body – Storytime with Ms. Emily Library

Instead of a Valentine’s theme, I wanted to do a program on loving and appreciating ourselves this February. I learned some new songs and my groups did a lot of self-hugs.

This is a topic near and dear to me, and in one of my asides, I noted to the group that kids generally do a pretty good job loving themselves, but it’s a harder task for us grown-ups. I reminded them that finding ways to be loving and compassionate to ourselves as adults sends a great message to our kids that our bodies don’t have to look a certain way for us to appreciate them, and we can celebrate our smarts, our creativity, our problem-solving, our kindness as well as our bodies and all the amazing things they do for us.

Early Literacy Tip: Self-confidence is an attribute that you can teach your children as they play, learn, and read with you. Don’t forget that they pick up so many cues from us even when we’re not paying attention. Being positive about your own body and self is a great way to model it for them – both now and as they grow and change.

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. This week it was elbows and hair!

Lifting Rhyme: Toast in the Toaster* (TT) (FT)

Rhyme: This is Big, Big, Big* (FT)

Intro: February is a month full of love – who are some of the people you love? Don’t forget to love YOU. You are special and there’s no one else exactly like you. Loving yourself gives you the foundation to love others.

The orginal rhyme said “my fingers can snap” but most of my kids can’t snap yet, so I changed it to wiggle!
Rhyme: All of Me (TT) (TB) (FT)
My hands are for clapping, My arms can hug tight
My fingers can wiggle, Or turn out the light
My legs are for jumping, My eyes help me see
This is my body, And I love all of me!
Source: Miss Sarah’s Storytime

Rhyme: Up & Down (TT) (TB) (FT)
Put your arms up, Put your arms down
Put them in the middle, Move them all around
One arm to the left, One arm to the right
Give yourself a hug, And hold on tight!
Source: Mansfield/Richland County (OH) Public Library

Transition: If You’re Ready for a Story* (TT) (TB) (FT)

This is just a perfect book for this age. Lots of adorable kids in the illustrations, and body parts to touch and tickle.
Read: I Love All of Me by Lorie Ann Grover & Carolina Búzio (TT) (FT)

I love that this one looks at the whole person.
Read: Be You! by Peter H. Reynolds (TB)

Our bodies are so amazing, let’s test them out.
Rhyme: Touch Your Nose (TT) (TB) (FT)
Touch your nose, touch your chin,
That’s the way this game begins.
Touch your eyes, touch your knees,
Now pretend you feel a breeze.
Touch your hair, touch one ear,
Touch your two cheeks right here.
Touch your elbows where they bend,
That’s the way this touch game ends.
[I added: okay, now reach a little farther and give yourself a big hug!]
Source: King County (WA) Library System

I love my body, but I also love other things about myself. Here’s some of them!
The original song uses the “love” verse as a chorus and repeats it. It also is sung a little differently. I simplified by singing it the same as the other verses and used it as the last verse.
Ukulele Song: I Am Kind (TT) (TB) (FT)
I am kind – I’ll be your friend, will you be mine?
I can share a smile, I am kind

I am brave – I do it though I feel afraid
I can do the hard things, I am brave

I am wise – Solving problems that arise
Finding new solutions, I am wise

I am strong – I’m OK when things go wrong
I know I can do it, I am strong

I am love – I wrap my arms around myself
In a great big hug, I am love!
Source: Lindsay Munroe featuring Raffi, from the album I AM KIND: Songs for Unique Kids

Download a ukulele songsheet here!

