beanbags – Storytime with Ms. Emily Library

every monday mabel and trashy town book covers

Toddler Storytime: Garbage Trucks

Posted on September 11, 2026September 11, 2026 by msemilylibrary

Garbage trucks was a super-fun theme! I was inspired by the book Every Monday Mabel by Jashar Awan, which was one of the nominees for my state’s early literacy book award, the Firefly. It didn’t end up being the winner, but it was definitely my daughter’s favorite of the bunch. It’s an excellent storytime title, with lots of great noises and opportunities for exciting reading.

In order to not do 10 repetitive rhymes and songs only about trucks, I also threw in a couple of trash-adjacent activities, so we did a Litter Bug rhyme and a really fantastic song by Nancy Stewart about raccoons. And using beanbags to represent trash was a nice way to break out a prop we don’t often get to play with.

every monday mabel book cover, showing mabel dragging her chair in the foreground and a garbage truck seen through window panes in the background

trashy town book cover, showing a garbage truck surrounded by other city items such as cabs, trash cans, rats, and stop signs

Early Development Tip: Naming and categorizing things can be fun for children of all ages. Help children make sense of their world by grouping things that go together, such as items of similar colors, shapes, or items like knives, forks, and spoons at a table. –from The Early Literacy Kit: A Handbook and Tip Cards by Betsy Diamant-Cohen & Saroj Ghoting

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: Once a week, something really exciting happens at my house. The garbage truck comes! Does anyone like to watch for the garbage truck? It might be stinky, but it’s so exciting to see it lift up the garbage can and dump our trash! I’m so happy that we have garbage trucks to take away our trash, so let’s celebrate them!

In some places, garbage collectors work all night and line up in the morning to empty their trucks at the landfill.
I rewrote this rhyme pretty completely, but the original was found in a document from a fellow Indiana library where I found several of my rhymes for this theme: Carmel Clay Public Library. The fact that it didn’t rhyme drove me crazy, but I also wanted to introduce the word landfill in addition to dump as it’s a bit more accurate and modern.
Fingerplay: Morning at the Landfill
Down at the landfill, right around nine
See the garbage trucks waiting in line (show ten fingers)
See them lift the garbage: Dump, dump, dump (bend fingers)
Now they roll away with a bang and a bump (roll arms, clap)
One rolls down MY street, engine a’roar (vroom!)
To fill ‘er up again and gather more (ASL for more)
Source: Ms Emily Library

morning at the land fill thumbnail, with a graphic of four green garbage trucks waiting to dump their garbage. the last truck has the hopper tipped. click the image to download a non-branded PDF

Transition: If You’re Ready for a Story*

Mabel is such a great character – she is determined, she is persistent, and she is enthusiastic about her interests! Every group loved hearing her story. Awan is quickly becoming one of my go-to authors!
Read: Every Monday Mabel by Jashar Awan

A much older title, but a good back up. I like a repeated phrase to encourage participation.
Backup Read: Trashy Town by Andrea Zimmerman, David Clemesha, & Dan Yaccarino

Can YOU pretend to be a garbage truck?
Another one I changed a bit to make the rhyme scheme be closer to the original tune. I also explained what the hopper and cab were before we started, and demoed opening our hopper (bringing a bent arm up from our side) and driving in our cab (the other hand holding a steering wheel). At the end we tipped over the hopper side VERY similarly to a teapot!
Action Song: I’m a Little Garbage Truck
(tune of I’m a Little Teapot)
I’m a little garbage truck, trash is what I grab
Here is my hopper, Here is my cab
When I get all filled up, the dump is on my route
Just tip me over and dump the garbage out
Source: adapted from Carmel Clay (IN) Public Library

i'm a little garbage truck thumbnail, with a graphic of a green garbage truck with a smiley face on the hopper. click the image to download a non-branded PDF

It takes a lot of trucks to haul the garbage for a whole town! How many are here?
I had this one ready, but didn’t end up using it to cut down on my time. I’m finding that my 1s & 2s have a shorter attention span and do better when we end slightly earlier and have more time for play. Download a copy of the garbage trucks here. (also includes Garbage Clean Up graphics)
Counting Rhyme: Five Little Garbage Trucks
Five little garbage trucks painted green
Picking up trash to keep the town clean
They work and they work until they fill up
Now one of the garbage trucks drives to the dump!
Back up: Beep! Beep! Beep! (count down)
Source: Carmel Clay (IN) Public Library

flannel of five garbage trucks, with five identical green trucks with a number from 1-5 on each.

