Being Brave is one of those themes that is a little abstract, and took me a bit to think through how to present it and which rhymes, songs, and books would work. It was one proposed by my coworker before we split our programming, but once I started to dig in to the planning, I found that there were many books that would work. The rhymes and songs needed a bit more effort, but I’m happy with what I came up with and the programs themselves went well.
There are lots of books about being afraid (and overcoming it), but it was important to me to focus on those that would be relevant to young toddlers rather than older kiddos. So books about anxieties about school and friends and standing up to bullies were abundant, but I had to think about what 1s and 2s may be worrying on. So topics like moving from a crib to a big bed, the dark, going to preschool or daycare, going down a slide, loud weather, or first swimming lessons were what I looked for in addition to general books on being brave (or afraid!) The book I chose to read, however, is a silly one and a longtime favorite of mine – Let’s Sing a Lullaby with the Brave Cowboy by Jan Thomas. I asked a coworker friend to help me out to read the non-cowboy parts while I played the cowboy and sang the song with my ukulele. It’s a fun one!
Early Development Tip: Exploring emotions through stories and books is a safe way to process potentially fearful situations and feelings. Kids can feel safe when reading these stories with trusted adults while at the same time still developing the critical thinking and problem-solving skills needed to navigate unknown situations. – Yogibrarian
Welcome Song: Hello, Friends*†
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.
Lifting Rhyme: Toast in the Toaster*
Intro: Has anyone ever been nervous or afraid to do something new? I have! Were you able to do it even though you were nervous? That is bravery! Bravery can be big or small but it helps us grow. Sometimes we need some help to be brave, and that’s okay, too. Talking with our grownup or getting a hug from them can help us feel braver. And when we accomplish something we were afraid of, we learn how strong we are and get to enjoy new things and feel proud of what we’ve done.
I used to be afraid of noisy weather. I do the things I need to in order to be safe, like stay in my house or visit the basement when it’s really bad, but when I learned to be brave, I felt better and even learned to enjoy the muttering of a strong wind or a beautiful flash of lightning.
I had done this one as a scarf song before, but just the first verse. It worked well with the different sounds/motions at the ends of the lines were a really good addition.
Action Song: I Like the Noisy Wind
(tune of Farmer in the Dell)
I like the noisy wind (whoosh!), I like the noisy wind
It roars and mutters and shakes and shutters
I like the noisy wind
I like the thunderstorm (clap)… It sparks and booms and lights up my room…
I like the inky dark (peekaboo)… It grows and creeps and puts me to sleep…
Source: Grand Rapids (MI) Area Library
Transition: If You’re Ready for a Story*
As mentioned above, I did this one with my ukulele and with a coworker to help co-read (and hold the book and turn pages!) It always gets a lot of giggles.
Read: Let’s Sing a Lullaby with the Brave Cowboy by Jan Thomas
Get a copy of the sheet music here!
Listen to the song on the Jan Thomas website!
This is a cute and simple title about George, who is afraid of the dark.
Backup Read: George in the Dark by Madeline Valentine
Can you pretend to be sleeping cows that were just sung a lullaby? But listen for when we say to wake up – you’ll need to do some great big moos!
I did this the first program but cut it for time in the second. I have never had a great success with Sleeping Bunnies with this youngest group – I think it may work best with preschoolers and kindergarteners.
Action Song: Sleeping Cows
(tune of Sleeping Bunnies)
Look at all the cows sleeping ’til it’s nearly noon
Shall we wake them with a merry tune?
Oh so still… Are they ill? (dramatic pause)
Wake up, wake up, wake up little cows!
Wake up, wake up, wake up little cows!
Moo little cows Moo, moo, moo
Moo little cows Moo, moo, moo
Stop little cows Stop, stop, stop! (FREEZE!)
Source: Storytime in the Stacks
Let’s do some travelling – maybe we’ll encounter some things that require bravery
I’d done the crocodile verse before, but learned a few new ones from the Richmond Public Library. We did exaggerated rowing motions until that last line, where we hammed it up! Note that the thumbnail for the rhyme sheet below only shows one page, but the PDF includes two pages for the whole rhyme.
Action Song: Row, Row, Row Your Boat
Row, row, row your boat Gently down the stream
Merrily, merrily, merrily, merrily Life is but a dream!
Row, row, row your boat Gently down the Nile
If you see a camel there Don’t forget to smile!
