Category: Preschool Story time

Fun Outdoors Story Time – Preschool

Opening Song

Book: Bear Came Along by Richard T. Morris, illustrated by LeUyen Pham

Song: “The Cool Bear Hunt” – Dr. Jean: Sings Silly Songs

Book: Ride, Roll, Run: Time for Fun! by Valerie Bolling, illustrated by Sabrena Khadija

Flannel Song: “Campfire Pokey” (Tune: “The Hokey Pokey”)
You put your marshmallow in,
You take your marshmallow out.
You put your marshmallow in,
And you shake it all about.
You do the campfire pokey,
And you turn yourself around.
That’s what it’s all about!

Repeat with hot dog, potato, popcorn
(Credit: What Happens In Storytime…)

Book: Sheep Take a Hike by Nancy Shaw, illustrated by Margot Apple

Song: “The Ants Go Marching”

Closing Rhyme

Swimming Story Time – Preschool

Opening Song

Book: Jabari Jumps by Gaia Cornwall

Flannel: “If You’re Going to the Pool” (Tune: “If You’re Happy and You Know It”)
If you’re going to the pool, wear your suit, (show picture)
If you’re going to the pool, wear your suit,
If you’re going to the pool, then a suit will keep you cool,
If you’re going to the pool, wear your suit.

Additional verses:
…then a hat will keep you cool
…then your shoes will keep you cool
…then your shades will keep you cool
(Credit: Mel’s Desk)

Book: Bubbles…UP! by Jacqueline Davies, illustrated by Sonia Sánchez

Song: “Swimming, Swimming”
Swimming, swimming (mime swimming)
In the swimming pool (outline rectangle with fingers)
When days are hot (fan yourself)
When days are cold (shiver)
In the swimming pool. (outline rectangle with fingers)
Breaststroke, sidestroke, (mime both strokes)
Fancy diving, too. (make diving hands)
Don’t you wish you never had anything else to do? (shrug)
(Credit: Miss Nina – Music & Movement for Preschool)

Book: Swim Swim Sink by Jenn Harney

Song: “The Goldfish” – Laurie Berkner: Victor Vito

Closing Rhyme

Dirt and Mud Story Time – Preschool

Opening Song

Book: Mud Puddle by Robert Munsch, illustrated by Dušan Petričić

Song: “Bubble Bath” – Joanie Bartels: Bathtime Magic

Book: Roy Digs Dirt by David Shannon

Flannel Song: “Five Pigs So Squeaky Clean” (Tune: “Five Green and Speckled Frogs”)
Five pigs so squeaky clean,
Cleanest you’ve ever seen,
Wanted to go outside and play.
Oink! Oink!
One jumped into the mud,
Landed with a big THUD,
Then there were four clean and squeaky pigs.

Repeat, counting down until there are no clean and squeaky pigs.

(Credit: Mel’s Desk)

Book: Mud! by Annie Bailey, illustrated by Jen Corace

Action Rhyme: “Make a Mud Pie”
Make a mud pie in the mud, mud, mud! (pat lap)
Digging… (digging motion downward)
Scooping… (scoop hands upward)
Patting… (pat hands in air)
It’s so much fun! (hands out, emphasizing)

Where else should we make a mud pie? How about our head!? Scoop together some mud…
Make a mud pie on your head, head, head… (pat head)
Digging… Scooping… Patting…
It’s so much fun!

Repeat for toes, tum, etc.
(Credit: Tacoma Public Library)

Closing Rhyme

Colorful Story Time – Preschool

Opening Song

Big Book: Mouse Paint by Ellen Stoll Walsh
Mouse Paint book cover

Action Song: “The Color Song” (Tune: “If You’re Happy and You Know It”)
If your clothes have any red, any red, (clap, clap)
If your clothes have any red, any red, (clap, clap)
If your clothes have any red, put your finger on your head, (put finger on head)
If your clothes have any red, any red. (clap, clap)

Additional verses:
Blue…finger on your shoe
Yellow…give a great big wave hello
Brown…turn your smile into a frown
Black…put your hands behind your back
White…stomp your feet with all your might
Green…act like you’re mean
Pink…make your eyes go blink
Purple…turn in a circle
(Credit: CSLP and Janet Reynolds of Library District #2 of Linn
County in La Cygne, KS)

Book: Rainbowsaurus by Steve Antony

Flannel Song: “Rainbow Stew”
Take an apple
Put it in the pot.
Stir it, stir it, stir it a lot.
Take it out now. What will it be? The prettiest red you ever did see!

