Two by Two

I did my first two-year-old group yesterday, which consisted of 9 children and 10 parents. It was interesting to see the differences in the children, such as those who were very into what we were doing and eager to participate, those who couldn't sit still, and those who were quiet but were not engaged in what was going on. Overall, it was a lot of fun and they were so cute. Here's what we did:


Opening song: "If you Want to Hear a Story..."


Books:


Five Green and Speckled Frogs by Priscilla Burris. (I used to love this song when I was younger, so you can imagine how much fun it was to lead them in the song. I had them join in with the "yum yum." The book, however, has different text than the song that most people know--I've seen this written in other reviews of this particular version. I used the book mostly for visual effect, with its sparkling speckles and fun beach-time theme.I also created a paper version of the story. I had blue paper for the pond and cut out a log and 5 speckled frogs. I used tape on the back of each frog and took one off as the song/story progressed)


Is Everyone Ready for Fun? by Jan Thomas. (Found this book sitting on the new and prospective storytime shelf. It is a gold mine! The book format is similar to the style of Don't Let the Pigeon Ride the Bus by Mo Willems, in that the text and illustrations start before page 1. It's a fast-paced book involving 3 cows who annoy their friend chicken by jumping on his couch, wiggling on his couch, etc. I had them stand up and do all of the actions. Highly recommended!)


Can You Growl Like a Bear? by John Butler. (A cute book that elicits readers to join in and make the various animal sounds. About half the group actually made the sounds, as did all the parents.)


I Hear by Rachel Isadora. (Another audience participation book for making noises.)


Dances:


"I Know a Chicken" by Laurie Berkner. (Always a fun song to do with any age group. I noticed that unlike the pre-k groups I've done this song with, the 2-year-olds mainly liked to dance with the shaky eggs we give out and had a harder time following the "shake your egg fast/slow/up and down/in a circle" Still, they seemed to have fun with it).


"Rock-a-Bye Bear" by The Wiggles. (Suggested by one of the children's librarian. A cute 1 minute song that tells listeners to do different motions. I took one of the bear stuffed animals that had little bears on it and danced with it.)


"Here Comes Bear" by the Wiggles. (Another cute dance/motion song that worked well. Thanks Jen for the great suggestions!)


End song: "The More We Get Together" I led the song and the parents joined in. Some parents rocked their kids back and forth, which was cute.


Things I learned: Usually a better idea to do short, simple books. This age group responds extremely well to action/motion books that get them involved. If doing a longer book, better to start with it.