I Am Wriggly: Sensory Storytime Book of the Month

I Am Wriggly by Michael Rosen and illustrated by Robert Starling is the perfect choice for exploring the themes of bunnies, movement, and springtime with toddlers, preschoolers, and children of all abilities. Children love the “higgledy-piggledy” rhymes, familiar featured objects, such as a teddy bear, spoons, and balloons, and the large illustrations. As the book jacket states, all ages relate to the “can’t-sit-still spirit of children with energy to burn.” Below, you’ll find ways to make the reading experience more adaptive and extend it with song and sensory play activities. Work one or more of these elements into your next Sensory Storytime for more engagement and fun!

As the author Michael Rosen states in the book, “Feel free to sing, chant, or dance the words of the book with the child you are sharing it with. If you can think of new rhymes, new ways to play with the words, do it! The most important thing is that you have fun.” I couldn’t say it better.

Flannel Bunnies to Hold & Hop

My favorite way to make this book even more interactive is to distribute a cardstock or flannel bunnies to each child to hold during the read-aloud. Encourage them to wriggle, wave, and move their bunnies to the beat as you read. Ellison Die Cut machines are perfect for making paper or flannel bunny cutouts if you don’t want to cut them out by hand.

The Shake and Stop Song

Just like the wriggly bunny stops at the end of the book, give kids the opportunity to practice stopping with this great song:

We shake and shake and STOP
We shake and shake and STOP
We shake and shake and shake and shake
And shake and shake and STOP!

We wriggle…jump…stomp…sit…

Five Baby Bunnies Flannel Board Song

Check out Raffi’s version of the traditional song “Five Little Ducks” for inspiration and the tune. Place five bunnies on a flannel or magnet board and take one away each time the bunnies come back. If you have a bunny puppet, use it as “Mama Bunny” and hop it along to the tune:

Five baby bunnies, one fine day
Hopped to the carrot patch, far away
Mama bunny went, “Thump! Thump! Thump! Thump!”
But only four came back to the stump

… 4, 3, 2, 1, 0
Sad Mama Bunny, spent all day
Looking for her bunnies who went far away
Mama Bunny went, “Thump! Thump! Thump! Thump!”
And all the babies came back to the stump!

Bunny Sensory Play Activities

Ending Sensory Storytime with free play provides children and their caregivers an excellent opportunity to explore and socialize. Here are great play activities to enjoy with I Am Wriggly:

Bunny Puppet

Do you have a bunny puppet or two in your storytime closet? Set it out for imaginative play. If you did the Five Little Bunnies Flannel Board Song, set the flannel bunnies out for children to enjoy. As for puppets, Folkmanis Puppets have been a favorite of mine for their quality and durability, but they can be expensive. Amazon often has better deals vs. purchasing directly from Folkmanis.

Green Grass & Bunny Tails Sensory Bin

Fill a bin with shredded green paper, pom balls, and any other spring-themed items of your choice. That’s it! Encourage kiddos to stream the green paper grass through their fingers and dig for the poms balls. Talk about how each of the items feels. See the blog Run Like Kale for more tips on how it went with her little one.

More Sensory Storytime Books About Bunnies

I Am Wriggly pairs beautifully with these other storytime books:

Visit The Youth Desk’s Sensory Storytime page for more information about Sensory Storytimes, including a complete outline, additional books, songs, crafts, and play ideas.