Storytime Topics Available on Storytime Source Page

  A is for: 

• Alligators
• Animal Sounds
• Arctic
• Australian Animals

B is for:

• Balloons
• Balls
• Bathtime
• Bears
• Bedtime
• Bicycle
• Big
• Birthday
• Body Parts
• Books 
• Boxes
• Breakfast
• Brothers
• Bugs
• Bunnies
• Building

C is for:

• Cake
• Camels
• Cars
• Cats
• Chickens
• Chinese New Year
• Christmas
• Clothing
• Coins
• Colors
• Cooking 
• Cows
• Crocodiles

D is for:

• Daddy
• Dance
• Days of the Week
• Desert
• Dinosaurs
• Dirty/Clean
• Dogs
• Dragons
• Ducks

E is for:

• Eggs
• Egypt

F is for:

• Fall
• Farm
• Fathers
• Feelings
• Feet
• Flowers
• Food
• Forest Animals
• Friendship
• Frogs

G is for:

• Games
• Garden
• Geese
• Gingerbread
• Gorillas
• Green 
• Grandparents
• Guessing Games
• Gulp

H is for:

• Harvest
• Hats
• Hedgehogs
• Hippos
• Hugs

I is for:

• Ice Cream
• Ice Skating
• Insects
• I Spy

K is for:

• Kangaroo
• Kisses
• Kittens

L is for:

• Libraries
• Lost

M is for:

• Manners 
• Mice
• Monkeys
• Monsters
• Mothers

N is for:

• Noisy
• Nursery Rhymes

O is for:

• Ocean
• Owls

P is for:

• Parachute
• Penguin
• Picky Eaters
• Picnic
• Pizza
• Pockets
• Porcupines
• Postman
• Princesses

R is for:

• Rabbits
• Rain
• Recycling 
• Red Riding Hood
• Robin Hood
• Royalty

S is for:

• Scare Your Socks Off
• Scary
• School
• Sheep
• Shoes
• Shopping
• Siblings
• Sick
• Skunks
• Sleepy
• Snow
• Spaghetti
• Sports
• Star Wars
• Superhero

T is for:

• Thanksgiving
• Time of Day
• Tools
• Toys
• Trains
• Trucks
• Turtles

V is for:

• Valentine's Day
• Vegetables

W is for:

• Warm Things
• Wolves

Z is for:

• Zoo

Robin Hood Storytime

What better way to advertise an upcoming Children's Theater production than by doing a promotional Storytime?

Pair with your favorite read-aloud about the forest, and songs like: Walking Walking, Bunny Hop and What Does the Fox Say?

Puppet Story:  

We went for a walk in the woods one day, and saw a bird along the way
And what do you think we heard him say?  Tweet-tweet…

We went for a walk in the woods one day, and saw a bear along the way
And what do you think we heard him say?  Grrrrrr…

We went for a walk in the woods one day, and saw an owl along the way
And what do you think we heard him say?  Whoo…

We went for a walk in the woods one day, and saw a wolf along the way
And what do you think we heard him say?  Arooo…

We went for a walk in the woods one day, and saw Robin Hood along the way
And what do you think we heard him say?  “Somebody took the cookies from the cookie jar!”

Click to enlarge

Who Took the Cookies From the Cookie Jar?  (Flannel Story)
Who took the cookies from the cookie jar?

Robin Hood took the cookies from the cookie jar! Who me? Yes, you. Couldn’t be. Then who? Who took the cookies from the cookie jar?

Little John took the cookies from the cookie jar! Who me? Yes, you. Couldn’t be. Then who? Who took the cookies from the cookie jar?

Friar Tuck took the cookies from the cookie jar! Who me? Yes, you. Couldn’t be. Then who! Who took the cookies from the cookie jar?

Maid Marian took the cookies from the cookie jar! Who me? Yes, you. Couldn’t be. Then who! Who took the cookies from the cookie jar?

