Toddler Storytime Theme: Making a Mess

This is one of those lesson plans that I was super excited about!  Most small children LOVE making a mess!  Then, I had 33 toddlers in my program… and after taking a look at the amount of energy in the room, I realized that my lesson plan wasn’t going to fly.  If I wanted this program to be successful, I’d have to be willing to adapt.  So, after our opening song and high-fives to our monkey puppet, I tried for one book – Dog’s Colorful Day by Emma Dodd.

After this book, we focused the rest of our time on music – “To Dirty To Love” with our scarves (which the kids really enjoyed), our Butterfly flannel board, our Fruit Salad fingerplay, and then just to get out some energy , I put on Happy by Pharrell to get the kids moving and finished everything off with our standard “Shake Your Sillies Out” puppet show.  With 60+ people in the room, it was pretty much chaos, but we made it through and the kids enjoyed what we ended up doing.  

Making a Mess Storytime

Opening: “Put Your Hands Up In the Air”

Puppet Meet & Greet: Meet Woolly (monkey puppet)

Early Literacy Tip: “Read aloud with animation. Listen to your own voice and don’t be dull, or flat, or boring. Hang loose and be loud, have fun and laugh a lot.” – Mem Fox

Resource Share: Art exploration is so important for young children, don’t focus so much on product, but more about the process.  Look for our art and sensory exploration classes offered during the school year for young children.

Book 1: Not Me by Nicola Killen

Transition: “Butterfly Flannel Board”
The first to come to the garden bed
is a lovely butterfly of brilliant RED
Then in comes another and that makes two
Fly right in, my friend of BLUE
This garden is fine, the best I’ve seen
says the butterfly of the softest GREEN
Our garden needs a sunny fellow
Fly in butterfly, with wings of yellow
Little friend of PURPLE, fly in too
the garden is waiting for a color like you
Hello ORANGE, we’ve waited so long
fly in, right where you belong
Butterflies, Butterflies, you’re such a sight
Flying together with such delight!

Flannelboard Rhyme: “Find the Caterpillar”
Knock, Knock, Knock
Little caterpillar, little caterpillar
Are you behind the ______ Butterfly?

Book 2: Warthogs Paint by Pamela Duncan Edwards

Transition: “To Dirty To Love” Caspar Babypants, I Found You! (with scarves)

Wiggle Song: “Fruit Salad”
Watermelon, Watermelon, (big circle with hands)
Pa-pay-a, pap-ay-a, (chop air in front of body on each syllable)
Ba-a-a-a-nana, Ba-a-a-a-nana, (swing arms down like rocking a baby)
Fruuuuit Salad, fruuuuit salad! (dance it out!)
Pomegranate, Pomegranate, Pomegranate
Cle-men-tine, Cle-men-tine, Cle-men-tine
Pineapple, pineapple,
Fruit salad, fruit salad.

Book 3: Dog’s Colorful Day by Emma Dodd (flannelboard)

Closing: “Shake My Sillies Out” Puppet Show