Take an orange
Put it in the pot.
Stir it, stir it, stir it a lot.
Take it out now. What will it be? The prettiest orange you ever did see!

Take an banana
Put it in the pot.
Stir it, stir it, stir it a lot.
Take it out now. What will it be? The prettiest yellow you ever did see!

Take an pear
Put it in the pot.
Stir it, stir it, stir it a lot.
Take it out now. What will it be? The prettiest green you ever did see!

Take some blueberries
Put it in the pot.
Stir it, stir it, stir it a lot.
Take it out now. What will it be? The prettiest blue you ever did see!

Take some grapes
Put it in the pot.
Stir it, stir it, stir it a lot.
Take it out now. What will it be? The prettiest purple you ever did see!

What did  we make with our rainbow stew?  A magical rainbow for me and you!
(Credit: Library Village)

Book: Brown Bear, Brown Bear, What Do You See? by Bill Martin Jr., illustrated by Eric Carle

Flannel Song: “Bubble, Bubble, Pop!”
One little red fish
Swimming in the water,
Swimming in the water,
Swimming in the water.

One little red fish
Swimming in the water,
Bubble, bubble, bubble, bubble, POP!

Additional verses: Increase the number and change the color of the fish.
(Credit: Jbrary)

Closing Rhyme

Button Story Time – Preschool

Opening Song

Book: Pete the Cat and His Four Groovy Buttons by Eric Litwin, illustrated by James Dean
pete the cat and his four groovy buttons

Poem w/Movement: “The Button Bop” from A Great Big Cuddle by Michael Rosen, illustrated by Chris Riddell

Pat top of head when you say “top” and pat knees when you say “bottom.” When you say “bop bop” in the second to last line, punch one fist forward and then the other.

Puppet Story: “A Lost Button” from Frog and Toad Are Friends by Arnold Lobel

Song: “The Button Song” (Tune: “Did You Ever See a Lassie?”)
Let’s sing a song of buttons,
Of buttons, of buttons,
Let’s sing a song of buttons
That fasten our clothes.
There are big ones and small ones,
With two holes and four holes.
Let’s sing a song of buttons
That fasten our clothes.
(Credit: Perpetual Preschool)

Action Rhyme: “The Button Factory”
Hi, my name is Joe,
And I work in a button factory.
I have a dog and one frog.
One day my boss said to me,
“Are you busy Joe?” I said, “No.”
They said, “Push this button with your _____.” (press a pretend button with the named body part, continue to do so for the rest of the song)

Repeat the rhyme for your right hand, left hand, right foot, left foot, and head. Pretend to push a button with each body part, adding them on so by the end you are pushing a button with every body part you have named at the same time. You can also increase the number of frogs you have every time.

To end the rhyme, answer “Yes!” to “Are you busy, Joe?”
(Credit: Adapted from Jbrary)

Book: Don’t Push the Button! by Bill Cotter

Closing Rhyme

Rain Story Time – Preschool

Opening Song

Book: Soaked! by Abi Cushman

Song: “Little Raindrops” (Tune: “London Bridge”)
Little raindrops falling down, falling down, falling down (tap fingers on the ground/legs)
Little raindrops falling down, falling to the ground

Bigger raindrops falling down, falling down, falling down (tap hands on the ground/legs)
Bigger raindrops falling down, falling to the ground

Other Verses:
Giant raindrops… (stamp feet on the ground)
Fast raindrops… (wiggle fingers and sing quickly)
Slow raindrops… (wiggle fingers and sing slowly)
Teeny Tiny raindrops… (use fingers only for rain and sing in a high pitched voice)
(Credit: Pasadena Public Library)

Puppet Story: Mushroom in the Rain by Mirra Ginsburg, illustrated by Jose Aruego and Ariane Dewey (Adapted from the Russian of V. Suteyev)

Song: “The Ants Go Marching”

Book: Tap Tap Boom Boom by Elizabeth Bluemle, illustrated by G. Brian Karas

Song: “If All of the Raindrops” – Old Town School of Folk Music: Songs for Wiggleworms

Closing Rhyme

Recycling Story Time – Preschool

Opening Song

Book: The Little Red Stroller by Joshua Furst, illustrated by Katy Wu

Flannel Song: “The Green Grass Grew All Around”

Book: Reduce, Reuse, and Recycle, Oscar! by Mary Lindeen

Song: “To Help Our Mother Earth” (Tune: “Here We Go Round the Mulberry Bush”)
This is the way we pick up trash,
Pick up trash, pick up trash.
This is the way we pick up trash
To help our Mother Earth.