five little garbage trucks thumbnail, with a graphic of five identical green garbage trucks. click the image to download a non-branded PDF

Action Song: The Wheels on the (Garbage) Truck
(tune of The Wheels on the Bus)
The wheels on the truck go round and round
Round and round, Round and round
The wheels on the truck go round and round
All through the town

Additional verses:
The horn on the truck goes honk, honk, honk…
The loader on the truck goes up and down…
The reverse on the truck goes, beep, beep, beep…
The driver of the truck says, “Job well done”..
Source: Carmel Clay (IN) Public Library

the wheels on the garbage truck thumbnail, with a graphic of a green garbage truck with the lifting arm halfway up. click the image to download a non-branded PDF

There’s an animal who lives in cities and is very resourceful, finding food wherever they can – even in your garbage!
This was a total hit. I actually bought the Folkmanis raccoon in a trash can puppet on eBay just for this program, and I think it was money well spent. Check out Nancy’s page (link below in the Source) to see a video of her performing the song in a preschool. It is magic! I’m planning to repeat this song with the puppet for an upcoming Nocturnal Animals program in October.
Puppet Song: I’m A Raccoon
I’m a raccoon, I’m a raccoon, Ramblin’ around in the night
I’m a raccoon, I’m a raccoon, you can see me if the moon is bright
I’ve got rings on my tail, a mask on my eyes
If you see me at night you might be surprised
Oh I’m a raccoon, I’m a raccoon, ramblin’ around in the night

I’m a raccoon, I’m a raccoon, you better cover up your trash
I’m a raccoon, I’m a raccoon, If you don’t I’m gonna steal your stash
I’ve got rings on my tail, a mask on my eyes
If you see me at night you might be surprised
Oh I’m a raccoon, I’m a raccoon, I ramblin’ around in the night
Source: Nancy Stewart

raccoon in a trash can puppet — Isn’t he adorable?

I'm a raccoon thumbnail, with a graphic of two raccoons at a metal garbage can. click the image to download a non-branded PDF

Garbage trucks haul away our trash, but it’s up to us to make sure the trash gets into the bins and not on the ground. If no one used a trash can, our streets and parks would be full of trash.
I walked around while tossing beanbags out of a bucket while reciting this one. The eyes got a bit wide at first – what’s she doing?! Then they all helped me pick up the “trash.” It was a fun way to pass out our prop!
Beanbag Song: Litter Bug
(tune of Itsy Bitsy Spider)
Once there was a litter bug
Who went from town to town
Throwing out his garbage
That landed on the ground
The garbage grew so high
That when he turned around
The litter bug got buried
And could not make a sound! EEK!
Source: Yogibrarian

litter bug thumbnail, with a graphic of a bug walking away from a pile of trash, with a balled up paper being thrown behind him. click the image to download a non-branded PDF

Just a little generic bean bag rhyme to give them some different things to do with the bag.
Beanbag Rhyme: Beanbags Up
Beanbags up (toss gently)
Beanbags down (let drop)
Beanbags dancing all around (toss from hand to hand)
Beanbags on your shoulder,
Beanbags on your head
Beanbags on your tummy
And tuck them into bed! (between hands)
Source: adapted from the traditional Tommy Thumbs

beanbags up thumbnail, with a graphic of four square beanbags: yellow, purple, red, and blue. click the image to download a non-branded PDF

Time to clean up! Can you help me match the beanbag color to the right garbage truck?
I created four color-coordinated garbage trucks in Canva to print and laminate, then attached them to four bowls with jumbo craft sticks to gather up the beanbags. It was a bit chaotic when I announced this, with all the kids rushing up to put their beanbags in the bowls, so I just read the rhyme over the chaos. Next time I would have us all read the rhyme together before putting the bowls out for them to put their bags in. Download a copy of the garbage trucks here. (also includes Five Garbage Trucks graphics)
Beanbag Rhyme: Garbage Clean Up
Garbage trucks, garbage trucks
Cleaning up the town
Do you see any garbage lying around?
Pick up the trash and match it to a truck
Soon the whole town will be all cleaned up
Source: Miss Sarah’s Storytime

garbage clean up thumbnail, with a graphic of four garbage trucks - blue, red, green, and yellow. Each truck shows bags of the same color in its hopper. click the image to download a non-branded PDF

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: Garbage Truck
I think this is the third time I’ve done this craft, but perhaps the first time I’ve blogged about it. I use a coloring sheet of a garbage truck that I’d saved years ago and provided multi-colored tissue paper squares and liquid glue, as well as crayons. After coloring their truck, they could crumple up the tissue squares and glue them to the truck to look like garbage. The tissue grasping and crumpling is great fine motor practice, and everyone always thinks the 3D art is really cool.

garbage truck craft featuring an un colored truck coloring sheet with multicolored tissue crumples glued on.

