Playground Fun!

Alphabet Welcome

Parent Tip

Playing games with your child where you mimic each other’s motions develops your child’s concentration and physical mobility, both of which are important for future learning.  Here’s a song about copying each other’s movements.  You can take turns choosing the action.  I’m going to start with rolling my hands.

Movement Song

Do as I'm Doing

Do as I'm doing

Follow, follow me

Do as I'm doing

Follow, follow me

If I do it high or low

If I do it fast or slow

Do as I'm doing

Follow, follow me

Do as I'm doing

Follow, follow me.

Let's Pretend!

It is a bright, sunny day and you get to go to the playground or park to play!  Let's walk to the park.

I can walk on two feet, on two feet, on two feet

I can walk on two feet all day long.

But we're very excited to get the park!  Let's run!

I can run on two feet, on two feet, on two feet

I can run on two feet all day long.

We just can't wait to get there.  We start jumping up and down!

I can jump on two feet, on two feet, on two feet

I can jump on two feet all day long.

Now, let's try something a little tricky.  Can you hop on one foot?

I can hop on one foot, on one foot, on one foot

I can hop on one foot all day long.

I don't think I would want to hop on one foot all the way to the playground! So let's walk

I can walk on two feet, on two feet, on two feet

I can walk on two feet all day long.

We made it to the playground!  Let's play!

Book

Playground Day!

by Jennifer J. Merz

Published by Clarion Books; read with permission

Parent Tip

The Washington State Early Learning and Development Guidelines recommend providing one to two hours of daily physical activity for young children.  This builds and strengthens muscles and gives children an opportunity to have fun and practice skills such as: bending, twisting, stretching, balancing, walking, running, marching, jumping, hopping or climbing. Let’s move like animals! 

Movement

Monkeys can climb and swing in trees,

Giraffes are tall and they eat leaves.

Parrots are colorful and they can fly,

Elephants can't, but would like to try.

Turtles are green and they can swim

Cheetahs can run and they always win.

Zebras gallop and they're stripped black and whit,

Hippos are big and they snore at night!

Goodbye

Hide and Seek! Virtual Storytime

Alphabet Welcome

Magnet Board

There's Something in my Garden

There's something in my garden

Now what could it be?

There's something in my garden

That I can't really see.

I heard it's funny sound...

It's a _________ that I found!

Frog--ribbit, ribbit

Bird--tweet, tweet

Mouse--squeak, squeak

Rabbit--thump, thump

Bumblebee--Bzzz, Bzzz

Book

Where is Bear?

by Leslea Newman; illustrated by Valeri Gorbachev

Published by Gulliver Books, an imprint of Harcourt, Inc; read with permission

Movement Song

Two Little Friends

Two little friends went out to play

On a bright and sunny day

They jumped and ran and had such fun

They called another little friend to come,

"Come and play!"

Five friends...they played and played 'till the day was done!

Magnet Board

Little Orange Fox is playing hide and seek

Is he behind the _________ (color) box?

Let's take a peek!

Parent Tip

One way to help your child develop social emotional skills in your child is to play a hide and seek game.  Children need to learn to control their impulses and begins to understand and follow limits and expectations.  Both of which are important skills to learn.

Goodbye Song

Mixed Up! Virtual Storytime

Alphabet Welcome

Welcome, welcome everyone

We're together let's have some fun.

Stories, songs, and puppets too

Storytime is a place of you!

Do you know your ABCs?

Come along and sing with me!

Movement Song

The Wheels on the Truck

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.

The engine on the truck goes vroom, vroom, vroom!

The horn on the truck goes honk, honk, honk

Book

The Mixed-up Truck

by Stephen Savage

Published by Roaring Brook Press, an imprint of Macmillan; read with permission

Parent Tip

Children are naturally curious and allowing children to experiment give children a safe space to ask questions, make predictions, develop language skills and vocabulary, observe cause and effect, and deepen their knowledge. These skills are crucial in developing a desire for life-long learning.

Movement

Bake a Cake

Mix the batter

Stir the batter

Pour some flour in

Mix the batter

Stir the batter

Pour it in a tin

Sprinkle some sugar on top

And pop it in to bake

--and wait--

Open up  the oven door 

And out comes a cake!

