Ducks for Babies
Welcome song: “Hello Everybody, Yes Indeed”
Get ready song: “Open, Shut Them”
First book: You Are Not a Cat! by Sharon Flake. Duck meows and says he is a cat, but Cat corrects him by demonstrating how to quack.
Alternate book: Hey, Duck! by Carin Bramsen. A duckling befriends an aloof cat.
Mother Goose rhyme: “Ducks and Drakes”
Fingerplay: “Five Little Ducks”
Song: “Little White Duck”
Second book: Five Little Ducks by Denise Fleming. This expanded version of the popular fingerplay sees the ducks not just going “over the hill,” but “across the fields,” “down the road,” and more.
Movement song: “Head, Shoulders, Knees, and Toes”
Stretching song: “Six Little Ducks”
Third book: The Duck Says by Troy Wilson. A chatty duck leaves disaster wherever he goes.
Closing song: “The More We Get Together”
Extra book if needed: Quick Duck! by Mary Murphy. The repeated title will involve the audience as a little duck demonstrates the concepts of over, under, etc.
Board book for parents: Duck & Goose by Tad Hills. Duck and Goose see a ball in the park and think it is an egg.
Storytimes for babies and toddlers offer an opportunity to model great read-aloud techniques for parents, and gives them the confidence to read to their children every day. A baby-toddler storytime can be followed by an extra 20 to 30 minutes of playtime, which encourages parents to talk to each other and for the young children to learn to play with others. It also demonstrates the importance of play to parents.