Storytime: Colors

Age: 18-36 months (coloring page instead of craft), 3-5 years (with craft)

This school year in storytime I decided to use the alphabet to give me inspiration for themes. So this week, C is for Colors!


1) These Are My Glasses - Laurie Berkner
My current opening song that we sing acappella every week. I start by asking them to show me their glasses and their book so that they remember the signs. We sing it through twice, then I'll ask them to quietly put their "books" in their lap.

These are my glasses (make the letter o with each hand)
And this is my book (hands together)
I put on my glasses (put "glasses" over eyes)
And open up the book (open book hands)
Now I read read read (hold book up in front of face like reading)
And I look look look (put glasses over eyes and look around room)
I put down my glasses and… (lower glasses)
WHOOP! Close up the book. (clap as if closing a book quickly)


2) Mystery Box
This week I filled the box with colorful scarves.


3) The Crayon Box That Talked - Shane DeRolf

Probably my longest book of the day, I wanted to make sure we got through it without the kids getting antsy so we read it first. I think I've mentioned before that I'm a sucker for rhyming books... and this one definitely has that cute, lilting, rhyming rhythm. It has a great message at the end too.


4) Feltboard - I Have a Crayon
I handed out crayon-shaped felt pieces and recited this rhyme, asking the kids to come up and put their crayon on my board when I called their color. If you have lots of kids, you could instead place the felt crayons on the board yourself as you recite the rhyme. Let the kids guess the colors before putting the crayon on the board. They're good at figuring out which color is next based on the rhyme!

I have a crayon, I'll give it to you. 
Here is my crayon, my crayon of blue. 

I have a crayon, a lovely little fellow. 
Here is my crayon, my crayon of yellow. 

I have a crayon, I think it's just right. 
Here is my crayon, my crayon of white. 

I have a crayon, it's here on my head. 
Here is my crayon, my crayon of red. 

I have a crayon, I found it in town. 
Here is my crayon, my crayon of brown. 

I have a crayon, we can draw a circle. 
Here is my crayon, my crayon of purple. 

I have a crayon, what do I see? 
Here is my crayon, an orange one for me. 

I have a crayon right in my sack. 
Here is my crayon, my crayon of black. 

I have a crayon, it's just right I think. 
Here is my crayon, my crayon of pink. 

I have a crayon, the best ever seen. 
Here is my crayon, my crayon of green.

(from Abby Librarian)


5) Lemons are Not Red - Laura Seeger

The kids enjoyed telling me what the correct color of each item was. And I pointed out the light in the house on the last couple of pages and it was cute to see them light up when they understood it.


6) Songs – Shake Your Sillies Out & Hot Potato - the Wiggles
They were feeling a little wiggly by this point. I passed out colored scarves for them to dance with during these songs.


7) Dog's Colorful Day - Emma Dodd

I like to make the kids count with me whenever a book involves numbers. Pointing at each dot as we count helps teach the one-to-one correlation that takes kids lots of practice to learn. There are also lots of possibility for a flannel board to go with this story (check Pinterest or Google it), but I try to limit myself to one flannel story a week.


8) Clothing Colors rhyme
A simple little action rhyme to help kids learn to follow directions.

If your clothes have any red, put your finger on your head 
If your clothes have any blue, put your finger on your shoe
If your clothes have any green, wave your hand so that you're seen
If your clothes have any yellow, smile like a happy fellow
If your clothes have any brown, turn your smile into a frown
If your clothes have any black, put your hands behind your back
If your clothes have any white, stamp your feet with all your might
(from SurLaLune Storytime)


9) Brown Bear, Brown Bear - Bill Martin Jr.

No description needed. A classic book. My oldest daughter learned her colors thanks to this book, and at age 3 she now "reads" it to my one year old.


10) C is for Colors coloring page (18-36 mo.) or C is for Colors craft (3-5 yrs)
My younger kids coloring page was of the animals in Brown Bear, taken from Make Learning Fun -- I whited-out the numbers and words.

For the older kids craft, I took inspiration from Sadie's rainbow craft. I cut out a big letter C in the middle of black construction paper. Then I took colored paper and cut strips. The kids glued the strips (whichever colors they wanted) across the C, then we glued another solid piece of black paper over top. Flip it over, and you have a colorful letter C!

My 3-year-old daughter's version

Other color ideas:
Harold & the Purple Crayon - Crockett Johnson
Good Night Sweet Butterflies - Dawn Bentley
Blue Goose - Nancy Tafuri
Pirate Nap: A Book of Colors - Danna Smith - we had just used this one during our summer reading program
Pete the Cat: I Love My White Shoes - Eric Litwin - we had also just used this one over the summer
White Rabbit's Color Book - Alan Baker - I almost used this one. I even made the felt rabbits from Sunflower Storytime. But I couldn't find any good buckets, and I had a ton of other good book and flannel choices.

There are sooooooo many storytimes out there about colors. I was amazed...