LibGuides: Kids' Games and Learning: Early Literacy

Early Literacy

Get Read to Read!

Read

Read together every day, even if it's only for a few minutes! Repeating the same story over and over is fine, and lots of children love to revisit their favorites! Reading with your child teaches helps them develop an early love of books and learning, in addition to teaching children how a book works (words on the page mean something, English words read left to right, how to turn pages, etc.)

Talk

Talk to your child throughout the day! The more words your child hears the better! Point out what you're seeing, talk about what you're doing together, and ask lots of questions. Remember if you're asking questions give your child plenty of time to respond!

Sing

Sing songs and nursery rhymes! Rhymes help your child learn new words and to develop their listening and memory skills. Singing can also help your child remember routines like getting ready for bed or washing their hands.

Write

Encourage scribbles! Keep paper and crayons somewhere for your child to practice. Scribbling and drawing helps your child develop the fine motor skills they'll need to write letters in the future, in addition to teaching them that marks on pages have meaning.

Play

Have fun together! Playtime helps children learn important language and social skills!

Find a Book

Babies

Toddlers

Preschoolers

Search for books, movies, and more

using the Library's online catalog!

Download FREE ebooks, audiobooks, videos,

and more with your library card!

Bedtime Bundles

Make bedtime reading a habit! Check out a bundle of 7 picture books for some nightly bedtime reading for young children!

To take home a Bedtime Bundle:

Pick out a bundle in person when you visit the Children’s Room OR call the library in advance to check out a Bedtime Bundle using the Drive-Thru.

Have a special request? Contact the Library at moffat@rcls.org, and we’ll make a bundle just for you!

Get a Library Card

Did you know? All children living in the Washingtonville Central School District are eligible for a FREE library card at Moffat Library! Children with a parent/guardian can sign up for a library card at any age.

With your library card, you can check out picture books, chapter books, easy readers, graphic novels, audiobooks, movies, video games, tablets, and more!

To apply for a library card online, visit moffatlibrary.org/library-card-sign-up/ or call us at (845) 496-5483 x324 for more information!

Storytime Favorites

Use the tabs above to explore some of our favorite storytime activities!

Games:

Little Mouse, Little Mouse
There's Something in my Garden

Movement:

This is Big Big Big
Here is the Beehive
Open Shut Them

Songs:

Good Morning to You
We Clap and Say Hello
Drivin' in my Car
Teddy Bear, Teddy Bear
Goodbye Song

Bouncing Songs

Uncle John
Little Red Wagon
Little Green Frog
The Ponies are Walking
Giddy Up, Giddy Up
This is the way the Baby Rides

Shakers

Shake your Shaker
Shake it on your Shoe
Can you Shake Along with Me?
If you're Happy and you Know It (Shakers Edition)

Scarves

Wind
This the the Way we Wash our Face
We Wave our Scarves Together

Little Mouse

Supplies to Recreate at Home:

Scissors
Houses of different colors (made from felt, paper, cardboard, or whatever else you can find at home!)
One Little Mouse
Assorted animals or other neighbors (if you want to make it more interesting or involved - you could also leave your other houses empty and only look for Little Mouse)

Directions:

Draw or print houses with assorted colors, however many you want to use. Sometimes we use only four houses at storytime, sometimes we use up to seven.
Draw or print out one Little Mouse.
Optional: Draw or print out additional animals or other neighbors to hide under the houses that don't contain Little Mouse.

To Play:

Hide Little Mouse under one of the houses.
Check under all the houses with your child for the mouse using this rhyme:
- "Little Mouse, Little Mouse, are you in the [color] house?"
Why you find the mouse, you can also use this rhyme to check for any neighbors (if you decided to make extra characters):
- "Little Mouse, Little Mouse, who is in the [color] house?"
While playing, ask questions about the colors, the neighbors, whatever you can think of to get your child involved.
- "What color should we try next?"
- "There's a tail sticking out! Who do you think lives in this house?"
- "Do you know what a cat says?"
- "Do you know where a fish lives?"
- Relate familiar things in your life to the game like pets or favorite animals, etc.

There's Something in my Garden

Supplies to Recreate at Home:

Envelope
Scissors
Glue or tape
Green paper (color some if you don't have any)
Small animals that can fit in the envelope (drawn, printed, or whatever else you come up with!)

Directions:

Cut off the flap at the top of the envelope (the part you use to seal the envelope).
Trim your green paper to be as wide as your envelope and about two inches taller.
Glue your green paper to the front of the envelope. Be sure to leave about two inches of green paper taller than the envelope.
Cut the two inches above the envelope into strips to make the grass. You can also add more layers of paper if you want it to be shaggier, but just one works.
On the back of the envelope, you can use the blank space to write the rhyme for the game (it's not cheating, it's using your resources!)
Put your animals into the envelope to be "hiding" in the garden.

To Play:

There's something in my garden, (point to the garden)

Now what could it be?

There's something in my garden, (point to the garden)

That I cannot see! (Wag your finger or cover your eyes)

If you listen carefully, you will hear a sound... (hold your hand to your ear as if listening)

(Pull out an animal)

Wow! A [animal] is what I found!

This is Big Big Big

*Use your hands, arms, and head to demonstrate the opposites in this rhyme*

This is big big big

This is small small small

This is short short short

This is tall tall tall

This is fast fast fast

This is slow slow slow

This is yes yes yes

This is no no no

Here is the Beehive

Here is the beehive (with fist closed)

But where are the bees?

Hiding inside where nobody sees (shake fist)

Will they come out of their hive?

1, 2, 3, 4, 5…They’re alive! (reveal fingers counting up to five)

Buzz buzzz (finish with a tickle)

Open Shut Them

Open, shut them,

Give a little clap clap clap!

Open, shut them,

Put them in your lap lap lap!

Creep them, crawl them,

Right up to your chin chin chin!

Open up your little mouth...

But do not let them in!

Good Morning to You

Our usual opening song in Books and Babies & Toddler Time!

*While Waving*

Good morning to you,

We're all in our places,

With sunshiny faces,

Oh this is the way,

To start a new day!

We Clap and Say Hello!

Our usual opening song in Preschool Storytime!

To the tune of "The Farmer in the Dell"

*Act out the motions in this song while you sing it!*

We clap and say hello,

With our friends at storytime,

We clap and say hello!

(We wave and say hello; We stomp and say hello...)

Drivin' in my Car

To see this song performed by Raffi, click here! This is originally where Miss Emily got the song from to start using it in Preschool Storytime.

Lyrics:

Drivin’ in my car, drivin’ in my car,