Family Storytime: Boxes

Another theme on a “concept” that has been treated well in children’s picture book literature is boxes! Imaginative play in or using cardboard boxes, as well as the shape concepts of square and cube, the related idea of block play – all are great early learning tools and fun to riff on at storytime.

You can see the virtual program that does not include the full books read aloud here.

Find another version of this theme from 2024.

Early Literacy Tip: Playing helps children’s brains grow and develop in so many ways! When we pretend and act out stories, like pretending that a box might be a rocket ship, and what we might do on a space adventure, we’re using problem-solving skills and it prepares us to write stories of our own someday.

Welcome Song: We Clap and Sing Hello

I started using a new warm-up rhyme this week. I’d known the first two verses for many, many years, but saw the “Higher” and “Lower” verses and decided to expand! I chant this, though I think some librarians sing it.
Warm-Up Rhyme: Open, Shut Them
Open, shut them, Open, shut them
Give a little clap, clap clap!
Open, shut them, Open, shut them
Lay them in your lap, lap, lap!

Creepy, crawly, Creepy, crawly
Right up to your chin, chin, chin
Open up your little mouth,
But do not let them In, in, in!

Higher, higher, Higher, higher
Almost to the sky, sky, sky
Then like little birdies
Watch them Fly, fly, fly!

Lower, lower, Lower, lower
Almost to the ground, ground, ground
Quickly pick them up again
And turn them round and round:
Faster, faster, faster!
Slower, slower, slower.

Open, shut them, Open, shut them
Give a little clap, clap clap
Open, shut them, Open, shut them
Lay them in your lap, lap, lap!
Source: adapted from King County Library System (WA)

Intro: Oh, do you like my hat? What do you mean it’s not a hat? It’s a box! That’s the wonderful thing about a box.  It can be a hat… or a mixing bowl … or a hiding place!

I used a variety of animal puppets in an old paper box – I chose that since it has a lid rather than just flaps.
Puppet Rhyme: Here is a Box
Here is a box where something is hid
I wonder whatever is under the lid?
Let’s listen for a shout
And see who comes out!
(make animal noises and have kids guess who is in the box before opening)
Source: Storytime in the Stacks

Read: Not a Box by Antoinette Portis

This was a really fun flannel that I saw on several storytime blogs – Fun With Friends at Storytime got super fancy with three different shades of felt for each box to make them look more three dimensional. I stuck to one color per box, but I did include a front and back piece, gluing the front piece to just three sides of the back, so the box would create a little “pocket” I could put small laminated pictures in that were “in” the box. The lid was another separate piece that could be removed. I used the template shared by Anne’s Library Life but the rhyme came from One For the Books blog. The small mystery items were different brightly-colored toys and animals that I found on Canva. I was sure to include a “jack in the box” as one of the mystery items, since I wasn’t sure how familiar modern kids would be with this old-fashioned toy. “Jack” features prominently in our song “Turn Around” later in storytime, so I got this picture out again to remind kids who Jack was and why he was in a box.
Flannel Game: Mystery Boxes
Little [pink] box let me look inside and see
What’s inside? Ready? 1, 2, 3! (lift the lid)
Source: adapted from One For the Books blog

Fingerplay: There Was a Little Turtle
There was a little turtle (make fist)
Who lived in a box (cover fist with arm)
He swam in the puddles (fist wiggles like swimming)
He climbed on the rocks (fist climbs up opposite arm)
He snapped at a mosquito, he snapped at a flea
(pinch with thumb and fingers at each “snap”)
He snapped at a minnow, and he snapped at me!
He caught that mosquito, he caught that flea (clap with each “caught”)
He caught that minnow
But he didn’t catch me! (waggle finger)
Source: Jbrary

I really liked the idea of this one-verse song that I found on Anne’s Library Life, but wanted to expand it! Of course, you can shorten/remove verses to fit your audience as needed.
Ukulele Song: Wiggle Box
(tune of Buffalo Gals)
Let’s open up the wiggle box, the wiggle box, the wiggle box
Let’s open up the wiggle box, and wiggle our cares away!

