Our preschoolers have started complaining that songs and rhymes are "boring," so I decided not to incorporate as many of those into this story time. Instead, we read some longer books, and thanks to our partnership with Scooby-Doo and Cesar Millan's National Family Pack Walk, we also offered a craft at the end of the story time.
The kids loved this one. Even though a baby cried through a few pages of the story, they didn't lose focus. They were so invested in the story. A grandmother even commented afterward that she had never seen a group this age sit so still and so quietly for so long.
Song: Shake My Sillies Out
This is always a hit. I love this book.
Song: Bingo
I can't do this song at the bigger story times because no one seems to understand when to clap and they don't wait for instructions. This group loved it. One of the pickier little girls left singing her own silly version of the song after story time was over.
I could not have anticipated how much they would enjoy this. The rhyming text irritated me, but the kids really got into it.
Craft: Paper Bag Dog Puppets
I have never seen people make such a mess with craft supplies. They refused to throw scraps in the garbage, they ground tips of crayons into the floor, and most of them didn't bother to clean up after themselves in the slightest. It was so bad, I have decided that any future crafts we offer will be pre-packaged kits to take home. The kids did enjoy making their puppets, though.
Here's my tip for crafts with preschoolers -- Do as much cutting ahead of time as possible. If it's going to be a big group, then find a volunteer with extra time! I've made my husband cut out dinosaurs with me before lol My preschool storytimes tend to run very small (I'm excited when we have two or more kids) so I can occasionally bring out the scissors, but mostly I have crayons, glue, stickers/adhesive foamie pieces, and contact paper. It makes things somewhat less messy and parents who aren't ready to arm their children with scissors don't have to worry.
ReplyDeleteExcellent advice. Not always practical (we don't have volunteers, and my craft prep time is very limited) but probably the best approach.
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