And I remembered to take a picture of the setup, too!

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)
I Stink! – Kate & Jim McMullan
King of the Dump – Tim Wynne-Jones & Scot Ritchie
I’m Trying to Love Garbage – Bethany Barton
Garbage Trucks on the Go – Beth Bence Reinke
Revenge of the Raccoons – Vivek Shraya & Juliana Neufeld
Hooray for Garbage Collectors – Tessa Kenan
I Am Picky – Kristen Tracy & Erin Kraan
Kitty – Rebecca Jordan-Glum
The Duck Is Stuck! – Dana Regan & Berta Maluenda
Construction Site: Garbage Crew to the Rescue! – Sherri Duskey Rinker & AG Ford

This storytime was presented in-person on 8/18 & 8/19/26.

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

change starts with us and the earth book book cover gallery

Stories & Stations: Earth Day

Posted on May 15, 2026May 15, 2026 by msemilylibrary

April 22 is Earth Day! Here is our Stories & Stations* storytime, planned by my wonderful colleague (we alternate planning weeks.) There were a few activities that were planned but for time reasons weren’t ready, so we made adaptations. It was a good reminder that our families like the experience of storytime, and they roll with us on our themes, but all the theming is really more for our ease of planning and not really something our 2- and 3-year-olds care about. It’s okay to repeat activities. It’s okay to go off-theme. Everything we do should be to promote early literacy and associate the library and books with fun, and all the rest is icing!

This week’s prop was beanbags, which I don’t use often enough in my regular storytimes! It was really great to see everyone shaking, tossing, and balancing their beanbags and having a really fun time with them.

See another version of this theme from 2021.

*We are doing a new format for our storytimes in a transition period of personnel change and calling it Stories & Stations (you can read the whole saga of the whys and hows at this post.)

change starts with us book cover, showing five children doing various things with the earth, including planting a tree, throwing away recycling, and holding protest signs.

the earth book book cover, showing a large picture of the planet earth with a heart on it and being held by two children.

Early Development Tip: Moving to music, dancing, swaying, running, and jumping help young children feel rhythm and begin to understand how their bodies work. Such movements also help them gain muscle control and improve their balance, which all contributes to your child’s gross motor development. –from The Early Literacy Kit: A Handbook and Tip Cards by Betsy Diamant-Cohen & Saroj Ghoting

Welcome Song: Hello, Friends*
Even with a larger number of kids, I still go around and sing this with everyone’s name. The kids really do love it, and it helps me learn names and storytime participants to learn each others’ names.

Warm Up Song: Wiggle and Wiggle and STOP*
This week I did “Stomp” and “Roll” (arms) in addition to Wiggle.

we wiggle and stop thumbnail, with a graphic of two pink worms. click the image to download a non-branded PDF

Lifting Rhyme: Toast in the Toaster*
Okay, this one *seems* to be better for younger kids, but all I have to do is encourage the older kids to jump as high as they can at the end and it is instantly perfect for a 5 year old, too. I always give the option for a lap bounce and lift as well.

Intro: Today is a very special day called Earth Day! Our Earth gives us so many wonderful gifts: the air we breathe, the water we drink, and the crunchy apples we eat for a snack. Today people all over the world are on a mission to be kind to our Earth. We might check the ground for “lost” trash, or turn off the lights when we’re not home – there are lots of actions we can take to help keep our world clean, green, and beautiful.

Let’s start with a story about things we can do to help the Earth.
Sometimes it just makes more sense to start with our book and then go to the themed activity.
Transition: If You’re Ready for a Story*

Even though this is a board book, it is a relatively large format one, so it still works for reading to a group. It’s cute and age appropriate, although I always skip the page about eating less meat that shows a barnyard scene. It just feels a little too omnivore-shaming – I don’t disagree with the sentiment, but I wish the illustration featured a plate full of vegetables instead.
Read: Change Starts with Us by Sophie Beer

I read this title for my evening program, and it worked okay. Some of the points made feel just a little too simplified.
Read: The Earth Book by Todd Parr

