbols indicate the program sessions I used the activities for:
(TT) Toddler Time, ages 1-2
(TB) Teddy Bears, ages 2-3.5
(FT) Family Time, ages 0-3.5

† Click the image of rhyme/song sheets to download a non-branded PDF

book covers for my heart fills with happiness, may there always be sunshine, and the thank you book

Storytime: Feeling Thankful (2025)

Posted on November 21, 2025November 20, 2025 by msemilylibrary

It’s the end of November, so that means it’s time for the annual “Feeling Thankful” theme! I try not to repeat themes more than every 2 or 3 years, but this one is close to my heart and I’ve done it every year since 2019. (I wasn’t blogging that year, so I don’t have a post for that one!) It’s fun but also a storytime that promotes mindfulness and a bit of a slowing down to think and feel and appreciate.

Every year I tweak the program just a bit to keep it fresh for myself as well as for any of my regulars who have been with me for a year or more. This year I introduced the song and book “May There Always Be Sunshine” by Jim Gill. I had the pleasure of attending a workshop with him in person a few months ago and it hit me that this is a perfect song for feeling thankful. I was even inspired to create a new craft based on it and it was a big hit.

This is also a great opportunity for me to slow down and say THANK YOU for being a reader. I hope these posts are helpful to you whether you are a fellow librarian, a teacher, caregiver, or anyone else who is interested in early literacy. I love being part of a profession that is generous with our ideas, and I am thankful for all the librarians and teachers who have helped me find my footing in storytime by sharing their materials online.

If you’re looking for more ideas, take a look at the Feeling Thankful themes from every year I’ve done this theme here.

my heart fills with happiness book cover, featuring an indigenous girl from the top down looking up, with two braids and a flared circular flowered skirt around her.

may there always be sunshine book cover, showing a stylized yellow sun with big cheeks and chin on a light blue background

the thank you book cover, with a picture of a light skinned girl with red hair giving a taller Black boy a flower. flowers, rainbows, a sun, and two blackbirds are in the background.

Early Literacy Tip: When we are warm, fed, safe, and snuggled with someone we love, our brains release a chemical called serotonin. This makes us feel good, but it also has the effect of helping us learn. When you snuggle with your child and sing and read together, their brains soak up the language they hear and the serotonin helps make that learning permanent. Snuggling, talking, and singing with your child helps get them ready to read. Source: Mel’s Desk

Welcome Song: Hello, Friends*

Lifting Rhyme: Toast in the Toaster*

Intro: What does it mean to feel thankful? When someone does something nice for you, saying “thank you” lets them know we appreciate them and are happy they did what they did! We can also think for a moment about all the good things in our lives and feel happy about them, too. Let’s practice saying “thank you” with this rhyme.

Figuring out how to do this rhyme without the middle finger AND using it to do the ASL sign for I love you is one of my proudest moments. 🙂
Fingerplay: Where is Thumbkin?
Where is Thumbkin, Where is Thumbkin?
Here I am, Here I am,
How are you today, Friend?
Very well, I thank you.
Run away, run away.

(repeat with pointer, pinky, then all three)
Where are three friends, Where are three friends?
Here we are, Here we are,
How are you today, Friends?
Very well, we thank you.
I love you, I love you.
Source: adapted from the traditional rhyme by Ms. Emily

where is thumbkin thumbnail, with a graphic of silhouettes of two hands with thumbs up and two hands showing the ASL "I Love You" sign. click the image to download a non-branded PDF

Transition: If You’re Ready for a Story*

I’ve shared books by Monique Gray Smith in the past, but this was a new-to-me title. It’s perfect for feeling thankful, because it describes the feeling of gratitude – your heart fills with happiness! It also is short and simple and references things that can make the readaloud more interactive. “Let’s imagine the scent of our favorite thing baking – can you breathe in deep and imagine it?“ It’s also great to share that both the author and the illustrator are indigenous (I read their tribal heritages from the bio at the back), and that November is Native American Heritage Month.
Read: My Heart Fills with Happiness by Monique Gray Smith & Julie Flett

This was my backup title, but I didn’t end up using it this year. It’s a board book, so it’s not very big, but it does work for my group. It focuses mostly on HOW to say thank you, both in words and in actions.
Read: The Thank You Book by Danna Smith & Juliana Perdomo

the thank you book cover, with a picture of a light skinned girl with red hair giving a taller Black boy a flower. flowers, rainbows, stars, a sun, and two blackbirds are in the background.