Additional verses:
There’s a lot of wiggles in the wiggle box… so wiggle and dance today!
There’s a lot of giggles in the wiggle box… so wiggle and laugh today!
Now throw all your wiggles in the wiggle box… And lock that box up tight!
(slowly, relaxed)
Now that the wiggle box is closed up tight… We’re ready for a story today!
Source: Verse 4 from Anne’s Library Life, remainder by Ms. Emily

Get a downloadable ukulele songsheet for “Wiggle Box” here!

This has really interesting illustrations if you have a small group that can appreciate them. I liked that the text was pretty simple and short, too.
Read: What to Do With a Box by Jane Yolen & Chris Sheban

It’s pretty unusual for me to do two ukulele songs in one storytime, but it worked out here. This is from Sue Schnitzer, who I was connected to through the ukulele community, and I didn’t even realize she put out children’s song albums because she was also a librarian! She graciously shared the chords for this song with me. Check her out! One more note – be sure to practice this one ahead of time! I didn’t realize how difficult it was to spin in a circle and play ukulele and sing all at the same time, and it took me a couple of tries to get the rhythm down!
Ukulele Song: Turn Around
Can you turn around with me? (spin in place)
It’s as easy as can be
Round and round and round just so
Then ker-PLOP! Down we go! (fall to the floor)

(tacit) Jack is quiet – shhh! (fingers to lips)
In his box… (arm covers head)
Open the lid… (slowly open arm out)
And up he… POPS! (jump up)
Source: Sue Schnitzer, from the album “Wiggle and Whirl”

Get a downloadable ukulele songsheet for “Turn Around” here!

Breathing Break: Soup Breathing
After all that turning and falling and jumping, I was ready for a breathing break. I asked the kids to imagine they were holding a bowl of their very favorite soup, and asked what kind they liked. Then with their hands cupped in front of them, we slowly breathed in the delicious aroma through their noses, then slowly and gently breathed out through their mouths to cool off this hot soup. Afterward, I let them know that this exercise always makes me feel good and more grounded, and they could always get out their bowl of soup if they need help calming down or feeling more connected to their bodies.
Source: Lucky Little Learners

One more repeated activity. This has always been a favorite song!
Action Song: Zoom, Zoom, Zoom!
Zoom, zoom, zoom, we’re going to the moon!
(hands scrape past each other rhythmically)
Zoom, zoom, zoom, we’re going to the moon!
If you want to take a trip (fingers walk up arm)
Climb aboard my rocket ship!
Zoom, zoom, zoom, we’re going to the moon!
In 5, 4, 3, 2, 1, BLASTOFF! (crouch, then jump!)
Credit: Jbrary

Craft: Blocks Craft and Box Coloring Page
Two crafts today! I used an idea from Storytime Katie for a very simple 2D blocks craft, making some random squares, rectangles, triangles, half circles, and “bridge” shapes (a rectangle with a half circle cut out of it) from different colored construction paper, and a plain white sheet to glue them to. (Photo from Storytime Katie’s blog)
I also created a Box Imagination sheet, which just has a plain box in the middle with lots of white space around, in which kids could color whatever they imagined the box to be. (I made mine a treehouse as an example.)

You can download the sheet here!

I also booktalked these alternative titles during the permanent YouTube video.
A Box Can Be Many Things by Dana Meachen Rau & Paige Billin-Frye
Boxitects by Kim Smith
Big Box, Little Box by Caryl Hart & Edward Underwood
Blocks by Irene Dickson

Goodbye Song: See You Later, Alligator
(tune of Clementine)
See you later, alligator (wave with one hand, then the other)
In a while, crocodile (open and shut arms like a croc’s mouth)
Give a hug, ladybug (hug yourself or a loved one)
Blow a kiss, jellyfish! MWAH! (move hand like a jellyfish then blow a kiss!)
Credit: King County Library System

Closing Rhyme: Tickle the Stars

This storytime was presented virtually on 11/9/21.

Storytime Handout: