If You Want to Hear a Story
If you want to hear a story, (Begin snapping your fingers to the beat.)
This is what you do
You’ve got to sit down on the floor
And I'll tell one to you.
You’ve got to listen to your teacher.
Raise your hand.
You’ve got to let her know
That you understand.
That’s right! (Snap and then point to children who are sitting quietly.)
That’s right!
That’s right!
That’s right!
Here’s another trick I would use to prompt children for story time. They loved “turn the page, turn the page.”
Open Your Book
Take out your book. (Both palms together.)
Open it up. (Open up palms.)
I have a story to read you-
Turn the page, turn the page. (Pretend to turn a page in the book.)
I know you’ll like it, I do-
Turn the page, turn the page. (Pretend to turn the page.)
We’ll fly to storybook land-
Turn the page, turn the page. (Pretend to turn the page.)
I’ll share the magic with you.
Close up your book and put it away. (Pretend to close the book and
put your hands in your lap.
Everybody Do This
(Tune: “Shortnin’ Bread”)
Everybody do this, do this, do this. (Clap or snap to the beat.)
Everybody do this just like me.
Touch your shoulders, touch your shoulders, (Touch shoulders.)
Touch your shoulders just like me.
Tap your fingers…
Nod your head… (Continue calling other movements for children to imitate until everyone settles down.)
Put your hands in your lap. (Lower your voice as you model putting
You’re ready for a story just like me. your hands in your lap.)
THE RAIN HAT STORY
Once there was a very creative and resourceful teacher. There was a huge thunderstorm one night and when she got to school the next morning the whole classroom was flooded. The only thing left were newspapers on the top shelf. So, the teacher gave each child a newspaper and they looked for words they could read and talked about the pictures. After a while she realized the children needed some exercise, so they turned the newspapers into rain hats so they could go outside.
(Fold the paper in half. Open. Fold one top corner to the middle crease. Fold the other top corner to the middle crease. Fold up the top bottom edge. Turn over and fold up the other bottom edge.)
The children had fun wearing their rain hats, but then they heard a “RRRRRR” sound coming down the road. It was a fire truck, and the teacher showed the children how to turn their rain hats into fire helmets.
(Put your thumbs in the corner of the hat and bring them together. Flatten. Fold up one bottom point.)
The children even used their fire helmets like scoops to help put out the fire.
All the water reminded the teacher of boats and pirates, so they turned their fire helmets into pirate hats.
(Bring the other bottom point up to the top.)
Now, all pirates need boats, so they turned their pirate hats into boats.
(Grab the top two points and gently pull out to make your boat.)
They went floating down the stream and ran into a rock and the front of their boat came off.
(Tear a little off the front of the boat.)
They went floating down the stream and they ran into a tree and the back of their boat came off.
(Tear off a little from the back of the boat.)
They went floating down the stream and they went under a bridge and the top of their boat came off.
(Bring the other bottom point up to the top.)
Now, all pirates need boats, so they turned their pirate hats into boats.
(Grab the top two points and gently pull out to make your boat.)
They went floating down the stream and ran into a rock and the front of their boat came off.
(Tear a little off the front of the boat.)
They went floating down the stream and they ran into a tree and the back of their boat came off.
(Tear off a little from the back of the boat.)
They went floating down the stream and they went under a bridge and the top of their boat came off.
(Tear a little off the top.)
Anybody else would have been a nervous wreck, but that teacher knew the children all had life preservers, so they put them on and swam safely back to school.
(Open and hold up as shown.)
And when they got back to school they drew pictures and wrote stories about all of their adventures!
P.S. I demonstrate this story in a video I did several years ago.