I’m grateful for my body and the senses that I use to experience the world. Here’s a rhyme about 4 of the 5 senses. (AFTER – which senses did we talk about?)
I learned this one from my home library’s storytime. I loved that so many of the pages in My Heart Fills with Happiness were tied to the senses.
Action Rhyme: Two Little Eyes
Two little eyes to look around
Two little ears to hear a sound
One little nose to smell what’s sweet
One little mouth that likes to eat!
Source: Ms Shelby & Ms Robin at Indy PL
Find it online at King County (WA) Library System

two little eyes thumbnail, with a graphic of four children - a white boy with brown hair holding up a magnifying glass, a girl with black hair and vitiligo listening to earphones, a Black boy smelling a flower, and a white girl with blonde hair eating broccoli. click the image to download a non-branded PDF

Which of the senses did we miss talking about? Touch! Here’s a tickle rhyme to engage our sense of touch! I’m thankful for the bees that pollinate our plants and make us honey
Tickle Rhyme: Here Is the Beehive
Here is the beehive, but where are all the bees? (make fist)
Hidden away where nobody sees
Watch and you’ll see them come out of the hive:
1, 2, 3, 4, 5 (open fingers)
They’re alive! Buzz, buzz, buzz! (tickle)
Source: Jbrary

here is the beehive thumbnail, with a graphic of a yellow beehive with several bees flying around it, centered on a red circle. click the image to download a non-branded PDF

I’m sure it comes as no surprise to you – something I love and something I’m always thankful for are books and reading! Here’s a fun song about someone who wears glasses when she reads a book.
We practice making glasses with our hands, and then a book. We open and close the book several times before we get started with the song!
Song: These Are My Glasses
These are my glasses, this is my book
I put on my glasses and open up the book
Now I read, read, read
And I look, look, look
I put down my glasses and
Whoop! Close up the book!
Source: “Whaddaya Think of That?” by the Laurie Berkner Band

these are my glasses thumbnail, with a graphic of a pair of glasses folded next to a small pile of books. A red mug is alongside. click the image to download a non-branded PDF

Scarf distribution: I am thankful for songs we can sing with our scarves! Will you practice with me – wave high, low, in a circle, throw and catch!

I’m thankful for all of the beautiful plants, especially the trees. Can we pretend to be a little acorn?
We start by scrunching up our scarves in our fists and crouching low to make our bodies small like a seed.
Scarf Rhyme: Be a Seed
Be a seed, small and round (crouch, with scarf scrunched)
Sprout, sprout, sprout up from the ground (stand up)
Shake your leaves for all to see (shake arms and scarf)
Stretch your arms up, you’re a tree! (stretch tall)
Source: Jbrary

be a seed thumbnail, with a graphic of an acorn and a tree. click the image to download a non-branded PDF

I’m thankful for delicious food that we can make and eat with our loved ones.
Scarf Song: Popcorn Kernels
(tune of “Frère Jacques”)
Popcorn kernels, popcorn kernels (wave scarves overhead)
In the pot, in the pot (bunch up scarf in your fist)
Shake them, shake them, shake them!
Shake them, shake them, shake them! (shake)
‘Til they POP! ‘Til they POP! (toss scarves up into the air)
Source: Jbrary

popcorn kernels thumbnail, with a photograph of two popped popcorn kernels. click the image to download a non-branded PDF

I’m thankful for toys and games to play.
We did this one three times each session. They loved throwing the scarves up!
Scarf Rhyme: Jack in the Box
Jack in the box (scrunch scarf up in fist)
Sits so still
Will he come out?
Yes, he will! (throw scarf in the air)
Source: Jbrary

jack in the box thumbnail, with a graphic of a colorful jester's head coming out of a box with a crank. click the image to download a non-branded PDF

