This toddler storytime is based on the preschool storytime I did the day before. It worked well, with some adaptations, for this age group as well. Head over to the preschool storytime version for complete details.

Welcome Song

Action Rhyme: Itsy Bitsy Spider
The itsy bitsy spider climbed up the waterspout.
Down came the rain
and washed the spider out.
Out came the sun
and dried up all the rain
and the itsy bitsy spider climbed up the spout again.

Book: Mrs. Wishy Washy’s Farm by Joy Cowley

Dance Break: I Took a Bath in A Washing Machine by Jim Gill

Fingerplay: Elephant in the Bathtub
One elephant in the bathtub
Going for a swim.
Knock, Knock (Clap twice)
Splash, Splash, (Slap knees twice)
Come on in! (Motion with both hands to come in)
(Repeat up to ‘Five’)

Five elephants in the bathtub
Going for a swim.
Knock, Knock,
Splash, Splash,
They all fell in!
Credit: Sur La Lune Fairy Tales

Movement: Number Hokey Pokey
You put one finger in.
You put one finger out.
You put one finger in and you shake it all about.
You do the hokey pokey and you turn yourself about.
That’s how we count to one.
(2, 3, 4, and 5)

I’m not sure where I found this version of the hokey pokey, but it’s a simple alternative.

Goodbye Rhyme

Play Activity: Kid Wash!
Credit: Susan Dailey

I let kids crawl through the kid wash as many times as they wanted. Needless to say it, it was a popular!

Kid Wash Exit: Kids crawled through the streamers at the end to simulate drying.

Kid Wash Entrance: Kids enter here and crawl through boxes. A parent held the stop sign and used it to direct kid traffic through the wash.

Kid Wash Side View: I used the chairs to help hold up the box tunnel. I blew bubbles on kids as they crawled through the open space between the boxes.