Wonderful Ones: It's Playtime!

Playtime is a great way to introduce early literacy skills to your child!   Using these rhymes, songs and stories, you are encouraging playing while teaching babies about hands, feet, and actions of each body part.  Through such playtime and rhythmic language, children learn to think symbolically.  They also learn and practice essential oral language skills by putting thoughts into words and making connections between sounds, letters and objects.   

Put Your Finger On... (sung to the tune of 'If You’re Happy And You Know It')
Put your finger on your toes, on your toes,
Put your finger on your toes, on your toes.
Put your finger on your toes,
Put your finger on your toes,
Put your finger on your toes, on your toes.
 
Put your finger on your tummy, on your tummy,
Put your finger on your tummy, on your tummy.
Put your finger on your tummy,
Put your finger on your tummy,
Put your finger on your tummy, on your tummy.

Put your finger on your head, on your head,
Put your finger on your head, on your head.
Put your finger on your head,
Put your finger on your head,
Put your finger on your head, on your head.

One, Two, Three Rhyme
One, two, three,
Count with me.
It’s as easy as can be –
Four, five, six, seven, eight, nine, ten.
Now let’s start it once again.

Teddy Bear Can Rhyme (sung to the tune of 'Muffin Man')
Teddy bear can turn around,
Turn around, turn around.
Teddy bear can turn around,
You can do it too!

Teddy bear can clap his hands,
Clap his hands.  Clap his hands. 
Teddy bear can clap his hands,
You can do it too!

Teddy bear can jump up and down,
Jump up and down, jump up and down. 
Teddy bear can jump up and down,
You can do it too!

For more playtime fun, check out these books we read at Wonderful Ones:

Playtime by Baby’s World
Photographs of babies playing with balls, bubbles, and bells. 
Check catalog availability

Playing by Liesbet Slegers 
Pushing a toy car, kicking a ball, stacking blocks, playing a drum, and reading a book are just some of the ways a baby plays.
Check catalog availability

Wonderful Ones: Spring Into Storytime!

It's Springtime!  It's also a new set of classes of Wonderful Ones at the library! This very popular program is specifically designed for babies 9 - 23 months and offers 15 minutes of stories, singing, and fingerplays along with an additional 15 minutes of playtime.  From the time they are infants, children learn language and other important skills that will help them learn to read.

Since it's been awhile since we've shared our regular Wonderful Ones songs and rhymes, we wanted to again share them with you!  At each class, there is an opening and closing song and rhyme sung when we say hello and goodbye.  Songs are a fun activity you can do at home, at the park, or even in the car.  Clapping along helps children improve their motor skills.

Opening Song: Here We are Together
Here we are together, together, together
Yes, here we are together all here on the floor.
There's Josh and Maggie and Emma and Sam
There's parents and children and Paula and Jack
Yes, here we are together all here on the floor.

Opening Action Rhyme: The Wiggle Song
(Sung to the tune of "For He's a Jolly Good Fellow")
My hands are starting to wiggle,
My hands are starting to wiggle,
My hands are starting to wiggle,
Around and around and around.

My feet are starting to wiggle,
My feet are starting to wiggle,
My feet are starting to wiggle,
Now all of me is a wiggle!

Closing Rhyme: Wave Goodbye
Wave high, wave low,
I think it's time we gotta go!
Wave your elbows, wave your toes,
Wave your tongue and wave your nose.
Wave your ears and wave your eyes,
Wave your hands and say goodbye.

Here are the new rhymes, songs and stories from this week's Wonderful One's Class:

Where Is Your Nose? Rhyme (sung to the tune of Where Is Thumbkin?)
Where is your nose, where is your nose?
There it is, there it is.
Touch it with your finger, touch it with your finger,
Just like me, just like me.

Where are your hands, where are your hands?
There they are, there they are.
Clap your hands together, clap your hands together,
Just like me, just like me.

Where are your feet, where are your feet?
There they are, there they are.
Stomp your feet loudly, stomp your feet loudly,
Just like me, just like me. 
 

Hands on Hips Rhyme
Hands on hips,
Hands on knees,
Put them behind you,
If you please.
Touch your shoulders,
Touch your nose,
Touch your ears,
And touch your toes.

Hands on hips,
Hands on knees,
Put them behind you,
If you please.
Touch your shoulders,
Touch your nose,
Touch your ears,
And touch your toes.

I’m Gonna Pat My Little Head Rhyme
I’m gonna pat my little head,
I’m gonna pat it twice.
I’m gonna pat my little head.
Because I think it’s nice!

Repeat the rhyme with other parts of your face, such as nose, eyes, ears, etc.)


We enjoyed these books at Wonderful Ones this week:

Look at the Baby by Kelly Johnson
Pictures and a simple rhyme celebrate babies. 
Check catalog availability

Who Do You Love? by Melanie Mitchell
Features textures to touch and feel on fold-out pages. 
Check catalog availability

Itsy-Bitsy Babies by Margaret Wild
This wonderful story about the things babies love to do will inspire endless fun, as babies always love to read about babies. 
Check catalog availability