I noticed I had a lot of books that were good for infants and toddlers on dancing, but had never done a dance themed storytime before.  I figured it was about time.

MOVEMENT: Welcome Song

MOVEMENT: Peek-a-Boo

BOUNCE:
In the Toaster
Put you in the toaster (sit baby on lap)
It’s getting pretty hot (bounce baby gently)
Tick-tock, tick-tock (sway baby side to side)
Up you POP! (lift baby in the air)

BOOK:

Barnyard Dance! by Sandra Boynton (lap edition board book)

MOVEMENT: “Clap, Tap and Bend” from It’s Toddler Time by Carol Hammett and Elaine Bueffel

FLANNELBOARD:
5 Ballet Dancers

Rhyme from Storytimes Online via Storytime Katie
Pattern via Google Images Search

Five ballet dancers
Dancing on their toes.
They twirl, spin and jump,
then off the stage one goes!

Continue counting down until…

One ballet dancer
Dancing on his/her toes.
S/He twirls, spins, and jumps,
Then off the stage s/he goes!

How many ballet dancers are left?
0!
And what do we do when the show is over?
(Everyone claps)

I used four ballet dancers with the infants today.  You can also have them do this as a fingerplay, and put down their fingers as they say the rhyme.

BOUNCE: “Smooth Road to London Town” from A Smooth Road to London Town: Songs from the Parent-Child Mother Goose Program by Kathy Reid-Naiman

BOOK:

Dance with Me by Charles R. Smith, Jr.

NURSERY RHYME:
Dickery Dickery Dare

Rhyme and pattern from Mother Goose’s Playhouse by Judy Sierra

Dickery, dickery, dare.
The pig flew up in the air.
The man in brown soon brought him down.
Dickery, dickery dare.

I do this as a lifting rhyme as well, so the parents can lift their baby in the air when the pig goes up, and then bring them down when the man in brown brings them down.

TICKLE:

Round and Round the Garden
Round and round the garden (make circles on baby’s tummy with finger)
Goes the teddy bear.
A one-step, a two-step (move hands up towards chin)
A tickle-y under there. (Tickle baby under chin)

MOVEMENT: “Itsy Bitsy Spider” from Children’s Favorite Songs Volume 3 from Walt Disney

MOVEMENT: “Twinkle Twinkle Little Star” from Songs for Wiggleworms by the Old Town School of Folk Music

MOVEMENT: Storytime’s Over

HOW IT WENT:

I thought this was a good storytime, and that it flowed pretty well.  I’m trying to get into the groove of storytime again, since it has been so long since my last session.  I thought both books worked really well for the group.  Dance with Me was fun because instead of reading it, I tried to sing it.  The beat of the story just cried out to be sung, or at least chanted.  I probably could have done the same with Barnyard Dance, but figured singing one was enough.  I’m really glad that they have made some of the Boynton board books in the lap edition, because they are great for storytime, and in that bigger size the pictures actually carry.
For the flannelboard that I did, I actually changed it up a bit from the original rhyme because I wanted to include boys in my flannelboard pieces.  I try to make my people diverse for my flannelboards, if at all possible.  And I need to keep in mind not to make shoes black for my flannelboards, because it looks like the Man in Brown has no feet at all.

ATTENDANCE: 40 people