Storytime: Birthdays

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

What's better than leading a birthday-themed storytime? Leading a birthday-themed storytime ON your birthday!!! :)


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

2) Five Little Monkeys Bake a Birthay Cake - Eileen Christelow

My own kids love this book (though we have the old edition, with the title Don't Wake Up Mama! 


3) Birthday Months

From Storytime Katie. I had the kids find out from their grown-ups which month their birthday was in, then we did this action rhyme. Some of them just acted out everything even when it wasn't their month. :)

If your birthday is in January, turn around
February, touch the ground
March, march along
April, sing a song
May, wiggle your nose
June, shake your toes
July, jump up high
August, reach the sky
September, tap your shoe
October, call out “Boo!”
November, tickle your ears
December, give three cheers!

4) A Birthday

Also from Storytime Katie.

Today is everyone's birthday
Let's make us a cake  
(form cake with hands)
Mix and stir, stir and mix  (stir)
Then into the oven to bake  
(push hands out)
Here's our cake so nice and round  
(make a circle)
We frost it green and white  
(spread frosting)
We put five candles on it  
(hold up hand)
To make a birthday bright!

5) Five Birthday Candles flannel

Yup you guessed it, from Storytime Katie again! :) (loved your plan this week Katie!) I had the kids hold up their fingers for how many candles, then blow one out, while I did the flannel candles on the board.

Five candles on a birthday cake
Five, and not one more
You may blow one candle out,
And that leaves four!

Four candles on a birthday cake
There for all to see
You may blow one candle out,
And that leaves three!

Three candles on a birthday cake
Standing straight and true
You may blow one candle out, 
And that leaves two!

Two candles on a birthday cake
Helping us have fun
You may blow one candle out,
And that leaves one!

One candle on a birthday cake
We know its task is done
You may blow one candle out, 
And that leaves none!

6) If You Give a Pig a Party - Laura Numeroff

Not a birthday book per se, but I sure think this pig wanted a birthday party full of balloons and her friends. Plus it led well into the next flannel.


7) Color Balloons flannel

I found this in my stash of flannels-made-before-my-time. The envelope only had the balloons and the rhyme below, so I rounded up the other pieces needed. I set the background on the flannel board and held the balloons, and as I read the rhyme I "let the balloons go" and they floated to their spot on the board.

I had a great big orange balloon,
Until I let it go.
Now where, oh where, I wonder, 
Did my balloon blow?

I had a great big blue balloon
The string I held so tight.
But when I opened up my hand,
My balloon flew out of sight.

I had a great big green balloon,
As pretty as could be.
But when I let go of its string,
It flew away from me.

I had a great big purple balloon
When I went out to play.
But when I wasn't watching, 
My balloon just flew away.

Orange balloon, orange balloon, where can you be?
Orange balloon, orange balloon,
Up in a... (I paused and let the kids finish the sentences) tree!

Blue balloon, blue balloon, where did you fly?
Blue balloon, blue balloon, up in the... sky!

Green balloon, green balloon, where can you be?
Green balloon, green balloon, under the... tree!

Purple balloon, purple balloon, where did you fly?
Purple balloon, purple balloon, way up... high!

8) Five Days Old - Laurie Berkner Band
We just acted this one out (sitting, jumping, etc.), and tried to hold up fingers as she said the numbers ("I'll be 2 then 3 then 4!", etc.). A fun movement song. I might have to add it to the Music & Movement list.


9) My Birthday Cake - Olivia George

A cute, simple, one-sentence-per-page book to finish today. The girl wants to make her own birthday cake, but it doesn't turn out how she expected.


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

11) Playtime/Craft

I brought out the blocks and instruments for play, and instead of a table craft I bought Birthday Cake Oreos for a snack. I had hoped to pick up these mini cupcakes that our local grocery store makes, but of course I thought of it last minute and they didn't have any made. Oh well. The kids loved the sprinkles in the Oreos, and we had leftovers for the break room. :)

Other birthday ideas:

The Birthday Box - Leslie Patricelli (I literally went back and forth on the spot of whether to end with My Birthday Cake or this one. I decided to go with the shorter one.)
Flower Garden - Eve Bunting
Mouse's Birthday - Jane Yolen
A Birthday for Cow - Jan Thomas
The Birthday Queen - Audrey & Don Wood
Froggy Bakes a Cake - Jonathan London
Happy Birthday, Moon - Frank Asch



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