Magnet Board

Hey Diddle Diddle

I bought some clipart on Etsy to put this rhyme together for.  After saying the rhyme with the picture clues we "played" with the rhyme, replacing many of the animals and objects.  I had additional clipart to add for the picture clues.

Hey diddle, diddle

The _______ and the fiddle

The ________ jumped over the moon

The little _________ laughed to see such sport

And the ________ ran away with the spoon.

I will be posting a whole early learning tip on this activity.

Goodbye

My hands say goodbye with a clap, clap, clap

My feet say goodbye with a tap, tap, tap

Clap, clap, clap

Tap, tap, tap.

We roll our arms and say...

"Goodbye!"

Author Lucy Cousins--Zoom Storytime

A special thank you to Candlewick Books for allowing us to read their books for a live virtual storyitme.

A special thank you to Laurie Berkner for allowing us to use her music for a live virtual storytime.

Hello Song

Hello, hello!  Can you clap your hands?

Hello, hello! Can you clap your hands?

Can you stretch up high?  Can you touch your toes?

Can you turn around? Can you say, "hello"?

Hello, hello! Can you stomp your feet?

Hello, hello! Can you stomp your fee?

Can you stretch up high?  Can you touch your toes?

Can you turn around? Can you say, "hello"?

Hello, hello!  Can you clap your hands?

Hello, hello!  Can you stomp your feet?

Can you stretch up high?  Can you touch your toes?

Can you turn around? Can you say, "hello"?

Flannel

Fish Wish

On Saturday I got my wish

When I found a tank for fish.

But an empty tank is not much fun,

So I bought an orange fish and now I have 1.

I have a fish, but one won't do

So I bought a yellow one and now I have 2.

I have 2 fish swimming happily

But I bought a blue one and now I have 3.

I have 3 fish, but I want more!

So I bought a red (or purple)  one and now I have 4

I have 4 fish that jump and dive

But I bought a green one and now I have 5.

A tank full of fish is lots of fun,

But the cat just saw them, so I'd better run! (and save my fish!)

Book

Hooray for Fish!

by Lucy Cousins

Song

The Goldfish

by Laurie Berkner

Book

Let's Play Monsters

by Lucy Cousins

Song

The Monster Boogie

by Laurie Berkner

This was so much fun we did it two times!

Goodbye Song

Our hands say goodbye with a clap, clap, clap

Our feet say goodbye with a tap, tap, tap

Clap, clap, clap

Tap, tap, tap

We roll our arms and say...

Goodbye!

Family--Virtual Storytime

 The sweet book about Louie inspired this virtual storytime about families.

Alphabet Welcome

Fingerplay

The Finger Family

This is a family, let's count them and see,

How many there are and who they could be.

This is the mommy (pointer finger) who loves everyone

And this is the daddy (tall finger) who is lot of fun.

This is the sister (ring finger) she helps and she plays.

And this is the baby (pinky) he's growing each day.

But who is this one (thumb)? He's out there alone.

Why it's Jack, the dog, chewing his bone.

Parent Tip

Connecting fingerplays and books to your child’s own life builds background knowledge.  This background knowledge helps your child understand complex ideas which will help them when they begin to read.  Show children pictures of family members—talk about their names, what you call them and relationships.  Ask your child if they remember spending time with the person—what did they do together? Compare the finger family rhyme with your own family!  Do you have the same members in your family?  Who else is in your family?  You might have to use both hands! 

Song

Let's Clap our Hands

(tune:  Did you ever see a lassie?)

Let's clap our hands for mommy, for mommy, for mommy

Let's clap our hands for mommy, let's clap them this way

Clap this way and that way and this way and that way

Let's clap our hands for mommy, let's clap them this way!

Let's stomp our feet for daddy

Let's stretch our arms for sister

Book

A Family for Louie

by Alexandrea Thompson

Fingerplay

Grandma's Glasses

Here are Grandma's glasses

And here is Grandma's hat

Here's the way she fold her hands

An puts them on her lap.

Here are Grandpa's glasses

Here is grandpa's hat

Here's the way he folds his arms

And takes a little nap!

Goodbye Song

Our hands say goodbye with a clap, clap, clap

Our feet say goodbye with a tap, tap, tap

Clap, clap, clap

Tap, tap, tap

We roll our arms and say...goodbye!