Ms. Mary is missing her Wee Ones as we continue our second week of social distancing, so she wanted to share how she plans her storytime so you can do it at home!

1)  Intro Song: usually a happy welcoming song 

2) Greeting and intro to your theme 

3) Song and movement to get our wiggles out! (“If You’re Happy and you Know it” or “Shake my Sillies out”) 

4) Short read aloud – usually a board book (I love pop-up and lift-a-flap books!)

5) Finger plays and Mother Goose Rhymes (this would be a great time for parents and caregivers to share nursery rhymes with their children – possibly teach them one a day!)

6) More songs and movement – usually with manipulatives of some kind – at home you could use scarves, homemade shakers with beans and bottles with safety proof lids, stuffed animals, etc…anything safe that they want to shake or use in movement! ?

7) If you want,  you can plan storytime around snack time and give your children a snack at this time! 

8) Longer Story – two to three minutes is a good length – you can use any type of props you can find around the house to help tell a story – also, you can always shorten or lengthen a story – make it your own! 

9) Wrap-up time – talk about what you shared in the stories you read or told – let children ask questions at this time – maybe end with some breathing and yoga to help cool down and relax. (We all are a little stressed right now and there are some great sites for doing yoga and breathing exercises with children!)

10) Say goodbye until the next storytime and give your children some hugs and love!Maybe find a song you all enjoy and end each storytime with that song! At my house we like  Bob Marley’s tune “Every Little Thing is Gonna be Alright!” 

A few musicians Ms. Mary enjoys using for storytime:

1) Caspar Babypants

2) Laurie Berkner 

3) The Wiggles

4) Raffi

5) Justin Timberlake/Trolls movie soundtrack 

6) Bean Bag Activities and Coordination Skills by Georgiana Stewart – Bean Bag Rock song!

7) Eric Litwin – author of Pete the Cat which are all available on audio! – great shaky songs!