Prince John took the cookies from the cookie jar! Who me? Yes, you. Couldn’t be. Then who?  Prince John, it was definitely YOU!   (reveal the cookies) 

Click to enlarge

Five Little Foxes  (Flannel Story)

Version 1:
Five little foxes standing in a row
Each had a feather on their hat, just so
The first one said I cannot stay
And he waved goodbye, and he ran away
(Count down until none are left)

Version 2:
Five little foxes standing in a row
The first one said: “It’s time to go.”
He looked to the left
He looked to the right
And then that fox was out of sight!
(Count down until none are left)

Click to enlarge

Robin version of Bingo  (On Magnets)

He likes to play
Then runs away
And Robin is his name-o
R-O-B-I-N

R-O-B-I-N

R-O-B-I-N

And Robin is his name-o
Count down until no letters are left.

Ice Skating Storytime

Book:
Bunnies on Ice by Johanna Wright
Flora and the Penguin by Molly Idle
Silly Dance Contest by Jim Gill
We Are the Champions by Crazy Frog

Songs:
Dance, Freeze, Melt by Mr. Eric and Mr. Michael
Freeze Dance by the Kiboomers

Click to enlarge

Five Champions
Five champions skating on the ice
One took a tumble and it wasn't very nice. 
Got back up again, and said, "You'd better think twice!
"It takes more than just one fall to get me off of this ice."

While removing the skaters one by one: "He took time to rest, but he'll skate again - because he's a champion!"

In My Skates
(Tune of Laurie Berkner's Boots song)

In my red skates, in my red skates. 
I skate around in my red skates. 
In my skates. In my skates. 
I skate around in my skates.

Repeat with:

• Green skates - twirl around
• Blue skates - jump around
• Purple skates - take a bow

A-Skating We Will Go
(focusing on Winter Olympic sports)

A skating we will go, A skating we will go, 

When we’re at the Olympics, we will be a skating pro.

A sledding we will go, a sledding we will go, 

When we’re at the Olympics, we will be a sledding pro.

A skiing we will go, a skiing we will go              

When we’re at the Olympics, we will be a sledding pro.

A hockey we will play, a hockey we will play                         

When we’re at the Olympics, we’ll have winter fun all day.

Skate version of Bingo
(with girl or boy puppet wearing ice skates)

There was a girl who loved to skate

She won so many medals

S-K-A-T-E, 

S-K-A-T-E, 

S-K-A-T-E, 

She won so many medals

Star Wars - May the Fourth Storytime Ideas

Songs: 

• Baby Yoda
• Walk Like An Ewok
• Rocketship Run (with scarves)

Book: 

• Are You Scared, Darth Vader? by Adam Rex (with laminated props)

Flannel and Prop Stories: (listed below)

a.) Baby Yoda, Baby Yoda, What Do You See?
     *Grogu, R2D2, BB8, Ewok and Porg

b.) If You're A Star Wars Character and You Know It

• If you’re Darth Vader and you know it – breath hard
• If you’re C3PO and you know it – you will worry (“oh dear, oh dear…”)
• If you’re a Storm Trooper and you know it, better march
• If you’re a Mandalorian and you know it, put on your armor
• If you’re a Jedi (Yoda) and you know it, use the force
  

c.) Five Jawa Have Been Seen
     Tune: Five Green and Speckled Frogs

Five Jawa have been seen

On planet Tatooine

Looking for ships and other scrap

One crossed the desert wide

Found a ship and climbed inside

And then he took a Jawa nap

d.) Death Stars On Sticks

Twinkle, twinkle, little star

Jedi travel very far

To a galaxy far away

Can they save the day today?

Twinkle, twinkle, little star

Jedi travel very far

e.) VADER version of BINGO

There is a spooky guy I know, and Vader is his name-o

V-A-D-E-R...

Flannels, Songs and Story Extensions

Daddy wore his purple tie,
purple tie, purple tie.
Daddy wore his purple tie
All day long.

