Infant Program Props and Activities

(Compiled on pubyac listserv)

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I love doing my baby storytimes, too!  We “play” for about 10 minutes at the end of the half hour session, and I have successfully used sheets of cellophane for them to flap around (we use that after we’ve read the board book -Wrapping Paper Romp-). You can buy rolls of cellophane at Michael’s. I also have filled pill bottles with pony beads and have used them as shakers.  And they do love balls.  I just get them out and they roll them around.  Nothing fancy - just play.  The other inexpensive thing I have done is use the Ellison machine to cut shapes out of felt.  We have a wall that is a flannel board, and the ones that can toddle love to stick their felt piece to it, but they could also just stick the piece on their shirt.

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It sounds like you have come up with great ideas so far. We do some of what you do. We group all babies 3 months to 24 months together. After that they can join toddler classes. So, some of the things the older babies “get” obviously goes past the little ones. I make some of my own handout props- if you laminate and cut the edges so they are rounded, they will last. I have some store bought flannel stories, Hey diddle diddle, humpty Dumpty. Usually I have the group say it aloud while I arrange the pieces, but it only takes 30 seconds or so, so this doesn’t fill much time. I play music and we say it along with the song sometimes. I use a large ball and bounce it while singing the more we get together. They ask for this if I forget to use it after a long time. I have also used those rolled up paper Chinese stick puppets (I don’t know what they’re called- it’s rolled up paper and it extends out 3 feet when you shake it, then rolls back up) We made shakers out of film canisters and beans. You can cover the outside with sparkly contact paper. Book tape them shut. Now we have real shakers we’ve purchased, but when we have a big crowd I still use the old ones. I use a clothesline to hang up laminated props I’ve made up and we have quite a collection now. Even if I don’t get to them all during the program, it is visual and something for them to look at.

We bought small hand puppets to hand out for 3 little monkeys and “there was a little turtle” You have to be careful though because they can get slobbery. I also buy nested boxes and have the group participate. We have one set numbered 1-8 with bug poems on it. 8 comes first so it’s on the bottom. I sometimes hand them out and have the moms take turns reading them. I let the kids knock over the pyramid when they finish. We sing do re me as a group. I made up laminated words and hand them out. The person holding it doesn’t have to sing their part, just hold it up for the group.

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Sounds like you have come up with great ideas so far. We do some of what you do. We group all babies 3 months to 24 months together. After that they can join toddler classes. So, some of the things the older babies “get” obviously goes past the little ones. I make some of my own handout props- if you laminate and cut the edges so they are rounded, they will last.

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The ages can range from 6 months to 24 months.  The really little ones don’t really do as much but the parents try to help them. For the sticker activity my theme for the Babytime was “Things That Go”, anything with wheels, and I printed out a road scene on paper, any paper will do, construction paper, plain white paper etc. and I bought different stickers with cars, trucks airplanes, bikes, etc, cut the sheets into fourths, so all of the babies would get the same amount of stickers, handed them out and let them have at it.  It is good for the hand eye coordination, some of the babies could get the stickers off of the sheets some of them couldn’t but then they could place them on the scene wherever they wanted. Stamp Pads - I got this idea from another librarian in my system

I bought really big stamp pads from Discount School Supply, their online site and I rolled out really big sheets of paper and I let them walk on the paper to make footprints and use their hands to make handprints.  I warned the parents the week before so they would be prepared.  The ink is totally washable and non-toxic but you have to have a ton of baby wipes ready and paper towels.

My Babytimes start up in a few weeks and I’m going to try the pudding painting again.  The theme this time is “Pigs and Chickens”.  I printed out a picture of a pig on pink pink paper and we are going to use butterscotch and chocolate pudding to make the pig dirty.  I’m going to give them cotton balls to dab the pudding on, I saw this in a book somewhere but I’m not sure which book, maybe “The Big Book of Stories, Songs, and Sing A-longs” by Beth Madigan.  I think it is a fairly new book but if you can get your hands on it you should take a look.

Another cool activity I got from yet another librarian in my system is “edible necklaces”. You use cheerios, fruit loops, mini pretzels, butter cookies, anything you can string on a ribbon.  I bought some inexpensive wrapping ribbon and the babies made edible necklaces, of course they ate quite a bit too, but it was a hit.

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Colorful wrist bells might work to shake along with the music.  It’s a little noisy, but it can be fun. I hope this is an idea that you can use.

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> I used plastic Easter eggs for shakers- put rice or beans inside and hot-glued them together.  A friend also helped me make beanbags with fabric scraps.

Sing a song that mentions their name- one is Let’s All Clap (tune- Mary Had a Little Lamb)- Let’s all clap ‘cause _____’s here, _____’s here, _____’s here, Let’s all clap ‘cause _____’s here, _____’s here today. Go around the room and sing to each child. For The Itsy Bitsy Spider, make spiders from black yarn (make them like a cat toy- wind yarn three or four times around your fingers, pull off and tie the loop in the middle, then cut the two ends so the yarn strands are loose.  These can also be fleas if you have a flea rhyme!  I borrowed a big stuffed lion and tiger from my granddaughter, and use them as props.  If you have a Friends group, they might purchase some puppets for you- Folkmanis is great.

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I have used paper towel tubes as horns for the young toddlers. Goes well with Little Boy Blue. I often use a sheet or blanket as a parachute. The parachute goes up and down, up and down, up and down. The parachute goes up and down and then it falls down. Young toddlers love to be covered by the blanket. I have used a mirror for the young ones to look in. I can’t remember what rhyme or saying I have used. I cut strips of brightly colored fleece fabric and let the little ones hold them. I have used this with giving them commands like little caterpillars up, caterpillars down. And also with Caterpillar, caterpillar, caterpillar, caterpillar on the wall, on the wall, first you wiggle this way, then you wiggle that way, crawl, crawl, crawl, crawl, crawl, crawl.

Try these books:

Babies in the Library! by Jane Marino

The Big Book of Stories, Songs and Sing-Alongs by Beth Maddigan

Toddlers Together- Catlin

More Toddlers Together - Catlin

Story Stretchers For Infants, Toddlers and Twos.

Games to Play with Babies - Silberg

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