Thumbnail for I Am Kind Ukulele songsheet

Rhyme: Make a Heart (TT) (TB) (FT)
I put my hands together,
This is how I start
I curve my fingers right around,
And I can make a heart!
Source: Verona Story Time

Shaker Rhyme: Egg Shakers Up (TT) (TB) (FT)
Egg shakers up, egg shakers down
Egg shakers dancing all around the town
Dance them on your shoulders, Dance them on your head
Dance them on your knees, And tuck them into bed!
Source: Jbrary

I absolutely love this song. Gives me the feels every time. The toddlers were running out of steam, so we skipped this song for them and went straight to the hokey pokey. For everyone else, I just encouraged them to shake their shakers along with the music.
Ukulele/Shaker Song: I Love My Body (TB) (FT)
I love my body from my head to my toes
I love my face, my eyes, my mouth, my nose
I love the way I look when I look in the mirror
I stand a little closer just to see a little clearer

Who is that? It’s me! And I am looking good as good can be
So, what do I say? I tell myself I love me every day
I hope you can, too! You’re worthy of your own love, it is true
So what do we say? We tell ourselves we love us, every day!
Source: Mother Moon

Download a ukulele songsheet here!

thumbnail for I Love My Body ukulele songsheet

Shaker Song: The Hokey Pokey (TT) (TB) (FT)
You put your right arm in,
You take your right arm out,
You put your right arm in
and you shake it all about,
You do the hokey pokey,
and you turn yourself around
That’s what it’s all about! (clap, clap)
(repeat with arms, legs, head, whole self)
Source: traditional

Action Song: Zoom, Zoom, Zoom!* (TT) (TB) (FT)

With one group I did this after Zoom, Zoom, Zoom and before our craft, and with the others I did it after cleaning up toys and before our Goodbye song and rhyme. I think it worked best before saying goodbye, but it worked either way!
Affirmation (TT) (TB) (FT)
I am KIND (hands outstretched)
I am BRAVE (hands on hips)
I am SMART (finger to your head)
I am STRONG (arms curled up)
I am LOVED (give yourself a hug)
Today is an awesome day! (fist pump)
Source: adapted from Miss Sarah’s Storytime

Craft: Valentine to Yourself (TB) (FT)
Very simple concept and execution. Write your name on the heart. Talk with your grownup about some of the things you love about yourself, and ask them to help you write a few on your (die-cut) heart. Decorate with stickers and crayons.

Craft showing a pink scalloped heart shape with the name EMILY written vertically down the middle, with "I like my smile" "My hands let me be creative" "I am friendly" "I am kind" also written on it, decorated with hearts, stars, stickers, and jewels.

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* (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)
Be Who You Are – Todd Parr
Bodies Are Cool – Tyler Feder
I Love My Body Because – Shelly Anand, Nomi Ellenson, & Erika Rodriguez Medina
Lovely – Jess Hong
I Love You, Nose! I Love You, Toes! – Linda Davick
Beautifully Me – Nabela Noor & Nabi H. Ali
I Am Golden – Eva Chen & Sophie Diao
Who Will You Be? – Andrea Pippins
From Head to Toe – Eric Carle

This storytime was presented in-person on 2/13, 2/14, & 2/15/23.

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

What a fun theme! You get to combine bubbles, body parts, and bath toys into one!

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

Early Literacy Tip: Bath time is a wonderful opportunity to encourage play and imagination! You can be pirates or sea turtles, or you can use bubbles to practice fine motor skills and finger dexterity. Learn more ways bubbles can be beneficial here: http://mamaot.com/11-benefits-of-playing-with-bubbles/

Welcome Song: We Clap and Sing Hello

Fingerplay: Bubbles
A small bubble (make a circle with your fingers)
A medium sized bubble (make a large circle with your hands)
A great big bubble I see (make a large circle with your arms)
Now let’s count them, are you ready?
1 –2 – 3 (make 3 circles again)
POP! (clap hands loudly once)
Credit: Sunflower Storytime

Read: Time for a Bath by Phillis Gershator & David Walker

Scarf Warmup:
Wave your scarves high, then low
Wave them fast, then slow
Count to three and throw them in the air, then CATCH!

