Welcoming comments:

 

Greetings and Welcome!

 

Please sit in a semicircle with your children on your laps, if possible.  If anyone needs to sit close to me or the interpreter, please come right up. I hope you will join me as I sing or chant the nursery rhymes. I will repeat each rhyme, so if you don’t know it already, you can join in on the second round.  Children this age don’t sit perfectly still, so it’s fine if they move about.  But please if they come right in front of me or in front of the sign language interpreter, please physically bring them back to your lap.  Also, feel free to take your children out of the room for a change of scenery, and bring them back whenever they are ready. It doesn’t interrupt us and may help your child feel more comfortable.

 

Rhymes and reads:

 

Old Mother Goose (felt piece)

Old Mother Goose when she wanted to wander,

Would fly through the air on a very find gander

 

Goosey Goosey Gander (felt piece)

Goosey, Goosey, Gander, where do you wander?

Upstairs and downstairs and in my lady’s chamber.

 

Two Little Pretty Birds

—teach American Sign Language sign for bird

• Tap pointer and thumb together near lips for “tweet, tweet”

Two little pretty birds sitting on a cloud,

One named Soft and the other named Loud.

Fly away, Soft. Fly away, Loud.

Come back, Soft, come back, Loud.

• Listen to and pass around Audubon birds—loud raven and soft dove

 

 

 Song: We Hit the Floor Together

We hit the floor together, we hit the floor together,

We hit the floor together because it’s fun to do.

Tap out knees…

We all wave “hello:”…

 

Book: Snappy Little Farm Yard

–     Act out animal noises/motions

• Developmental/reading tip: You don’t have to read the whole book, one or two pages is good enough. You don’t need to read the exact words on the page.

 

Body Rhymes:

 

Body:  My Face is Round

• Use a large color photocopy of child’s face from Can You Say Peace mounted on felt piece
• very large/ high contrast flannel board pieces. Enlarge pages from books and laminate; tell the story using cards. Even better, add tactile elements! This is good for both visually impaired and autistic children.

My face is round.

I have two eyes, A nose, and a mouth.

 

Mirrors:  I look in the mirror and what do I see?

• Hand out mirrors to each child to share with their adult

I look in the mirror and what do I see?

I see mommy / daddy / nana  / Susie  looking at me

(I see ___ smiling at me, waving at me, blowing kisses to me)

 

Eency Weency Spider / Great Big Spider

• Use hand motions that are easy to imitate.
• Describe it in words if you have people who are blind
• Use spider puppets of both sizes and give spider kisses at the end of the rhyme

 

Tickle Rhyme:  Round and round the garden

• felt piece
• developmental tip: Tickle rhymes promote bonding

Round and round the garden goes the teddy bear.

One step, two steps, tickle him under there!

 

 

Knee Bounces:

See Saw Scaradown—Londontown (fill in the name of YOUR town)

See saw, scaradown, this is the way to Spartanburg town.

One knee up and the other knee down. This is the way to Spartanburg town.

 

            Humpty Dumpty

• Show book illustration

Humpty Dumpty sat on a wall.  (lean from side to side)

Humpty Dumpty had a great fall. (lean all the way over)

All the king’s horses and all the kings’ men,  (sit up and quickly bounce knees up & down)

Couldn’t put Humpty together again.

 

            Jack Be Nimble

• Show book illustration

Jack be nimble, Jack be quick, Jack jump over the candlestick.

Jill be nimble, Jill be quick. Jill jump over the candlestick.

 

Leg Rhyme : This is Bill Anderson

This is Bill Anderson, and this is Tom Trim. (Lay child on lap. Hold up one leg)

And Bill asked Tom to play with him. (Hold up the other leg)

Bill over Tom. (Cross one leg over the other)

Tom over Bill. (Cross legs with other leg on top)

(continue repeating words and movements going faster and faster)

Bill over Tom. (Cross one leg over the other – )

Tom over Bill.

All the way down the hill…

 

Rum Pum Pum Drum Sequence:

 

Drum:  Rum Pum Pum..

Rum pum um, this is my drum. Rum pum um, this is my drum.

My name is ___. What’s your name?

 

Standing Up Rhymes:

 

Stand Up:  Marching to the Drum

Explain what is going to happen

We’re marching to the drum, we’re marching to the drum,

High ho the derr-i-o, we’re marching to the drum.

We’re marching ‘round the room. We’re marching ‘round the room.

High ho the derr-i-o, we’re marching ‘round the room.

We’re marching to the drum, we’re marching to the drum,

High ho the derr-i-o, we’re marching to the drum.

And the drum says STOP.  Can you hit stop?

(Walk around the room giving each child a change to hit STOP on the drum and rewarding them by saying a positive word and smiling at them.)

 

 

See the Ponies Galloping

• Use big horse puppet or a hobby horse…All Tired Out – return to seat

See the ponies, galloping, galloping, down the country lane. (faster & faster)

See the ponies coming home, all tired out. All tired out.

 

Animals!

Animal Sequence:–

            I went to visit the farm one day…

• Use illustrations from the big book Over on the Farm or Very Busy Spider

I went to visit the farm one day. I saw a cow along the way, and what do you think the cow did say? MOOO!

• Use puppets:

Sheep—pass around wooly puppet

Bird—pass around soft, plus puppets

• Continue singing and passing around puppets. It may take longer to pass objects, just keep repeating the song

When the cow gets up in the morning,

she always says moo… (pass around plastic animals for tactile connections)

Cow, horse, pig —pass around the circle

When the cow gets up in the morning, she always says moo.

When the cow gets up in the morning, she says moo, moo.

 

Hickory Dickory Dare

Recite and explain what will happen, that each child will get a change to throw the pig up in the air, and you will help, if needed.

Hickory dickory dare. The pig flew up in the air.

Farmer Brown soon brought her down, hickory, dickory dare.

 

 

Musical Instruments and Colored Scarves:

 

Bells: 

• Have wrist / ankle bells available if the child can’t grasp

            We ring our bells together…because it’s fun to do

We ring our bells together, ring our bells together,

Ring our bells together…  because it’s fun to do.

Ring them up high, ring them down low

 

Ring Your Bells (Jingle Bells)

Ring your bells, ring your bells, ring your bells today..

Oh what fun it is to ring, to ring your bells today… ay!

 

Are you sleeping, Brother John?

• Show a book illustration or use a felt piece

Are you sleeping? Are you sleeping? Brother John? Brother John?

Morning bells are ringing. Morning bells are ringing.

Ding, ding, dong. Ding, ding, dong.

 

 Grandfather’s Clock

• Large mounted illustration

Grandfather’s clock goes tick, tock, tick tock,

Mother’s kitchen clock goes tick, tock, tick, tock, tick, tock, tick, tock.

Brother’s little watch goes tick, (12x) STOP!

 

            Bells Away…

• hand to me if they’ve been in mouth

Bells away, bells away, put the bells away today. (repeat until all of the bells have been collected)

 

 

Scarves:

• If possible, use silk scarves. Nylon is fine but silk adds another level of richness f you can’t see the scarves.

Wind oh Wind

Wind, oh wind, oh wind, I say. What are you blowing away today?

Scarves, oh scarves, oh scarves I say. I am blowing the scarves away.

 

This is the way we wash our knees

This is the way we wash our knees, wash our knees, wash our knees.

This is way we wash our knees, so early in the morning.

 

Peek-a-boo

Peek-a-boo, I see you. I see you smiling there. (2x)

 

Scarves Away

Scarves away, scarves away, put your scarves away today.

(repeat until all of the scarves have been collected)

 

 

 

 

Lullaby:

 

Lullaby: 

• Use a rainstick to make a special sound to quiet down….like using a whisper to get attention

            Twinkle Twinkle Little Star,

Twinkle, twinkle Little Star,

What a wonderful child you are.

Shining face and lovely nose

From your ears down to your toes

• (builds self-esteem) credit goes to Becky Bailey from her book, I Love You Rituals)

 

Interactive Rhyme:

Humpty Dumpty

—plush toy Humpty Dumpty & cardboard brick for the wall

• Recite rhyme before and after.
• Explain: Children come up at own pace.  One turn each, return to seat when done,
• Big round of applause
• TALK ABOUT WHY HUMPTY WORKS

Humpty Dumpty sat on a wall.

Humpty Dumpty had a great fall.

All the king’s horses and all the kings’ men,

Couldn’t put Humpty together again.

 

Closing Sequence:

 

Can you kick with two feet?

Can you kick with two feet? Two feet? Two feet?

Can you kick with two feet? Kick, kick, kick, kick, kick.

(clap with two hands, kiss with two lips….)Can you wave bye-bye?

 

It’s time to say goodbye,

It’s time to say goodbye…

but: We’re so happy that everyone is here. Thank you all for coming!

 

(Invite everyone for ½ hour Stay and Play with multi-sensory, age-appropriate toys)