Here’s an old song about loving our Earth. Someone wrote a new verse for Earth Day – let’s sing them both together!
Ukulele Song: This Land Is Your Land (Earth Day Edition)
This land is your land, This land is my land
From California to the New York Island
From the Redwood Forest to the Gulf Stream Waters
This land was made for you and me

This land is your land, This land is my land
Let’s work together to make it better
From the tall green forests to the clear blue waters
This land depends on you and me
Source: Woodie Guthrie, Earth Day verse from Santa Clarita Public Library

Get a downloadable ukulele songsheet for “This Land Is Your Land” here!

thumbnail of ukulele songsheet for this land is your land

this land is your land thumbnail, with a graphic of an earth with clouds. click the image to download a non-branded PDF

Let’s get out some beanbags! Let’s see, can you gently toss your beanbag and catch it? Okay, can you let your beanbag drop to the ground? How about tossing it from one hand to the other – if you can’t toss, then try just moving it from hand to hand. Okay, you are ready for our first beanbag rhyme!
I’ve adapted the traditional Tommy Thumbs rhyme for different uses – like for egg shakers and scarves. It also works for beanbags, but the motions are a little bit different since they are especially fun to toss and drop.
Beanbag Rhyme: Beanbags Up
Beanbags up (toss gently)
Beanbags down (let drop)
Beanbags dancing all around (toss from hand to hand)
Beanbags on your shoulder
Beanbags on your head
Beanbags on your tummy
And tuck them into bed! (between two hands)
Source: adapted from the traditional Tommy Thumbs

Earth Day is a great time to celebrate all the animals of the planet. How about the frog? Can you pretend your beanbag is a frog?
We start by bouncing our “frogs” on our toes – at the end, I made my frog jump extra high on the “Ribbit!” Then you can move to any other body parts.
Beanbag Song: Froggy’s Hopping
(tune of Round the Mulberry Bush)
Froggy’s hopping on my toes
On my toes, on my toes
Froggy’s hopping on my toes…
RIIIIIIBBIT!
Source: Allegan District (MI) Library

froggy's hopping thumbnail, with a graphic of a green frog about to land from a hop. click the image to download a non-branded PDF

Mmm, the earth provides so many delicious things to eat! Can you pretend your beanbag is an apple now?
Beanbag Rhyme: Way Up High in the Apple Tree
Way up high in the apple tree (beanbags/fists up)
Two red apples smiled at me (wiggle apples)
I shook that tree as hard as I could (shaking motion)
Down came the apples… (beanbags/fists fall)
And mmm, they were good! (rub tummy)
Source: traditional

way up high in the apple tree thumbnail, with a graphic of a tree with two red apples in it. click the image to download a non-branded PDF

Okay, it’s beanbag hard mode now! Can you balance your beanbag on your head?! If that’s too difficult, you can try balancing it on your hand, instead.
Beanbag Rhyme: Walk Along the Tightrope
With my bean bag on my head
I stand so very tall
I walk along my tightrope
And will not let it fall
Source: Allegan District (MI) Library

walk along the tightrope thumbnail, with a graphic of a figure on a tightrope and a child balancing a beanbag on their head. click the image to download a non-branded PDF

After collecting our props, we released to stations! I let everyone know that I’d put out toys and puzzles in the current room, so they could stay if they wanted, and opened the door to the other room for everyone else to go to stations. I’m noticing that some of the youngest kiddos are staying to just play with toys the whole time and not bothering with stations, which is totally fine.

Art Station: Fingerprint Stamped Flowers
I think originally we were planning to use actual flowers on the stamp pad, but that seemed too fragile for a bunch of kids to cycle through. So instead, we made flowers using our own fingerprints! We have these large stamp pads that are perfect for this sort of craft. This was a nice one since it didn’t require a lot of clean up (like the paint crafts from the last few weeks!)

Craft showing a stamped hand in green. Each finger tip has a flower stamped in different colors.

art station with paper, stamp pads, and baby wipes.

Gross Motor Stations: Walk the Plank
I think this was originally going to be a different activity, but we just grabbed a sign from a previous program (Oceans of Possibilities) and taped a line on the floor. Kids still enjoyed it!

walk the plank activity, showing a blue taped line on the floor and a sign

Gross Motor Station 2: Animal Habitat Building
Another borrow, this time from the Baby Animals program a few weeks ago. We got out our big blocks (like Legos, but much bigger!) to build habitats for some of our animal puppets. I love how the kids can be so creative in what they build with fairly limited materials.

