Pre-School Storytime: Cats & Kittens

Cats & Kittens (Ages 3-6) 

This storytime incorporates current and classic stories, nursery rhymes, 

sign language, letter, number, and color identification, 

music and movement (including yoga)  and a bilingual story.

(Note, this is a long program, may need to pick and choose or if in a child-care setting, 

use the elements over the course of a week.)

Sign Language Song: “Hear the Little Doggie” – song from Pick Me Up, Fun Songs for Learning Signs

Flannel: Hey Diddle Diddle (classic nursery rhyme)

Book (4’s &5’s): It’s a Secret by John Burningham (wonderful fantasy that answers why your cat might sleep all day!)

Book (3’s & 4’s) Kitten Tale by Eric Rohmann (if not used for winter storytime) or Kitten’s First Full Moon by Kevin Henkes (if not used for moon storytime) (booktalked this to the older groups)

Flannel Song: “I Know a Cat” (K-I-T-T-Y)– letter identification, listening skills, rhythm practice

 (tune:  "B-I-N-G-O")
I know a cat with perky ears
And Kitty is her name-o.
K-I-T-T-Y, K-I-T-T-Y, K-I-T-T-Y,
And Kitty is her name-o.

(Repeat, dropping one letter from K-I-T-T-Y and replacing that letter with a clap with each verse.  Ultimately, five claps will replace the five letters.)

Action Song: Paws, Whiskers, Ears and Tails  (tune:  "Head Shoulders Knees and Toes")

Paws,                      (curl hands in front)   Whiskers,     (make whiskers on sides of face, = sign language for cat)

Ears                        (touch ears)          and Tails,              (touch tail)

Ears                        (touch ears)          and Tails,              (touch tail)

We’ll lick our fur (pretend to lick) and nap right here (hands together by side of head to pretend to sleep)

Paws, whiskers, ears and tails, ears and tails.                 (repeat actions as before)

Book: How to Be a Cat – Nikki McClure (beautiful woodcuts, simple text  -- kids can read out letters – and  read some words, acted out the actions -- unusual words àvocabulary development)

Book: Three Little Kittens (both Jerry Pinkney & Paul Galdone versions are lovely)  (classic nursery rhyme, vocabulary “soiled”)

Glove puppets/numeral cards: Five Little Kittens (subtraction, numeral identification, numeral orientation with older groups – I put numeral card sideways or upside and kids love to fix it!) 

Five Little Kittens (source unknown)

Five little kittens sleeping on a chair.

One rolled off -- Leaving four there.

Four little kittens -- One climbed a tree

To look in a bird's nest -- Then there were three.

Three little kittens wondered what to do.

One saw a mouse -- Then there were two.

Two little kittens  playing near a wall.

One little kitten left -- To chase a red ball.

One little kitten With fur soft as silk.

Left all alone -- To drink a dish of milk.

Book: (4’s & 5’s): Tiger in My Soup by Kashmira Sheth (great book emphasizing reading & imagination)

Action Book  (Yoga poses): You Are a Lion & Other Fun Yoga Poses by Taeeun Yoo (Alternative: Pretend You’re a Cat by Jean Marzollo

Bilingual Book : Miaow! by Alankrita Jain (read English text, asked if we had anyone who read Tamil (didn’t) but gave me a chance to promote our World Language Collection)

Singable Book: Pete the Cat: I Love My White Shoes by Eric Litwin

Beautiful books but no time: The Cinder-Eyed Cats by Eric Rohmann, Rumble Tum by Stephanie Peters

Video/DVD: Splat the Cat (Weston Woods)  (Alts: Hondo & Fabian, Three Legged-Cat, Cat and Canary, or Here Comes the Cat.  Didn’t use: Millions of Cats – music too loud, overpowers narration)

3/2014