(Change color of tie and repeat)

Flannels About Books and Storytime

Flannel Stories

I Took My Dragon to the Library

Bear Reads His Blue Book
(tune of Mary Wore Her Red Dress)

Bear reads his blue book              (with a capital B and lower-case b on the cover)
Blue book, blue book
Bear reads his blue book
All day long
(repeat with other colors/letters)

Find the Library Dinosaur
(Use Shea's dinosaur and hide him behind a book)

Dinosaur, Dinosaur
Do I hear your tiny roar?
Are you hiding under the (blue) book?
Noooooo....
(repeat until dinosaur is found)

There Was An Owl Who Loved to Read
(tune of BINGO)

There was an Owl who loved to read,
 And books were what he checked out
B-O-O-K-S, B-O-O-K-S, B-O-O-K-S,
 And books were what he checked out
 (put one book in the owl’s nest because he has “checked it out” and taken it home) 

 There was an Owl who loved to read, 
And books were what he checked out
(flap)-O-O-K-S, (flap)-O-O-K-S, (flap-)-O-O-K-S,
 And books were what he checked out
(continue removing the books, one by one and replacing each with a loud “Flap” until none are left) 

Now, Owl has checked out all the books, and none are left. I wonder what he’s reading about… (Discuss the cover of each book. Ask what children like to read about with their parents)

Storytime About Forest Animals

Toddlers Read Alouds

Busy Little Squirrel by Nancy Tafuri
I'm NOT Cute!  by Jonathan Allen
Night-Night, Forest Friends by Annie Bach
One Sleepy Night by Sebastian Braun
Tiptoe Joe by Ginger Foglesong Gibson
Who's in the Forest?  by Phillis Gershator

Preschool Read Alouds

Bear Wants More by Karma Wilson
Children Make Terrible Pets by Peter Brown
Ernest the Moose Who Doesn't Fit by Catherine Rayner
I Want My Hat Back by Jon Klassen
Little Owl Lost by Chris Haughton
Looking for a Moose by Phillis Root
Look Out, Suzy Goose by Petr Horacek
Ol' Mama Squirrel by David Ezra Stein

Flannels, Songs and Story Extensions

Books that Translate into Flannel and/or Puppet Stories

Chow Down, Biggety!  by Ann Ingalls (2015)
Forest Tracks by Dee Dee Duffy
Jo MacDonald Hiked in the Woods by Mary Quattlebaum
Ouch! by  Ragnhild Scamell  
Tail of the Little Skunk by Marsha Diane Arnold

Five Little Squirrels (Tune of: Five Little Ducks)

One little squirrel went out to play
Up in a tree on a sunny day
He had such enormous fun,
That he called for another little squirrel to come.

(Keep counting up until you get to five...)

Five little squirrels went out to play
Up in a tree near the end of the day
They had such enormous fun,
Then they all scurried home because the night had come

If You’re Ever in the Forest  (Tune of: Did You Ever See A Lassie?)

If you’re ever in the forest,
The forest, the forest,
If you’re ever in the forest,
You might see a fox.

Runs this way, and that way
And this way and that way,
If you’re ever in the forest,
You might see a fox.

 Repeat with other animals:

• bear… growls this way and that way … 
• squirrel… climbs this way and that way … 
• rabbit… hops this way and that way...

I Went for a Walk in the Woods One Day

I went for a walk in the woods one day.
I saw a (mouse) across the way!
And what do you think that (mouse) did say?
(Squeak!)

Repeat with other animals and sounds. 

Little Raccoon, Little Raccoon

Little Raccoon, Little Raccoon,
Are you under the (blue) moon?
(repeat with other colors until raccoon is found)

There’s Something in the Forest

There’s something in the forest - what can it be?
There’s something in the forest that I can’t really see.
Hear its funny sound....

Repeat with other animals:

• Growl, growl – a BEAR is what I’ve found! 
• Squeak, squeak - a MOUSE is what I found!

Walking through the Forest

Walking through the forest, and what did I see?