Fine Motor Station 1: Seed Sorting & Cut the Grass
This was a re-use of two stations from the Garden program. It’s always good to have several activities available!

table showing a seed sorting station on one side and a cut the grass (construction paper) on the other.

Sensory Station: Kinetic Sand
Another quick one from the past is kinetic sand – and it’s always a hit. We had some little colorful animal figurines that were hidden in the sand.

Kinetic sand station, with two bins on top of a fitted sheet held down by two tables.

closeup of a kinetic sand bin, showing the bin, some plastic shovels, and plastic animals

Toys and Puzzles
Our regular baby toys and puzzles, as well as soft food, babies in a basket, and lacing cards came out as another option for play. I didn’t capture a picture of this one.

After 20 minutes of free station time, I ring our bell to gather everyone again in the storytime room. Everyone helps put away the toys and puzzles before we end with our last two songs.

Action Song: Zoom, Zoom, Zoom!*

Goodbye Song: See You Later Alligator*

Other books I had available for families to browse (and may work for you on this theme)
To Change A Planet – Christina Soontornvat & Rahele Jomepour Bell
Thank You, Earth – April Pulley Sayre
The Earth Book – Todd Parr
My Friend Earth – Patricia MacLachlan & Francesca Sanna
Stand Up! Speak Up! – Andrew Joyner
We Are Water Protectors – Carole Lindstrom & Michaela Goade
Milk and Juice – Meredith Crandall Brown
Sea Bear: A Journey for Survival – Lindsay Moore
What a Wonderful World – Bob Thiele, George David Weiss & Tim Hopgood
The Old Boat – Jarrett Pumphrey & Jerome Pumphrey
Lights Out – Marsha Diane Arnold & Susan Reagan
Earth Day – Emma Carlson Berne & Mike Bundad
Go Green With Sesame Street – Jennifer Boothroyd & Mary Lindeen
A Little Round Panda on the Big Blue Earth – Tory Christie & Luciana Navarro Powell
Home – Matt De La Peña & Loren Long
What Does It Mean to be Green? – Rana DiOrio & Addy Rivera Sonda
On Earth – G. Brian Karas
A Pocket Full of Rocks – Kristin Mahoney & E.B. Goodale
I Love Our Earth – Bill Martin Jr, Michael Sampson, Dan Lipow
Home – Isabelle Simler

This storytime was presented in-person on 4/22 & 4/23/26.

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

Storytime: Sports

Posted on August 9, 2024August 9, 2024 by msemilylibrary

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

Sports balls flannel, showing two small balls (a white and gray golf ball and an orange ping-pong ball), two medium sized balls (a green tennis ball and a white baseball with red lacing) and two large balls (an orange basketball and a black-and-white soccer ball)

Little big biggest thumbnail, with a graphic of a golf ball, a tennis ball, and a basketball. click the image to download a non-branded PDF

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)

Book cover for Clothesline clues to sports people play

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

Photo of See the Olympians flannelboard, with printed and laminated pictures of the olympic rings, an equestrian jumping a hurdle, a woman running, a cyclist on a bicycle, a four person crew team rowing, a rhythmic gymnast in dancer pose with a long ribbon prop, a woman swimming, and a man kicking a soccer ball.

See the Olympians thumbnail, with a graphic of a light brown skinned girl with a ponytail running with a race number on her shirt. click the image to download a non-branded PDF

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

Baseball player thumbnail, with a graphic of a Black girl with a long ponytail swinging a baseball bat and connecting with a ball. click the image to download a non-branded PDF

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)

Good game thumbnail, with a graphic of three pairs of hands shaking in a row. All of the hands have different skin shades, from dark brown to light. click the image to download a non-branded PDF

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

Beanbag Song thumbnail, with a graphic of 4 square beanbags - yellow, purple, red, and blue. click the image to download a non-branded PDF

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

Balance beam thumbnail, with a graphic of a girl with a yellow beanbag on her head, with her arms to both sides as if balancing. click the image to download a non-branded PDF

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

Here is a beanbag thumbnail, with a graphic of a square orange beanbag with motion lines. click the image to download a non-branded PDF

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!

Thumbnail for Take Me Out to the Ball Game Ukulele Songsheet, with a graphic of a smiling baseball with stick figure arms waving.

Take me out to the ballgame thumbnail, with a graphic of a baseball. click the image to download a non-branded PDF

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)

Tickle the stars thumbnail, with a graphic of blue and pink stars. 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)
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