Colors Baby Storytime
Let’s make soup with orange, white, and red, then chop, drop, bubble, yum! Every Color Soup by Jorey Hurley is the perfect picture book for introducing colors and cooking with infants and toddlers. Little ones love identifying the familiar vegetables and kitchen items vibrantly displayed across full-page spreads throughout the book. Pair it with one or more of these color-themed songs and playtime ideas for more engagement and fun in your next Baby Storytime.
More Color-Themed Baby Storytime Books
If Every Color Soup isn’t your cup of tea, try one of these great alternatives:
Colors Baby Storytime Movement Songs
Here are my favorite color-themed movement songs to get babies and caregivers learning, moving, and engaging.
Green Zucchini
Such a fun song for both caregivers and little ones! Plus, you can swap out green zucchini for whatever your group likes: red apples, yellow bananas, etc. See Jbrary for the tune and movement ideas.
Green zucchini, I like green zucchini
Green zucchini, that’s what I like best.
Do you like it on your head?
Yes I like it on my head.
On your head?
On my head.
Oooooohhhhhh
…On my shirt…On my socks…
Baa Baa Black Sheep
Print out illustrations of different colored sheep and hold each one up at the beginning of each verse.
Baa baa black sheep
Have you any wool?
Yes, sir, yes, sir
Three bags full
One for the master
One for the dame
One for the little boy
Who lives down the lane
Baa baa red sheep…blue…green
My Little Red Wagon
Tune by Raffi from the album “Singable Songs for the Very Young”
Bumping up and down in my little red wagon (Bounce baby)
Bumping up and down in my little red wagon
Bumping up and down in my little red wagon
Won’t you be my darling
Down the hill and around the corner…(Lean baby forward and gently swing around and upright)
One wheel’s off and the axle’s broken… (Tip babies to the side)
One Little Red Fish
This song works wonderfully with just the movements, or add red, blue, and yellow fish to a flannel board as you sing. See Jbrary for the tune and more movement ideas.
One little red fish swimming in the water (hold palms together and swim hands)
Swimming in the water, swimming in the water
One little red fish swimming in the water
Bubble, bubble, bubble, bubble, POP! (cup hands like holding a ball and make the ball/bubble bigger, bigger, bigger, clap!)
Two little blue fish…
Three little yellow fish…
Colorful Baby Playtime
Ending baby storytime with free play is an excellent way for babies and caregivers to socialize and observe others. You don’t need anything fancy. Simply setting out a set of blocks, musical instruments, or bean bags would do the trick, but here are some color-themed ideas to enhance your program even more!
Explore Colors with Paint
Confession time: I don’t like messes. If the project involves slime, glitter, or paint, I delegate it to one of the fantastic librarians on my team who can revel in it. That said, for most infants, sinking their hands into globs of paint is pure magic in the world of sensory experiences. So, embrace the chaos, buy lots of wet wipes, and just do it. You only need construction paper, washable paint, wet wipes, and little chubby baby hands.
If you need to tone things down a bit, do the rusty, trusty Zip Loc bag trick and place globs of paint into a baggie and seal it shut with duct tape. Add black or white cardstock paper for even more fun. Little ones can then mush the paint around mess-free. It keeps your hands clean, clothes clean, and your sanity intact.
Color Sorting Fruit and Vegetables
This Learning Resources Farmer’s Market Color Sorting Set, available from Amazon, is a favorite at my library and home! Little ones love holding, carrying, and identifying the fruits and vegetables. While kiddos under age two may not be able to sort them, it’s an excellent opportunity for caregivers to begin introducing colors and encouraging kiddos to identify them. We set the baskets out and let the kiddos take it from there.
Colorful Soft Blocks
These Stack & Build Soft Blocks from Lakeshore Learning are a baby storytime staple at my library. We put them out during playtime almost every week. Encourage caregivers to talk about the colors as little ones build. While they’re perfect for little hands and won’t hurt when thrown or dropped, teeth marks are hard to get out…and the babies will chew on them, that’s just a fact. We typically purchase a new set every two years and slowly weed out the gnawed ones. This Melissa & Doug Wooden Building Block Set will last longer if you prefer longevity over softness.
Visit The Youth Desk’s Baby Storytime page for a complete baby storytime overview and more detailed guidance.