This flannel was made from the template created by Mel at Mel’s Desk! I add the flannel pieces as the recorded song mentions them (if you’re playing ukulele for this one, you could go over the pieces first and then sing the song. I love the recorded version so I usually let Raffi do the singing.) Before or afterwards is a good time to mention today’s early literacy tip, whichever flows more naturally for you.
We’re going to do a quiet song now. This one is nice to snuggle to. If you’d like to snuggle with your grownup, that’s great. If not, no need to force it, but let’s listen to the words and all the things we can be thankful for.
Flannel/Ukulele Song: Thanks a Lot
Thanks a lot, Thanks for sun in the sky
Thanks a lot, Thanks for clouds so high
Thanks a lot, Thanks for whispering wind
Thanks a lot, Thanks for the birds in the spring
Thanks a lot, Thanks for the moonlit night
Thanks a lot, Thanks for the stars so bright
Thanks a lot, Thanks for the wondering me
Thanks a lot, Thanks for the way I feel
Thanks for the animals, Thanks for the land,
Thanks for the people everywhere
Thanks a lot
Thanks for all I’ve got
Thanks for all I’ve got
Source: From the Album “Baby Beluga” by Raffi

Thanks a lot flannel set with a yellow sun, white cloud, red bird, blue swirl for wind, yellow crescent moon, purple star, single person figure with arms raised, pink heart, elephant, evergreen tree, and group of three people of various skin tones with arms to the side.

Get a downloadable ukulele songsheet for “Thanks a Lot” here!

thumbnail of Thanks A Lot ukulele songsheet

thanks a lot thumbnail, showing lyrics only. click the image to download a non-branded PDF

This is an old song – originally in Russian, and it’s very simple, just four lines. But children’s musician Jim Gill started singing it. When he performs it for a group of kids, he always asks them what they’d always want there to be. He collected his favorites and made a book from them! [show book and a few of the pages] So take a moment and think about what you are thankful for and that you want there to always be.
We sang the original four lines, then I took suggestions. No suggestion too silly or wrong! We were thankful for Ariel, Rapunzel, trucks, cats, naptime (from an adult!), and more. I finished the last line by saying “storytime” and I got lots of nods and yeses from the grownups! A note on the songsheet – I changed the key to fit my voice better (always a good thing to do to make you feel comfortable!)
Recorded or Ukulele Song: May There Always Be Sunshine
May there always be sunshine
May there always be blue skies
May there always be family
May there always be me
Insert the things you are grateful for!
Source: Jim Gill, from the album “Jim Gill Sings the Sneezing Song and Other Contagious Tunes”

Get a downloadable ukulele songsheet for “May There Always Be Sunshine” here!

thumbnail for may there always be sunshine ukulele songsheet

may there always be sunshine thumbnail, with a graphic of a smiling yellow sun with orange rays. click the image to download a non-branded PDF

Action Song: Zoom, Zoom, Zoom!*

Craft: May There Always Be… Booklet
Another idea I got from Jim Gill’s workshop was to create a craft for kids to create their own “May There Always Be…” book. I used a technique I learned from zines to fold a 11″x17″ sheet of tabloid paper into an eight-page book, and printed a front, back, and “may there always be” on each inside page. I branded mine to my library, but I made an unbranded version that you can download as well! The trick with folding is to make your folds as precise and as sharp as you can. I use a bone folding tool to help. See the helpful graphic below for help folding and cutting from Anna Brones blog (where she has a very nice intro to zines and how to create them).

Download a PDF of the booklet here!

May there always be booklet craft - with the words "may there always be" at the top, followed by a colored-in outline of a smiling sun. below are the words "a book of thankfulness by:" and a line filled in by Emily in crayon.

Visual guide to folding a zine - our craft booklet. involves folding the paper into eighths, cutting a slit along the middle four sections, and folding it into the booklet.

Goodbye Song: See You Later Alligator*

Other books I had available for families to browse (and may work for you on this theme)
Thank a Farmer – Maria Gianferrari & Monica Mikai
Thank You, Everything – Icinori & Emilie Robert Wong
Thank You, Omu – Oge Mora
The Thankful Book – Todd Parr
We Are Grateful: Otsaliheliga – Traci Sorell & Frané Lessac
The Thank You Book – Mo Willems
Thank You, Earth – April Pulley Sayre
The Thank You Letter – Jane Cabrera
When We Are Kind – Monique Gray Smith & Nicole Neidhardt
The Blue Table – Chris Raschka
Thank You, Neighbor! – Ruth Chan
Gracias/Thanks – Pat Mora & John Parra
Bear Says Thanks – Karma Wilson & Jane Chapman
To Dogs, With Love – Maria Gianferrari & Ishaa Lobo
Grandma’s Tiny House – JaNay Brown-Woods & Priscilla Burris

This storytime was presented in-person on 11/19 & 11/20/25.

