Bedtime Storytime - Toddler Move & Groove

Every semester, we do a bedtime themed week, where the kiddos can wear their jammies to storytime.  We also wear our pajamas as the storytellers.  Unfortunately, I forgot this fact until 2 days before, so I had the pleasure of wearing my friend's cat-print adult onesie.  The kids were so confused.  And some parents as well.  :)  Anyway, here's what we did:

Opening song: Hi Ho the Dairy-O

When the children arrive, we write down their name and after everyone has arrived, we sing the names into the song, like this

Emily is here and Amy is here, hi ho the dairy-o and Avery is here. 

We continue singing the song until everyone has been greeted.  We ask the parents to lift their child up or have them wave as we sing their name, to familiarize ourselves with the child and to help them understand that their name is important.

Charlie's Doghouse song

We have a cute black and white dog puppet who has a cardboard "doghouse" that he hangs out in at the beginning and end of storytime.  He always has something hiding in his doghouse, which introduces the theme of the storytime.  His song goes like this:

There is something in my doghouse

Something hiding in my doghouse

What's that something in my doghouse?

Open your eyes for a big surprise

Book: How Do Dinosaurs Say Goodnight? by Jane Yolen

These books are always a hit because they are AMAZING FOR TODDLERS.  I had them roar with me and stomp our feet on the floor.

Song: This is the Way We Get Ready for Bed

This is the way we wash our face, wash our face, wash our face.

This is the way we wash our face, when we get ready for bed.

This is the way we wash our toes, wash our toes, wash our toes

This is the way we wash our toes, when we get ready for bed.

This is the way we wash our knees, wash our knees, wash our knees

This is the way we wash our knees, when we get ready for bed.

This is the way we wash our tummy, wash our tummy, wash our tummy

This is the way we wash our tummy, when we get ready for bed.

This is the way we snuggle our blanket, snuggle our blanket, snuggle our blanket.

This is the way we snuggle our blanket, when we get ready for bed.

For this song, we passed out a scarf to each child, to use as their "washcloth" and their "blanket."  

Choral Reader: Dinosaur's Binkit

Each child got one of these and we read it aloud together.  

Recorded Music: Five Little Monkeys Jumping on the Bed

Each child got a maraca to shake while we sang and danced to this song. 

Song: Grand Old Duke of York

The grand old duke of York

He had ten thousand men

He marched them up to the top of the hill

And he marched them down again

And when they were up they were up

And when they were down they were down

And when they were only halfway up

They were neither up nor down

He marched them to the left

He marched them to the right

He even marched them upside down

Now wasn't that a sight?

The parents hold the kids during this song and swing them up and down and left and right, according to the song's lyrics.  The kids just go crazy with them; they love it so much.

Goodbye Song: Clap Your Hands

Clap, clap, clap your hands

Clap your hands together

Clap, clap, clap your hands

Clap your hands together

Give, give, give a hug

Give a hug to baby

Give, give, give a hug

Give a hug to mommy or daddy

Wave, wave, wave goodbye

Wave goodbye to me

Wave, wave, wave goodbye

Wave goodbye to me

How it went: One dad said, "Amber, you nailed it today! That was spot on!"  So, I think it went well.