OCTOBER Book Babies + Toddler Time: Opposites

by | Oct 4, 2023 | Blog, Book Babies, Kid's Corner, Toddler Time | 0 comments

Children love learning about the world around them, and using concept words with compare/contrast are a great way to help them see things differently. So, try talking about movement, textures, feelings, etc. with its conceptual opposite such as, “Look at the car speeding by! It’s fast! And we are walking slow, so we can be careful. Fast and slow! Oh, there’s so much we can know!”

Book Babies: Wednesday @ 9:30am in Community Room

Ages 0 – 10 months

Toddler Time: Monday & Tuesday @ 9:30am in Community Room

Ages 11 – 23 months

 

Welcome Songs

Here We Are Together

Here we are together, together, together! Oh, here we are together in our library. There’s (sing names)… Here we are together in our library!

Hello Everybody

Hello everybody let’s clap our hands*, clap our hands, clap our hands. Hello everybody let’s clap our hands today! *pat our head, stretch up high, wiggle our fingers, tickle our knees, kick our feet, bounce up high!

S, T, R, W, P

(Sing while pointing to each finger on your child’s hand.) Sing, talk, read, write, play! Sing, talk, read write, play! Sing, talk, read, write, play! Sing, talk, read, write, play each day!

Sing, Talk, Read, Write, Play

TIP

Using concept words with your children helps to expand their vocabulary. Children need a large vocabulary to be able to learn to read and, just as important, to understand what they read. We want them to learn not only ice is cold and fire is hot, but also that hot and cold are opposites. Concept words show relationships between things.

Activity

Sing, “The Grand Old Duke of York.” You can do it as a knee bounce lifting baby up for “up” and sliding baby down on your legs for “down. Or you can read a book together that introduces concepts such as size, opposites, etc.

Books Presented

Cover of Opposites by Robert Crowther.

Opposites by Robert Crowther

Happy or sad? Old or new? Empty or full? Pull a tab, and a bright green crocodile’s jaws go from shut to open, revealing a huge pink mouth lined with sharp white teeth. See that pretty little hummingbird? Flip a flap and a big long-necked ostrich takes its place. Now turn a wheel, and you’re in for a carnival ride, circling up and down. From noted novelty-book artist Robert Crowther comes a hands-on book that makes the concept of opposites crystal clear to even the youngest readers.

Cover of Where is Green Sheep by Mem Fox.

Where is the Green Sheep? by Mem Fox

A story about many different sheep, and one that seems to be missing.
Opposites by Sandra Boynton

Opposites by Sandra Boynton

Takes a child through pairs of opposite words.

Up, Up, Up, Down by Kimberly Gee.

Up, Up, Up, Down by Kimberly Gee

Illustrations and easy-to-read text follow a baby and father through a day filled with ups and downs, ons and offs, and plenty of fun.

Olivia's Opposites by Ian Falconer.

Olivia's Opposites by Ian Falconer

Olivia the piglet introduces the concept of opposites by demonstrating word pairs.

Quiet, Loud by Leslie Petricelli.

Quiet, Loud by Leslie Petricelli

Some things are quiet. Some things are loud. But everything is fun!

Big Fish, Little Fish by Jonathan Litton.

Big Fish, Little Fish by Jonathan Litton

Different species of fish introduce opposites to readers.

What's Up, Duck? A Book of Opposites by Tad Hills.

What's Up, Duck? A Book of Opposites by Tad Hills

 
In this ALA-ALSC Notable Children’s Book, Duck carries an oh so heavy Goose, while Thistle easily balances a light-as-a-feather feather. Thistle is one fast bird, but Duck is slooo-w. And when Duck is sound asleep, Goose is wide awake. With a simple text and colorful illustrations–plus the inimitable characters, of course–here’s a wonderful, and humorous, introduction to an important concept.

Songs, Rhymes, and Fingerplays

Bouncy, Bouncy Baby

Bouncy, bouncy baby. Bouncy, bouncy baby
Up and down, up and down.
Bouncy, bouncy baby.
Hippity hop little one. hippity hop little one
Back and forth, back and forth.
Hippity hop, little one.
Bippity bop, baby.  Bippity bop, baby
Jiggity, joggity, jiggity, joggity
Bouncy, bouncy…BOOM!

Credit: Pawling Free Library

Roly Poly

(Tune: “Are You Sleeping?”)
Roly poly, roly poly
Up, up, up,  up, up, up
Roly roly poly roly roly poly
down, down, down
down, down, down

Roly poly, roly poly
out, out, out, out, out, out
Roly roly poly, roly roly poly
in, in, in
in, in, in

Roly poly, roly poly
fast, fast, fast, fast, fast, fast
Roly roly poly, roly roly poly
slow, slow, slow
slow, slow, slow

Credit: Verona Storytime: Opposites Story Time – Baby

This is Big, Big, Big

This is big, big, big. (Move arms out to side)
This is small, small, small. (Move arms back to center)
This is short, short, short. (Hold hands with palms facing each other)
This is tall, tall, tall. (Reach one hand above head)
This is fast, fast, fast. (Circle fists quickly)
This is slow, slow, slow. (Circle fists slowly)
This is yes, yes, yes. (Nod)
This is no, no, no. (Shake head)

Credit: Storytime Katie

The Grand Old Duke of York

The Grand Old Duke of York 
He had ten thousand men
He marched them up to the top of the hill 
And he marched them down again. 
And when they’re up, they’re up. 
And when they’re down, they’re down.
And when they’re only halfway up 
They’re neither up nor down.

Credit: All Nursery Rhymes

 

Two Little Blackbirds

Two little blackbirds 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 flying in the sky.
One named Low and one named High…

Two little blackbirds sitting on a pole.
One named Fast and one named Slow…

Two little blackbirds sitting on a gate…
One named Early and one named Late…

Credit: Jbrary

Spots

(tune: 99 bottles)
Spots, spots, spots, spots, spots, spots, spots, spots
A leopard has lots of spots
What a lot of spots he got
A tiger’s stripes are always nice
But a leopard has lots of spots
Spots, spots, spots, spots, spots, spots, spots, spots

Credit: Jbrary

Baby Sign Language

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