Storytime Handout:

*Lyrics to these songs can be found on the Repeated Songs & Rhymes page.

**These symbols indicate the program sessions I used the activities for:
(TT) Toddler Time, ages 1-2
(TB) Teddy Bears, ages 2-3.5
(FT) Family Time, ages 0-3.5

† Click the image of rhyme/song sheets to download a non-branded PDF

book covers for everybody in the red brick building, squeak, rumble, whomp whomp whomp, and Sounds all around

Storytime: Sounds

Posted on November 14, 2025November 13, 2025 by msemilylibrary

I did this theme in 2020 when we were doing virtual-only storytimes, and had not repeated it since. It was a fun one to get out and retry with kids in person. I really enjoyed looking through all our library cabinets for musical instruments as well as bringing a selection of percussion instruments from home (including my favorites, the frog rasps and cabasa!) It made for a very noisy but fun time. There are so many great noise books, too! It was difficult to choose which to read. There’s a STEM element in talking about how sound is made and perceived, and also an opportunity to talk a little about the opposites of loud and quiet.

See another version of this theme from 2020.

everybody in the red brick building book cover, showing an apartment building with different scenes in each window.

squeak, rumble, whomp, whomp, whomp book cover, with a picture of a Black boy playing a trumpet with a black cat looking in the background.

sounds all around book cover, with an illustration of three kids playing instruments.

Early Literacy Tip: Studies show that, without guidance, a 4-year-old will give 95% of their visual attention to a book’s pictures. One way to support early literacy is to help children recognize that print has meaning. When we talk about the words on the page as we read them, children are making the connection between the written word and the meaning of the word. A great place to begin is by pointing out where sounds are written out differently from the other words. adapted from The Early Literacy Kit: A Handbook and Tip Cards by Betsy Diamant-Cohen & Saroj Ghoting

Welcome Song: Hello, Friends* †

Lifting Rhyme: Toast in the Toaster*

Intro: This is a program where I’m going to need a lot of help. Are you good at being noisy? Oh, thank goodness! I am going to need your help making a lot of noise today, because we’re going to be talking about SOUND! So, let’s all shout: HOORAY together. Louder! Even louder! Now quieter. Now whisper. Great job! When we talk or sing or clap our hands, we’re making sound. What else makes sound? How do we hear sounds? WHY do we hear sounds in our ears?

I showed two page spreads (pgs 12-15) and read snippets about both how our vocal chords work to make sound (touching our throats as we hum and fall silent, and noticing the difference in vibrations) as well as how our ears work to hear sound. I noted that of course we don’t expect little ones to understand all the science right away, but it’s great to explain because we share new vocabulary and concepts and start the seed of understanding.
Read: (selection from) Sounds All Around by Wendy Pfeffer & Anna Chernyshova

Sounds can be all kinds of things! Sometimes they are loud, sometimes quiet. This rhyme will challenge you – can you clap without any sound?
When I first saw this rhyme, it made no sense to me, until I realized that the clap and tap were muted. So we practiced clapping and tapping our laps without sound before we started the rhyme and it worked really well!
Action Rhyme: Loud and Quiet
Quietly, quietly not a sound
I’m listening and I’m listening As I look around
No sounds as I nod, No sounds as I clap (mute clap)
No sounds as I tap my hands on my lap (mute tap)
Loudly, loudly, stamp and clap
Loudly, loudly, stamp and clap
Loudly, loudly, stamp and clap
All that noise, well fancy that!
Source: Storytime Katie

loud and quiet thumbnail, with a graphic of hands with brown skin clapping, and feet with white skin stomping. click the image to download a non-branded PDF

Transition: If You’re Ready for a Story*

I love how this story is circular: as the noises wake everyone, we meet all the occupants of the building, then a round of quiet noises lull everyone back to sleep. Plus, Oge Mora’s artwork is superb. I had a thought that this would make a great flannel story, but I didn’t have the time to make it.
Read: Everybody in the Red Brick Building by Anne Wynter & Oge Mora