Row, row, row your boat Gently down the stream
If you see a crocodile Don’t forget to SCREAM!
Row, row, row your boat Gently down the river
If you see a polar bear Don’t forget to shiver!
Row, row, row your boat Gently down the creek
If you see a little mouse Don’t forget to squeak!
Row, row, row your boat Gently to the shore
If you see a lion there Don’t forget to ROAR!
Source: Richmond (VA) Public Library
You have been so brave!
Action Song: If You’re Brave and You Know It
If you’re brave and you know it, Stomp your feet
If you’re brave and you know it, Stomp your feet
If you’re brave and you know it, your face will surely show it
If you’re brave and you know it Stomp your feet
Additional verses: Give a roar / say, “I AM!”
Source: Jen in the Library
Rhythm Sticks Intro: Okay, *Emily* is going to be brave now and pass out our rhythm sticks! 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.
This was my cheat so we could just do fun rhythm sticks activities instead of bringing it back to the theme. We use neon colored unsharpened pencils as our rhythm sticks for little ones and they work really well. They seem to be the right length and weight for littles’ hands.
I always start rhythm stick time with this one – it’s easy and a good way to get everyone going with their sticks.
Rhythm Sticks Song: Count the Beat
(tune of Wheels on the Bus)
1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7
8, 9, 10, 8, 9, 10,
1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7
8 – 9 – 10
Source: Jbrary
I’m not very good at thinking things up on the fly, so I brainstormed some more visitors to pantomime ahead of time and chose three or four to do each program.
Rhythm Stick 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… meow! CAT (make your sticks like a cat’s whiskers)
Other visitors:
Hop, Hop! BUNNY (put sticks on head like ears) – can you wiggle your nose like a bunny?
Woof! DOG (put sticks downward like basset hound ears)
Buzz! BEE (put sticks on head like antennae)
Snap! ALLIGATOR (make sticks chomp)
Ratatat! DRUMMER (drum on your lap or the floor)
Flutter! BUTTERFLY (connect sticks in the middle and flap up and down)
Source: Jbrary
Recorded Song: Tap Your Sticks
Source: Hap Palmer, from the album Rhythms on Parade
Action Song: Zoom, Zoom, Zoom!*
Craft: Bravery Badges
There weren’t a lot of great ideas for crafts for this theme, but I did see this cute idea for a bravery badge or medal from a handout from the Hemet (CA) Public Library. We have an “award” and “badge” die cut in our library’s collection, so I cut out dark blue awards and created a little graphic saying “I am Brave” that I cut using the badge die. I provided safety pins to tape to the back and shiny metallic star stickers for kids to decorate their bravery badge.
And I remembered to take a picture of the setup, too! Pictured in the red topped container is my first foray into glue sponges. A coworker had made them and I wanted to test them out with this group, so I provided one to each table in addition to our regular glue sticks. They seemed to like them, so I will be making a set for my room.
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*
Other books I had available for families to browse (and may work for you on this theme)
I Feel Safe – David McPhail
Jabari Jumps – Gaia Cornwall
The I’m Not Scared Book – Todd Parr
Bye-Bye, Crib – Alison McGhee & Ross MacDonald
I Am Courage – Susan Verde & Peter H Reynolds
I Will Be Fierce! – Bea Birdsong & Nidhi Chanani
Brave Miss Muffet – Dori Graham & Kyle Beckett
What Does Little Crocodile Say? – Eva Montanari
Dare to Be Daring – Chelsea Lin Wallace & Lian Cho
Sometimes I Kaploom – Rachel Vail & Hyewon Yum
A Little Book About Bravery – Rick DeLucco
A Little Book About Fear – Jelani Memory
Together We Swim – Valerie Bolling & Kaylani Juanita
The Bold, Brave Bunny – Beth Ferry & Chow Hon Lam
The Mouse Who Wasn’t Scared – Petr Horáĉek
I Am (Not) Scared – Anna Kang & Christopher Weyant
I Am Strong! – Todd Parr
Be You! – Peter H. Reynolds
Max the Brave – Ed Vere
Bear Feels Scared – Karma Wilson & Jane Chapman
So Big! – Mike Wohnoutka
Gustav Is Missing! – Andrea Zuill
Being Brave – Cindy Jin & Ashley Dugan
This storytime was presented in-person on 9/15 & 9/16/26.
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
