Hello Song
Hello, child's name.
Hello, child's name.
Hello, child's name.
We're so glad you're here.
I sing this to all the toddlers coming to storytime before we begin with Open, Shut Them. Luckily the kids wear name tags. I always ask if they want me to sing the song to them. If not, that's okay. I thank the child for coming to storytime.
Row, Row, Row Your Boat
Row, row, row your boat
Gently down the stream.
Merrily, merrily, merrily, merrily
Life is but a dream.
(rowing motion with arms)
Bounce, bounce, bounce your boat
Gently down the stream.
Merrily, merrily, merrily, merrily
Life is but a dream.
(bounce child on lap or jump up and down)
Sway, sway, sway your boat
Gently down the stream.
Merrily, merrily, merrily, merrily
Life is but a dream.
(sway child back and forth)
Tickle, tickle, tickle your boat
Gently down the stream.
Merrily, merrily, merrily, merrily
Life is but a dream.
(tickle child)
This is one of my favorite bounces for storytime. The parents and kids really get into it. Some kids like a lot of motion and some like to do this more quietly. I give them the option of doing it on the care giver's lap, in their chairs or standing up. It can be a good transition song to get kids back to their seats. After singing the song a couple of times, I would suggest doing a more quiet rhyme before starting the next story.
We Can Jump
We can jump, jump, jump
We can hop, hop, hop
We can clap, clap, clap
We can stop, stop, stop
We can stretch up both our arms
We can reach and touch our toes
We can bend our knees a little bit
And sit down slow.
Hop Like a Bunny
Hop like a bunny (jump up & down)
Run like a dog (run in place)
Walk like an elephant (hold arm out in front & sway)
Jump like a frog (squat down on floor & jump)
Swim like a goldfish (swimming motion)
Fly like a bird (flap arms)
Then sit right down and don't say a single word. (sit down)
Slowly, Slowly
Slowly, slowly, very slowly
Goes the garden snail.
Slowly, slowly, very slowly
Up the garden trail.
(walk fingers slowly up child's body)
Quickly, quickly, quickly
Runs the little mouse.
Quickly, quickly, quickly
All around the house.
(tickle child quickly all over)
Exaggerate the slowly and quickly to emphasize the opposites and add suspense. I try to include tickle rhymes as much as possible. They are so much fun to do and both the parents and the toddlers love them.
We Can Jump
We can jump, jump, jump
We can hop, hop, hop
We can clap, clap, clap
We can stop, stop, stop
We can stretch up both our arms
We can reach and touch our toes
We can bend our knees a little bit
And sit down slow.
Hop Like a Bunny
Hop like a bunny (jump up & down)
Run like a dog (run in place)
Walk like an elephant (hold arm out in front & sway)
Jump like a frog (squat down on floor & jump)
Swim like a goldfish (swimming motion)
Fly like a bird (flap arms)
Then sit right down and don't say a single word. (sit down)
Slowly, Slowly
Slowly, slowly, very slowly
Goes the garden snail.
Slowly, slowly, very slowly
Up the garden trail.
(walk fingers slowly up child's body)
Quickly, quickly, quickly
Runs the little mouse.
Quickly, quickly, quickly
All around the house.
(tickle child quickly all over)
Exaggerate the slowly and quickly to emphasize the opposites and add suspense. I try to include tickle rhymes as much as possible. They are so much fun to do and both the parents and the toddlers love them.