This one is a fun romp through lots of noises – definitely preview it before you start because they aren’t all easy to do! I like how Marsalis groups similar sounds – a squeak could be a screen door, a mouse, or a amateur saxophonist!
Read: Squeak! Rumble! Whomp! Whomp! Whomp! by Wynton Marsalis & Paul Rogers

Our next rhyme has some sounds I hope you’ll help me make. The sound of a clock is tick tock! Can you tick tock by patting your lap? And then we hear a knock, knock on a door – can you knock by clapping your hands?
You could do this with flannel animals or puppets like I did. The original used rhythm sticks, but it worked just as well with puppets and making the sounds with our bodies. I used a cow, chicken, frog, bear, and lastly, a mouse! The mouse gave us a segue into the next rhyme.
Puppet Rhyme: Tick Tock Goes the Clock
Tick, tock, tick, tock goes the clock
Waiting for someone to… Knock, knock, knock!
Gasp! Who’s at the door? It’s a… (moo) A cow!
(try with any animal sounds you like)
Source: Jbrary

Photo of animal puppets - a chicken, cow, frog, bear, and mouse.

tick tock goes the clock thumbnail, with a graphic of a door and a clock. click the image to download a non-branded PDF

I did this fingerplay on my left hand with my thumb and on my right hand with the mouse puppet. The first time out popped the mouse, the puppet was flung off of my finger and into the air – but I caught her! Very exciting. I was a little more careful with the popping the second time through.
Oh, that mouse is so cute. But very quiet.
Fingerplay: Quiet Mouse
Here’s a quiet little mouse (show thumb)
Living in a quiet little house (tuck thumb in fist)
When all was quiet as could be
OUT! popped she! (pop out thumb)
Source: King County (WA) Library System

quiet mouse thumbnail, with a graphic of a mouse peeking out of a hole in a tree stump. click the image to download a non-branded PDF

This was a great hit during our Jingle Jam storytime, and seemed like a perfect fit for sounds, too.
One of my favorite ways to make sounds is to make MUSIC!
Action Rhyme: The Parade
Clap your hands! (clap, clap, clap)
Stamp your feet! (stomp, stomp, stomp)
The parade is coming down the street
Bum, bum, bum: a great big drum
Root-a-toot: a horn and flute
Bang, bang, bang: Cymbals clang
Ding-ding-ding: triangles ring
Clap your hands! (clap, clap, clap)
Stamp your feet! (stomp, stomp, stomp)
The parade is coming down the street
Source: King County (WA) Library System

the parade thumbnail, with a graphic of six marching band players with various instruments. click the image to download a non-branded PDF

Here’s an instrument that LOOKS like an animal. What does it sound like?
I was kind of amazed, but it was dead silent during this rhyme – everyone was rapt with the frog rasps. I highly recommend them! I decided to do three sounds throughout the song this time – in the past I’d done two for each individual frog and then three on the last verse.
Rhythm Instrument Song: Three Frogs in a Bog
There was a big frog (big sound, big sound, big sound)
Lived in a big bog (big, big, big)
He swam in the water (big, big, big)
Played on a big log (big, big, big)
Big log (big, big, big)
Big bog (big, big, big)
Big frog (big, big, big)

(repeat for middle-sized and little frogs)

And then one day (big sound, middle sound, little sound)
The frogs got together (big, middle, little)
They swam in the water (big, middle, little)
In the bright sunny weather (big, middle, little)
Three frogs (big, middle, little)
Three friends (big, middle, little)
The end! (big, middle, little)
Source: Ada Moreau Demlow

frogs in a bog thumbnail, with a graphic of three realistic illustrations of frogs, big, medium, and small. click the image to download a non-branded PDF

Time to get out our instruments! There are a lot of choices – which will you pick?

instruments including shakers, bells, maracas, a drum, rain stick, ukulele, and more. — Library instruments! I didn’t get a picture of my personal instruments, but they were all offered in a square laundry basket.

