We are back to indoor storytimes after a lovely summer outside, and I started with a Sports theme. I’m not much of an organized sports person myself, but I recognize all the good that can come from involving kids in sports and promoting physical activity for fun. Add in all the excitement that comes from the 2024 Paris Olympics and it was a great theme to explore. Plus, I found a bunch of kids sports equipment in our library storage from a long-ago grant; I’m always keen to use what we have.
Early Literacy Tip: Early experiences help to form the architecture of the brain and lay a strong foundation for both social and emotional development. Playing with other children at a young age, experiencing the fun of taking turns and sharing, and discovering that it is fun to pass a ball or beanbag to someone else and then get it back are great ways to learn important social and emotional skills. adapted from The Early Literacy Kit: A Handbook and Tip Cards by Betsy Diamant-Cohen & Saroj Ghoting
Welcome Song: Hello, Friends* (TT) (TB) (FT)** †
Warm Up Song: Wake Up, Feet* (TT) (TB) (FT)
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.
Lifting Rhyme: Toast in the Toaster* (TT) (FT)
Intro: Today our theme is about sports! Sports are games that people play that help them move their bodies (which makes us feel good) and they are fun! Sometimes it can take lots of practice to learn how to play a sport really well. Can we think of some sports? There’s a big worldwide gathering of people who are the very best at their sports called the Olympics. Every four years they do it during the summer, with sports like swimming, soccer, running, gymnastics and much more. On other years, they do it during the winter, with sports like skiing, ice hockey, figure skating, and snowboarding.
Activity: Stretching (TT) (TB) (FT)
The first thing an athlete should do before doing any sports is to warm up their bodies with some stretching! Let’s stretch down to our toes, up to sky, to the left, to the right, make a star shape, opposite toe touch.
Many sports use a ball. Let’s do a rhyme and see if we can identify these.
This is the first flannel I’ve made in a good while! I made two sets of little, big, and biggest balls – since so many sports balls are different sizes, it was fun to brainstorm which ones to do. After they identified the first three balls, we did the rhyme. Then I got out the second set for them to identify, and we did it again. Lastly, we counted all the balls that were on the board – six!
Flannel/Fingerplay: Little, Big, Biggest
A little ball (make a circle with your fingers)
A bigger ball (make a larger circle with your hands)
A great big ball I see (make a large circle with your arms)
Can you count them?
1 – 2 – 3 (make 3 circles again)
Source: Storytime Katie
Transition: If You’re Ready for a Story* (TT) (TB) (FT)
This worked quite well for my active group.
Read: Bounce by Doreen Cronin & Scott Menchin (TT) (FT)
I tried this one with my older group, and it was okay. Not as exciting as Bounce – probably would do better with preschoolers.
Read: Clothesline Clues to Sports People Play by Kathryn Heling & Deborah Hembrook (TB)
Can we train like Olympians?
We didn’t do all of the actions, I think I chose four for each session. The flannel was made using graphics from Canva.
Action Song: See the Olympians (TT) (TB) (FT)
(tune of Mary Had a Little Lamb) (act out each verse)
See the runners Run, run, run
Run run run, Run run run
See the runners Run, run, run
At the Olympics!
Additional verses:
Swimmers swim… Riders jump… Gymnasts twirl…
Cyclists pedal… Soccer team kick… Crew row…
Source: Storytime in the Stacks
A fun game that isn’t in this year’s Olympics but will be next time is baseball.
Action Song: Baseball Player (TT) (TB) (FT)
(tune of Frère Jacques)
Baseball player, Baseball player (get in batter’s stance)
Swing the bat, Hit the ball (pretend to swing)
Run around the bases, Run around the bases (run in place)
Home run! Home run! (cheer)
Source: Adventures of a Bookworm
I like this rhyme a lot, but I didn’t end up using it in any of my sessions. By this time they were all getting a little squirrely so we skipped ahead to the beanbag activities.
Being a good sport means treating each other with respect, win or lose. After a game is done, athletes shake hands with their competitors on a good game.
