Music! Music! Music! Baby Lap Time, 4/18/13
Rhyme: Cheek Chin
Book: Baby Dance by Ann Taylor
It amazes me how mesmerized the babies are by rhyming text. Most of them stared at me rather than the illustrations!
Song: A Bouncing We Will Go
This song is a great idea, which I borrowed from KCLS. It was definitely the best-received bounce I have ever used, even more popular than All the Little Babies!
Book: Hush Little Baby by Shari Halpern
The parents got a kick out of this - some of them didn't seem to know it, but laughed at some of the rhymes - others sang right along with me!
Song: Tony Chestnut
Rhyme: One Two, One Two
As the adults learn this, they are getting better and better about interacting with their babies as we say it. The clapping in the final verse is a big hit with one of the babies whose mom told me she only just learned to clap a week ago!
Flannel Board Rhyme: There’s Music in a Hammer
I found a couple versions of this rhyme online and combined them to make my own:
There's music in a hammer when you bang it on a nail.
There's muic in a shovel when you tap it on a pail.
There's music in a kitty-cat when you step upon her tail.
Meeeeowww!
Flannel boards are always hit and miss with babies, but whenever I include them, the few kids who are crawling or standing will always come right up to get a closer look. I don't expect a four month old to get much out of the visual aides, but the almost-toddlers really do like them. The parents seemed puzzled by this one, but the rhyme and animal sound make it a fun one anyway.
Rhyme: The Baby in the Cradle
Song: All the Little Babies
Song with Puppets: Did You Ever See a....?
Song: Row, Row, Row, Your Boat
Song: Itsy Bitsy Spider
Song: ABCs
Song: Twinkle Twinkle Little Star
Song: If You're Happy and You Know It
I use the same hello and goodbye songs at almost every session. Click here for the tunes and words. For descriptions of each of my story times, click here.