Let’s get to know our instruments a bit with this next song.
It was a bit chaotic, but it worked. I changed the original words (shake/shaker) to fit (play/instrument), but I didn’t update the rhyme sheet.
Instrument Song: Can You Play?
(tune of London Bridge)
Can you play along with me?
Along with me, along with me?
Can you play along with me?
Put your instrument on your… knee!
Source: Jbrary

We were way over on time already, so I skipped this one. I think handing out instruments took longer than usual. I was going to choose instruments for the extra verses – egg shake, a drum beat, a triangle tingle, etc.
Instrument Song: Have You Ever Heard a Bell Ring?
(tune of Have You Ever Seen a Lassie?)
Have you ever heard a bell ring, a bell ring, a bell ring?
Have you ever heard a bell ring,
Ding dong, ding, ding, dong
Try with other sounds:
the wind blow, a clock tick, a car horn, an egg shake, a cow moo, etc.
Source: STEM In Libraries

have you ever heard thumbnail, with a graphic of a string of jingle bells on green ribbon. click the image to download a non-branded PDF

Let’s make some noise!
Recorded Song: Alabama, Mississippi
Alabama, Mississippi
Alabama, New Orleans
Alabama, Mississippi
Shake it on down to New Orleans

Shake, Shake, Shake
Shake it, baby
Shake, Shake, Shake
Shake it, baby
Shake, Shake, Shake
Shake it, baby
Shake it on down to New Orleans
Source: from the album Jim Gill Sings the Sneezing Song and Other Contagious Tunes

alabama mississippi thumbnail, with a graphic of jazz instruments: trumpet, tuba, sax, harmonica, drum, bells, and trombone. click the image to download a non-branded PDF

Action Song: Zoom, Zoom, Zoom!*

Craft: Noisemaker
For an easy noisemaker, we decorated toilet paper tubes – I did my sample with regular washable markers, but put out the dot markers day of – they provide easier coverage! I also had foam shape stickers. We filled the tubes with generic cheerios to make the noise and stapled them shut. I made sure to note that it works best if the stapled shut ends are perpendicular to each other, to keep the middle open and prevent the tube from collapsing. I had pre-stapled one end before storytime and provided staplers for caregivers to close them after filling. To make it even easier, you could pre-fill and provide the finished noisemaker to decorate only.

photo of noisemaker craft - a toilet paper tube stapled at both ends (perpendicular angles) and decorated with markers and foam stickers.

Play Time
I put out a laundry basket of baby toys – rattles and cars, sorters and stackers, toy phones and spinners. For the older toddlers and siblings, we have foam blocks, soft food toys, puzzles, plastic farm animals, and lacing cards and I rotate among a few of these options each session. We play for 5-10 minutes at the most, then I ring the bell and ask the kids to help me clean up. The clean up bit is good practice for them – I often say “it’s hard to say goodbye to toys, so that’s why we practice every storytime!” I think that helps the grown ups who may be embarrassed that their kid is crying or refusing to put a toy away. So much of what we do in storytime is practicing skills, and I don’t expect the kids to “do it right’ every time, or even most times.

Goodbye Song: See You Later Alligator*

Other books I had available for families to browse (and may work for you on this theme)
It’s So Quiet – Sherri Duskey Rinker & Tony Fucile
Let’s Be Bees – Shawn Harris
Noisy Night – Mac Barnett & Brian Biggs
What Does Little Crocodile Say? – Eva Montanari
Bumpety, Dunkety, Thumpety-Thump! – KL Going & Simone Shin
Song in the City – Daniel Bernstrom & Jenin Mohammed
Atticus Caticus – Sarah Maizes & Kara Kramer
Rumble & Roar: Sound Around the World – Sue Fliess & Khoa Le
Jazz for Lunch! – Jarrett Dapier & Eugenia Mello
Swish Slosh – Deborah Kerbel & Jacqui Lee
A Perfect Day – Jennifer Yerkes
Listen – Gabi Snyder & Stephanie Graegin
Boom Boom – Sarvinder Naberhaus & Margaret Chodos-Irvine
Quiet Down, Loud Town! – Alastair Heim & Matt Hunt
After the Buzz Comes the Bee – Rachel Isadora & Robie Rogge

This storytime was presented in-person on 11/12/25.

Storytime Handout:

*Lyrics to these songs can be found on the Repeated Songs & Rhymes page.

† Click the image of rhyme/song sheets to download a non-branded PDF