Sensory-Friendly Storytime: Cars Go Vroom!
I don’t care who you are or how great your voice is, children definitely respond to singing. Anytime I do a sing-a-long book, it works like a charm, kids who normally can’t stop moving, stop and pay attention, some start tapping their feet or clapping their hands mimicking the rhythm of the song, it’s a pretty amazing sight. The kids I see at the Intermediate Unit have a wide array of disabilities – from Autism Spectrum Disorder to language development, visual, or other disabilities affecting gross and fine motor skills which means I have to be ready for just about everything when I visit these classrooms.
Each time I visit, I come out of these storytimes loving what I’m doing and so excited that I get a chance to visit the kids in these classrooms! The kids really took to The Wheels on the Bus with many staying very focused or answering my questions about the modes of transportation when they weren’t very interested in other parts of my storytime. Try those sing-a-long books – they really work!
Storytime Plan
Opening: “Open Shut Them”
Puppet Meet & Greet: Meet Tortuga (turtle puppet)
Book 1: Number One Sam by Greg Pizzoli
Transition: “I’ll Take You Riding in My Car”
I’ll take you riding in my car, car
I’ll take you riding in my car, car
I’ll take you riding in my car, car
I’ll take you riding in my car.
The doors on the car go open and shut…
The windshield wipers go swish, swish…
The horn on the car goes beep, beep…
Book 2: Sputter, Sputter, Sput! by Babs Bell / Five Little Monkeys Wash the Car by Eileen Christelow
Wiggles: “Bananas Unite”
“Bananas Unite
Peel bananas, peel, peel bananas,
Peel bananas, peel, peel bananas,
Chop bananas, chop chop bananas,
Chop bananas, chop chop bananas,
Mash bananas, mash, mash bananas,
Mash bananas, mash, mash bananas,
Eat bananas, eat, eat bananas
Eat bananas, eat, eat bananas
Go, BANANAS!!!!!”
Book 3: Down by the Station by Jennifer Riggs Vetter
Closing: “The Wheels on the Bus” with hand motions