Rhyme: Good Game
When all the goals are scored (pretend to kick)
And the final score is on the board (point to scoreboard)
We go up to the other team who came (step forward)
And always shake hands and say, “Good game!” (shake hands)
Source: Handley Regional Library System (VA)
Beanbag Intro: Try to balance the bean bags on our hand (palm first, then back), foot, and head. Then try to toss up and catch.
Let’s start by listening to the directions on this song.
Beanbag Action Song: The Beanbag Song (TT) (TB) (FT)
(tune of Happy and You Know It)
Put your bean bag on your toes, on your toes
Put your bean bag on your toes, on your toes
Put your bean bag on your toes,
Then move it to your nose
Put your bean bag on your nose, on your nose
Additional verses:
Put your bean bag on your knee…
Then shake it just like me…
Put your bean bag on your hair…
Then toss it in the air…
Source: Allegan (MI) District Library
The original rhyme talks about a tightrope, but because I was tying it to the Olympics, I went with balance beam. To be honest, this one didn’t go great. Our beanbags are very slippery synthetic fabric, not a grippy cotton, so we all had a lot of trouble. I changed the rhyme in my third session!
Can you balance the beanbag on your head and walk like a gymnast on a balance beam?
Beanbag Rhyme: Balance Beam (TT) (TB)
With my bean bag on my head
I stand so very tall
I walk along my balance beam
And will not let it fall
Source: adapted from Allegan (MI) District Library
Let’s try tossing and catching by ourselves, and then maybe with a partner (like your grownup!)
Beanbag Rhyme: Here Is a Beanbag (FT)
Here is a beanbag I keep on the shelf
I can toss it and catch it all by myself
Here is a beanbag that I toss to you
Please catch it and toss it right back to me too
Source: Storytime with Ms. Kelly
A classic sports song – all the grownups sang loud for this one!
Ukulele Beanbag Song: Take Me Out to the Ballgame (TT) (TB) (FT)
(toss and catch the beanbag through the song)
Take me out to the ball game
Take me out to the crowd
Buy me some peanuts and cracker jack
I don’t care if I ever get back
‘Cause it’s root, root, root for the home team
If they don’t win it’s a shame
For it’s one… two… three strikes you’re out
At the old ball game
Source: traditional
Get a downloadable ukulele songsheet here!
Action Song: Zoom, Zoom, Zoom!* (TT) (TB) (FT)
Craft: Olympic Rings Art (TB) (FT)
I’ve done this craft before, and I love the simplicity of the process art which turns out looking cool. Instead of toilet paper tubes (another staff member needs them and our stash is low), I used plastic egg halves, which worked just as well.
Play Time
Instead of our usual toys, we did some sports conditioning with our bean bags, balls, and some equipment. I think we got the sports equipment from a grant, and it was very nice to use with the group. They had fun, it was a novelty, and (thankfully!) no one complained that they didn’t see the usual toys! I set it up station-style, and let everyone go where they wanted. It was toddler chaos as you can imagine, but in a good way. The stations included Balance Beam, Beanbag Toss, Ball Toss, Catch, Racquet Balance, and Beanbag Slalom.
Goodbye Song: See You Later Alligator* (TT) (TB) (FT)
Goodbye Rhyme: Tickle the Stars* (TT) (TB) (FT)
Other books I had available for families to browse (and may work for you on this theme)
Baller Ina – Liz Casal
Jabari Jumps – Gaia Cornwall
Jake at Gymnastics – Rachel Isadora
Karate Kids – Holly Sterling
Maisy Plays Soccer – Lucy Cousins
Olympics! – B.G. Hennessy & Michael Chesworth
Together We Swim – Valerie Bolling & Kaylani Juanita
Watch Me Throw the Ball! – Mo Willems
Peanut Goes for the Gold – Jonathan Van Ness & Gillian Reid
Olympig! – Victoria Jamieson
Goodnight Football – Michael Dahl & Christina Forshay
This storytime was presented in-person on 8/5, 8/6, & 8/7/24.
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
Storytime with Ms. Emily Library 