Mommies are #1! Mother's Day Storytime for Babies and Toddlers

Since Mother's Day is this weekend, I read books that featured mommies and grandmothers.  I had to shorten this storytime, since we were doing a craft today.

Opening Song:  If You're Happy and You Know It from Music from The Complete Book of Rhymes, Songs, Poems, Fingerplays and Chants

Book:  Charlie Chick by Nick Denchfield and Ant Parker
I absolutely love this one, and the kids do too!  The version I have looks a bit different from the one pictured above and it has a "Press my Tummy" feature, where you can press Charlie's tummy and he cheeps--very popular with kids of all ages.  It's a great big pop-up book with very little text, but very effective for little ones! 

Book:  Little White Fish by Guido van Genechten

This boardbook can be used with many themes: mommies, ocean, or colors.  There are also other Little White Fish books that I like to use:  Little White Fish Gets Bigger and Little White Fish is Happy.

Books:  Where is Baby's Mommy? and Grandma and Me by Karen Katz
The kids love taking turns with lift-the-flaps, so these are always very popular!

Closing Song:  Roly Poly from Kindermusik's Fiddle-dee-dee
I play this at the end of every storytime and we use shakers to follow along with the motions. 
Here are the words, which can be used with our without the music:

Roly Poly:
Roly Poly, Roly Poly
UP UP UP!
Roly Poly, Roly Poly
OUT OUT OUT!
Roly Poly, Roly Poly
TAP TAP TAP!
Roly Poly, Roly Poly
Lay them in your LAP!

Mother's Day Handprint Craft:  I copied the Mother's Day Handprint poem below on card stock, then painted their hands with red paint and each child made a handprint for their mommy.  This could be adapted for daddies, grandmothers, teachers, etc. 

For Mommy
This little hand will never grow
It will always stay just so
When I am grown and far away,
This little hand with you will stay.

Happy Mother’s Day 2011