A big brown bear was growling at me!

Walking in the forest and what did I see?
A little gray squirrel was swishing its tail at me!

Repeat with other animals:

• A little brown bunny was hopping by me
• A pretty blue bird was flying by me
• A fluffy white owl was flying by me 

Storytime About Food



Denise Fleming's Lunch as a puppet and flannel story

Toddler Read Alouds

Cow Loves Cookies by Karma Wilson
Hi, Pizza Man by Virginia Walter
Little Mouse, the Red Ripe Strawberry and the Big Hungry Bear by Don and Audrey Wood
Lunch by Denise Fleming
Mmm... Let's Eat by Libby Kopenen -- great NEW book
Too Pickley by Jean Reidy
Very Hungry Caterpillar by Eric Carle
Worms for Lunch by Leonid Gore

Preschool Read Alouds

Bob and Rob and Corn on the Cob by Todd McQueen (2014)
Doorbell Rang by Pat Hutchins
Eats by Matha Jocelyn
Gobble It Up by Jim Arnosky
Go Go Grapes by April Pulley Sayre
Greedy Goat by Petr Horacek - (2018)
Hungry Bird by Jeremy Tankard (2016)
If You Give A Mouse A Cookie by Laura Numeroff
I'll Wait, Mr. Panda by Steve Antony (2016)
Little Apple Goat by Caroline Church
Mouse Went Out to Get a Snack by Lyn McFarland
Snack Time for Confetti by Kali Stileman
Soup for One by Ethan Long
There's a Giraffe in My Soup by Ross Burach (2016)
Today is Monday by Eric Carle
Who Ate All the Cookie Dough?  by Karen Beaumont

School Age Read Alouds

Bad Apple by Edward Hemingway
Burger Boy by Alan Durant
Dragons Love Tacos by Adam Rubin
Little Sweet Potato by Amy Beth Bloom
Pie Went By by Carolyn Dunn
Pinkalicious by Victoria Kann
Thelonius Monster's Sky High Fly Pie by Judy Sierra
Too Many Cooks by Margaret McNamara
Ugly Pie by Lisa Wheeler
Wild Boars Cook by Meg Rosoff
Wolf's Chicken Stew by Keiko Kasza

Flannels, Songs and Story Extensions

Flannel, Puppet and Prop Stories

Big Carrot
Flip Flap Jack
Very Hungry Caterpillar    

Fruit Props

I like _________, how about you?
Let's eat and eat 'til the day is through!
Okay, kids, we've had enough -
It's time to eat some other stuff!
(repeat with different food props)

“Rabbit Loves Carrots”

Duck likes bread and dog likes bones… but rabbit loves carrots!
Repeat with other animals, and have Toddlers feed rabbit a carrot at the end

Five Red Strawberries Flannel

Five red strawberries, sweet to the core,
Bear came and ate one and then there were four.

Four red strawberries, growing near a tree,
Bear came and ate one and then there were three.

Three red strawberries, for you and you and you,
Bear came and ate one and then there were two.

Two red strawberries, sitting in the sun,
Bear came and ate one and then there was one.

One red strawberry, left all alone,
Bear came and ate it and then there were none.

Let’s Go and Pack a Picnic

 (Tune: Bear Went Over the Mountain)

Let’s go and pack a picnic
Let’s go and pack a picnic
Let’s go and pack a picnic
So we’ll have food to eat

Who will bring the chicken?
Who will bring the chicken?
Who will bring the chicken?
So we’ll have food to eat

Repeat with:
• Who will bring the cupcakes?
• Who will bring the watermelon?
• Who will bring the lemonade?

We all went on a picnic
We all went on a picnic
We all went on a picnic
And now it’s time to eat

Picnic Time Chant with Props

Going on a picnic,
Gotta pack a lunch.
What should we bring to munch, munch, munch?

Let's bring sandwiches,
Sandwiches, sandwiches.
Let's bring sandwiches to munch, munch, munch

(repeat with other plastic food items)