“Opposites” Toddler Storytime

Opening Rhyme
(to the tune of The Farmer in the Dell)
We’re all here today. We’re all here today.
Let’s clap our hands and sing together.
Hip, hip, hooray!
Source: (To be honest, my library was using this before I started so I’m not sure where the previous librarian found it, but it looks like a modified version of Jean Warren’s Preschool Express song here.)

Open Shut Them
Open, shut them, open, shut them,
Give a little clap, clap, clap.
Open, shut them, open, shut them,
Put them in your lap, lap, lap.
Creep them, crawl them,
Creep them, crawl them,
Right up to your chin, chin, chin.
Open up your little mouth,
But do not put them in.
Source: King County Library System

Book – Show Me Happy by Kathryn Madeline Allen

The Grand Old Duke of York
Oh, the grand old Duke of York
He had ten thousand men
He marched them up
To the top of the hill and marched them down again
And when you’re up, you’re up
And when you’re down, you’re down
And when you’re only half way up
You’re neither up nor down
Source: Traditional

Two Little Black Birds
Two little black birds sitting on a hill
One named Jack and one named Jill
Fly away, Jack. Fly away, Jill.
Come back, Jack. Come back, Jill .
Two little blackbirds sitting in a car…Near and far
Two little blackbirds sitting on a cloud… Quiet and loud
Source: Traditional with variations from Jbrary

Roly Poly (Frere Jacques)
Roly poly, roly poly
Up, up, up. Up, up, up.
Roly roly poly. Roly roly poly.
Down, down, down. Down, down, down.
In/ out
Fast/ slow
Source: Jbrary

Book – Dinosaur Roar! by Paul and Henriettta Stickland

Dinosaur, Dinosaur,
Dinosaur, dinosaur, where can you be?
Hiding behind me, where no one can see
Now you see one,
She’s looking at you.
Here come the other
And now there are two
Source: King County Library System

This is Big
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
Source: Mel’s Desk and (shameless self-promotion) Storyblocks

Bubbles – best bubble machine ever! (IMHO, of course)

 Rainbows in my Bubbles
Tune of She’ll be Coming Round the Mountain)
I’ve got rainbows in my bubbles, yes, I do
I’ve got rainbows in my bubbles, yes, I do
When I look up towards the sun,
They’ve got rainbows every one.
I’ve got rainbows in my bubbles, yes, I do.
Source: Preschool Express

Good-bye Song
Wave with one hand, then with the other
Wave with one hand, then with the other
Wave with one hand, then with the other
Wave with both feet now
Repeat with other body parts
Source: King County Library System

Play Time!

Early literacy tip:  Play with puzzles. Play matching and sorting games; notice what is alike and different. Include foam, magnet, and block letters in play.
Source: Saroj Ghoting

Other books that will work with this theme:
Kitty and Cat: Opposites Attract by Mirka Hokkanen
I’m Not Small – Nina Crews
Catside Up and Catside Down by Anna Hrachovec

Yogibrarian is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.