Scarf Song: This Is the Way We Wash Our Head
(tune of Here We Go Round the Mulberry Bush)
This is the way we wash our head
Wash our head, wash our head
This is the way we wash our head
So early in the morning
(repeat and “wash” different body parts with scarf – as Abby says in her original post, this is a great opportunity to introduce or reinforce less common body part language – “thigh,” “ankle,” “elbow,” “shoulder,” “jaw,” etc.)
Credit: Abby the Librarian

Scarf Song: Washing
(tune of Head, Shoulders, Knees and Toes)
Wash your head, shoulders, knees and toes (knees and toes)
Wash your head, shoulders, knees and toes (knees and toes)
Wash your eyes and ears and mouth and nose –
Wash your head, shoulders, knees and toes (knees and toes)
(repeat and speed up)
Credit: adapted from the traditional

Read: How Do You Take a Bath? by Kate McMullan & Sydney Hanson

Flannel Song: Five Elephants in the Bathtub
One elephant in the bathtub, going for a swim
Knock, Knock (clap, clap)
Splash, Splash (pat knees twice)
Come on in! (motion with both hands to come in)
(repeat up to five)

Five elephants in the bathtub, going for a swim
Knock, Knock (clap, clap)
Splash, Splash (pat knees twice)
They all fell in! (wave arms wildly)
Credit: traditional, flannel pattern from Sunflower Storytime

Flannel for Five Elephants in the Bathtub. Includes bathtub and 5 elephants: green, yellow, orange, purple, and blue.

Do you have any toys you like to play with in the tub?
Read with Flannel: Who’s In the Tub? by Sylvie Jones & Pascale Constantin

Flannel Game: Memory – What’s Missing?
Once again, I was inspired by the awesome Sunflower Storytime. I used her template but made a couple of adjustments to make the pieces look a little more like the ones in the book. The biggest change was the seal and the octopus. I HAVE to have an eight-armed octopus. 🙂 For the game after reading the book, I ask the kids to look closely at the pieces, then everyone closes their eyes and one piece is removed for them to guess/remember.

Flannel for "Who's in the Tub" book. Includes bathtub, little boy, striped ball, yellow seal, green turtle, pink octopus, yellow duck, and blue whale.

Bubble Song: Bubble, Bubble, Pop!
(if you have bubbles, this is a great song to use them with)
One little red fish swimming in the water, (motion one finger, then weave hand back and forth as if swimming)
Swimming in the water, swimming in the water,
One little red fish swimming in the water
Bubble, bubble, bubble, bubble, (corkscrew index fingers upwards on both sides)
POP! (clap)
(repeat; you can change to different bath toys like “one little blue boat floating on the water” or change the number and/or color of fish)
Credit: Jbrary

Ukulele or Recorded Song: Rubber Ducky
Credit: Sesame Street
As a ukulele song, Rubber Ducky is certainly not easy. It’s a jazzy tune with lots of interesting chords: the dreaded E natural, 7ths, augmented, diminished, etc. I took an “easy” version (15 chords!) and stripped it down even further. There are still 10 chords, and very few of them are common, though most are not hard shapes to make with gCEA tuning. And thankfully, they mostly flow from one to another fairly naturally with some practice. (I had most trouble with G#7 to C#m). Give it a try, it’s fun!

Get a downloadable ukulele songsheet for “Rubber Ducky” here!

thumbnail of Rubber Ducky Ukulele songsheet

Craft: Bubble Wrap Painting
Borrowing once again from Sunflower Storytime! For the take and make packets, I included a small amount of blue paint in a little 2 oz cup, a paper plate to spread the paint on, a strip of bubble wrap taped end to end to make a “cuff” that kids could put over their hand, the bathtub print out from Sunflower Storytime, and a yellow duck cut out. I encouraged kids to also draw other details like themselves or their other favorite bath toys in the scene. I didn’t make a sample for this, just borrowed the photo from Sunflower Storytime’s page.

Bubble wrap craft - bathtub with blue painted bubbles and a yellow duck. Image from Sunflower Storytime.

I also suggested these alternative titles during the permanent YouTube video.
Bath! Bath! Bath! by Douglas Florian & Christiane Engel
Get Out of My Bath! by Britta Teckentrup
Ten Pigs: An Epic Bath Adventure by Derek Anderson

Closing Rhyme: Tickle the Stars

This storytime was presented virtually on 1/12/21.

Storytime Handout:

Tag: body

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