This is the way we turn off the light,
Turn off the light, turn off the light.
This is the way we turn off the light
To help our Mother Earth.

This is the way we plant a seed,
Plant a seed, plant a seed.
This is the way we plant a seed
To help our Mother Earth.

Song: “Open Shut Them”
Open shut them, open shut them.
Give a little clap, clap, clap.
Open shut them, open shut them.
Put them in your lap, lap, lap.
Creep them, crawl them
Creep them, crawl them
Right up to your chin, chin, chin
Open wide your little mouth…
But do not let them in.
(Credit: Laurie Berkner)

Book: Junkyard by Mike Austin

Closing Rhyme

Worm Story Time – Preschool

Opening Song

Book: Wonderful Worms by Linda Glaser, illustrated by Loretta Krupinski

Song: “The Wiggly Wiggly Earthworm” (Tune: “The Itsy Bitsy Spider”)
The wiggly wiggly earthworm dug through the dirt.
Down came the rain, and wet all the earth.
Out came the sun, and dried up all the rain,
And the wiggly wiggly earthworm dug through the dirt again.

Fingerplay: “Two Little Earthworms”
Two little earthworms digging near the gate,
One called wobbly, and one called straight.
Crawl away, wobbly, crawl away straight.
Come back, wobbly, come back straight.

Additional verses:
Digging by the beans…nice/mean
Underneath a brick…slow/quick

Book: How to Say Hello to a Worm: A First Guide to Outside by Kari Percival

Song: “The Gardener Plants the Seeds” (Tune: “The Farmer in the Dell”)
The worms mix up the soil,
The worms mix up the soil,
Hi-ho, the derry-oh,
The worms mix up the soil. (pretend to dig)

The gardener plants the seeds.
The gardener plants the seeds.
Hi-ho, the derry-oh,
The gardener plants the seeds. (pretend to plant seeds)

Additional verses:
The rain falls on the ground… (flutter fingers down to ground)
The sun shines bright and warm… (hold hands in circle overhead)
The seeds/plants begin to grow… (slowly raise hands from ground)
Flowers grow everywhere… (hold hands outstretched)
Fresh vegetables to eat… (pretend to eat)

Book: I Can Only Draw Worms by Will Mabbitt

Song: “Jumping and Counting” – Jim Gill: Jim Gill’s Irrational Anthem

Closing Rhyme

Shapes Story Time – Preschool

Opening Song

Book: City Shapes by Diana Murray, illustrated by Bryan Collier

Flannel Song: “Draw a Shape in the Air” (Tune: “Found a Peanut”)
Draw a circle, draw a circle,
Draw a circle in the air.
A circle has no corners,
Draw a circle in the air.

Additional verses:
Triangle…3 sides
Square…4 sides
Heart…2 curved lines
Star…5 points
Hexagon…6 sides

Puppet Story: Duck! Rabbit! by Amy Krouse Rosenthal, illustrated by Tom Lichtenheld
duck rabbit

Book: It Looked Like Spilt Milk by Charles G. Shaw
it looked like spilt milk

Song: “Shake Your Sillies Out” – The Wiggles: Yummy Yummy

Closing Rhyme

Mice Story Time – Preschool

Opening Song

Book/Flannel: Mouse Shapes by Ellen Stoll Walsh

Song: “Jumping and Counting” – Jim Gill: Jim Gill’s Irrational Anthem

Book: House Mouse by Michael Hall

Song: “Mouse in My Toolbox” – Laurie Berkner: Rocketship Run

Rhyme: “Little Clapping Mouse” (clap when you see *)
Behind the tree * *
And under the house * *
There lived a teeny * *
Tiny mouse * *
She loved to sing * *
She loved to tap * *
But most of all * *
She loved to clap * *
She clapped all night * *
She clapped all day * *
She clapped to frighten * *
The cat away * * * * * * * * (lots of claps, meow)

Book: Mouse Mess by Linnea Riley

Closing Rhyme