Love Sensory & Toddler Storytime
Choose two of the following love-themed sensory storytime books and pair them with a few of these songs, crafts, and sensory play ideas for more engagement and fun in your next Toddler or Sensory Storytime.
Visit The Youth Desk’s Sensory Storytime page for a complete sensory storytime overview and more detailed guidance.
Love Sensory & Toddler Storytime Books
Love Movement Songs & Rhymes
Five Little Hearts Flannel Board
Place five hearts on a board, or hold up five fingers, and remove one when appropriate.
Five little hearts, all in a row
The first one said, “I love you so.”
The second one said, “Will you be my valentine?”
The third one said, “I will if you’ll be mine.”
The fourth one said, “I will always be your friend.”
The fifth one said, “We’ll be friends until the end!”
Friend of Mine
Sing to the tune “Mary Had a Little Lamb.”
Will you be a friend of mine, friend of mine, friend of mine?
Will you be a friend of mine and clap along with me?
…jump… hop on one foot…spin…dance…
(Credit: Verona Storytime)
If You Love Someone & You Know It
Sing to the tune “If You’re Happy & You Know It.”
If you love someone and you know it, clap your hands
If you love someone and you know it, clap your hands
If you love someone and you know it, and you really want to show it
If you love someone and you know it, clap your hands
…Blow a kiss…Shout, “Hooray!”…Jump up and down…make a heart [with your hands]…
The More We Get Together
The more we get together, together, together
The more we get together, the happier we’ll be
For your friends are my friends, and my friends are your friends
The more we get together, the happier we’ll be
The more we clap together…wave…jump…
Put Your Puppet on Your Heart
Sing to the tune “If You’re Happy & You Know It.” Pass out a hand puppet to each child, or any other prop you’d like, such as cardstock hearts or bean bags. For hand puppets, I’ve been pleased with this set of 12 animal puppets from Oriental Trading. I’ve frequently used them in Baby and Preschool Storytimes, too.
Put your puppet on your heart, on your heart
Put your puppet on your heart, on your heart
Put your puppet on your heart,
What a lovely way to start!
Put your puppet on your heart, on your heart
Knee…You’ll both be filled with glee
Toes…Now move it to your nose
Head…Put your puppet straight to bed
“Skinnamarink” by Sharon, Lois & Bram
Skinnamarink a dink a dink,
Skinnamarink a doo,
I love you.
Skinnamarink a dink a dink,
Skinnamarink a doo,
I love you.
I love you in the morning and in the afternoon.
I love you in the evening and underneath the moon.
Skinnamarink a dink a dink,
Skinnamarink a doo,
I love you!
“You Are My Sunshine” by Jimmie Davis and Charles Mitchell
Sing the song a capella or play this soothing version sung by Christina Perri. To make it more interactive, hold paper hearts or suns to sway to the beat.
You are my sunshine, my only sunshine
You make me happy when skies are gray
You’ll never know, dear, how much I love you
Please don’t take my sunshine away
The other night, dear, as I lay sleeping
I dreamed I held you in my arms
But when I awoke, dear, I was mistaken
And I hung my head and cried
Love & Hearts Sensory Play & Craft Activities
Ending storytime with free play provides children and their caregivers with an excellent opportunity to explore and socialize. Set out any puppets or flannel board pieces you used during storytime for attendees to enjoy, and offer one of these great love-themed play activities.
Hearts Sensory Bin
Fill a bin with red, pink, or white colored rice (colored rice recipe here!) or shredded paper. Add any heart-shaped items you’d like, such as cookie cutters, foam stickers, pom balls, squishies, or pipe cleaner hearts. Including measuring cups, scoops, or plastic tweezers is a nice touch as well.
I Love You to Pieces Craft
Draw a heart on white cardstock, or download and print the “I Love You to Pieces” printable from Fun Learning for Kids. Provide pieces of red tissue paper or construction paper and glue sticks for children to glue onto their hearts.
Valentine’s Pom Ball Sorting
If you’ve got toilet paper tubes and poms in your craft closet, you’re all set for this sorting activity that supports fine motor development and hand-eye coordination. You can also get fancy by offering tongs and wrapping the tubes in colors to match your poms. More info and tips about this activity can be found on the blog iHeartCraftyThings.
