Storytime: Purple

Age: 2-5 years
Time: 30 minutes + play and craft

Continuing our one-week-of-a-color-each-month theme, we're on purple for February (I considered doing pink for Valentines Day but thought purple would be a bit more interesting for the boys!).


1) I use the same opening and closing songs each week. Click here to see what I do.

2) Harold and the Purple Crayon - Crockett Johnson

No purple storytime would be complete without this book. I chose to read it first since it's a little long for my group. Katie has an AMAZING flannel story for this book, but I didn't have the time (or much desire) to make it for myself. Instead I took Erin's idea and put up a piece of white paper and drew the moon at the beginning and the window at the end.

3) I Have a Crayon flannel

From Abby Librarian. 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. Luckily I had exactly 10 kids this week!

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

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, 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 I've ever seen. 
Here is my crayon, my crayon of green. 

4) Purple Heart, Purple Heart flannel

I used this for last year's storytime near Valentine's Day too. Instead of starting with red, we started with purple. I placed the hearts on the board as we went, since I didn't have enough for everyone to get one.

Purple heart, purple heart, what do you see? I see an orange heart looking at me!

Orange heart... etc... 

White heart, white heart, what do you see? I see a whole bunch of children looking at me!

Children, children, what do you see? We see a purple heart, an orange heart... looking at us! That's what we see!

5) Purple - Schuette and Purple Animals - Melissa Stewart

A couple of fun non-fiction books I came across. I shared Purple Animals in my Littles storytime too (0-2 years). These use real photographs of things in nature (and things like boomerangs and stuffed animals) that are purple. Both are super short.


6) Acting out purple things

Katie at Storytime Secrets had this idea for encouraging kids to pretend. I changed her pink things to more purple, and just read them from the list.

Eat a purple popsicle
Climb a purple mountain (just like Harold!)
Act like a purple monster
Color with a purple crayon (just like Harold again! :)
Spread purple jam on bread
Fly like a purple bird
Chew purple bubble gum
Sip purple grape juice
Smell purple flowers

7) Song Cube
Our song cube rolls today were If You're Happy and You Know It and I'm a Little Teapot.

8) Purple Little Bird - Greg Foley

I like this book more and more every time I read it. I used it in my houses storytime last year, and it could easily fit into a colors or rainbow or animals storytime too.


9) I use the same opening and closing songs each week. Click here to see what I do.

10) Playtime/Craft

I brought out the blocks and instruments again. For the table craft I pulled out pink and purple paper, stickers, scissors, and glue, and let the kids go to town making Valentines.

Other purple ideas:

Sally and the Purple Socks - Bechtold (I came so close to using this one but ran out of time)
Gladys Goes Out to Lunch - Anderson (the gorilla is purple)
Lunchtime for a Purple Snake - Ziefert (a little long)
Clarence Goes Out West and Meets a Purple Horse - Adams (a little long)
Chicken, Pig, Cow and the Purple Problem - Ohi
Storytime Katie's Purple Storytime



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