Last week, we hosted a lively program at the library designed to get the wiggles out and the giggles in for children aged 3-7! The highlight? A fantastic rendition of a “Sillies Out Song” that had everyone moving and grooving. This program was not only a blast but also a perfect opportunity to introduce our brand new storytime aids, thanks to a Target Early Literacy grant. The kids were absolutely thrilled to be the first to experience these new items, adding an extra layer of excitement to our “shake your sillies out” fun!
We kicked things off with storytime, selecting books that would naturally lead into movement and music. First up was “Dancing Feet” by Lindsay Craig and illustrated by Marc Brown.
Kids actively participate in story time, tapping their feet to the rhythm of "Dancing Feet" book.
This engaging book, “Dancing Feet,” is a wonderful animal guessing story that encourages children to tap and stomp their feet along with the rhythm. Its captivating rhythm and the interactive guessing element make it a surefire hit for storytime, and it certainly captivated our young audience. We’ll definitely be using “Dancing Feet” in future storytime sessions!
Next, we dove into the humorous world of “I Know a Shy Fellow Who Swallowed a Cello” by Barbara S. Garriel.
Children react with amusement during story time, listening attentively to "I Know a Shy Fellow Who Swallowed a Cello" book.
Playing on the familiar tune of “I Know an Old Woman Who Swallowed a Fly,” “I Know a Shy Fellow Who Swallowed a Cello” quickly resonated with the children. They enthusiastically joined in, trying to predict and recite the story along with me. While some of the musical instrument names proved a bit tricky for them to pronounce, it sparked curiosity and could easily serve as an engaging introduction to different instruments in a music-themed class.
With storytime setting the stage for fun and movement, it was time to really shake things up! The next part of our program was all about getting active and using our bodies to release energy and have fun with a “sillies out song” theme. We transitioned into movement activities, starting with egg shakers for a lively Hokey Pokey.
Hokey Pokey with Egg Shakers
We distributed egg shakers to each child and launched into a shaker-enhanced version of the classic “Hokey Pokey”:
“Hokey Pokey” (with egg shakers)
You shake your egg up, you shake your egg down
You shake your egg up, and you shake it all around
You do the hokey pokey, and you turn yourself around
That’s what it’s all about!
(More verses can include: left/right, front/back, etc.)
Credit: Bay Views Storytime Ideas
The egg shakers added a tactile and auditory element to the Hokey Pokey, making it even more engaging for the kids. The simple actions combined with the rhythmic shaking created a fun and coordinated movement activity.
“Shake Your Sillies Out” Song with Shakers
Building on the energy, we then moved into the main event: “Shake Your Sillies Out”! Still using our egg shakers, we embraced this fantastic kids’ song:
“Shake Your Sillies Out” (with shakers)
Gotta shake, shake, shake my sillies out
Shake, shake, shake my sillies out
Shake, shake, shake my sillies out
And wiggle my waggles away
(More verses can include: clap my crazies out, jump my jiggles out, stretch my stretchies out, yawn my sleepies out)
Credit: Raffi
Confession time – I momentarily blanked on the proper tune! But in the spirit of fun and flexibility, I improvised a melody and kept the energy high. While I usually sing this to the tune of “Skip to My Lou,” knowing there’s a specific tune out there, my made-up version worked just fine and the kids were too busy shaking their sillies out to notice! The repetitive lyrics and actions of the “shake your sillies out song” are perfect for young children, encouraging participation and releasing pent-up energy.
Scarf Play with Music
Next, we swapped our egg shakers for vibrant activity scarves. Giving my voice a little rest from singing, I put on a CD featuring instrumental versions of “Let’s Go Fly a Kite” and “If You’re Happy and You Know It.” Our version of “Let’s Go Fly a Kite” specifically includes instructions for scarf movements, guiding the children to explore different ways to move their scarves to the music.
Parachute Games for Group Fun
Finally, we brought out the parachute! Ours is a smaller 20-foot parachute, which is just right for our library space. We started with a classic and energetic parachute game called “Bouncy Balls.” I tossed six soft balls onto the parachute and the kids worked together, shaking the parachute to make the balls bounce and eventually fall off.
Children actively participating in parachute games, shaking and laughing as balls bounce off.
“Bouncy Balls” is always a guaranteed crowd-pleaser! The shrieks of laughter and excitement as the balls bounced and flew off the parachute were infectious. They could have easily played this “sillies out song” inspired game all day!
To add a new dimension to our parachute play, we introduced a brand new game using the familiar baby bouncy rhyme, “The Noble Duke of York”:
“The Noble Duke of York”
The noble duke of York (shake parachute)
He had ten thousand men (shake parachute)
He marched them up to the top of the hill (parachute up)
And marched them down again (parachute down)
He marched them to the left (walk to the left)
He marched them to the left (walk to the left)
He marched them to the right (walk to the right)
He marched them to the right (walk to the right)
And then he marched them up (parachute up)
And then he marched them down again (parachute down)
Oh, what a silly sight! (shake again)
Credit: Preschool Education – Parachute Games
This parachute game was another resounding success! The combination of the rhyme, the coordinated movements, and the visual of the parachute going up and down created a truly engaging and fun experience. The kids loved it so much we played it three times in a row! As a fun and practical way to end the parachute activity, I went to the center and asked everyone to let go. This simple action turns tidying up the parachute into a game and makes bunching it together much easier than trying to get a group of preschoolers to neatly fold it.
To wrap up our “shake your sillies out song” program, we transitioned to a calmer activity: craft time. We made simple paper plate shakers, allowing the kids to create their own musical instruments to take home.
Paper Plate Shaker Craft
Our craft was straightforward: paper plate shakers. My teen volunteers were a huge help, pre-stapling the paper plates, leaving a small opening for filling them with beans. We set up a bean-filling station, which, predictably, resulted in quite a bit of bean spillage on the floor!
Children actively participating in parachute games, shaking and laughing as balls bounce off.
While the children were busy attaching colorful pre-cut streamers to their shakers with Glue Dots, I brought out the carpet sweeper to tackle the bean mess. To my surprise, every child was absolutely fascinated by the carpet sweeper and insisted on taking a turn cleaning up the beans! After everyone had a chance to use the sweeper, I even had to intentionally spill more beans so everyone could have another go.
It’s always amazing to see what captivates children. A mundane task that I find necessary but not particularly enjoyable became a source of wonder and excitement for them. This simple paper plate shaker craft was a perfect ending to our high-energy “shake your sillies out song” program, providing a creative and take-away element that extended the fun beyond the library walls.
Our “Shake Your Sillies Out” program was a resounding success, proving that combining stories, movement, music, and a “sillies out song” theme is a winning formula for engaging young children in library programs. The energy in the room was palpable, and the smiles and laughter were contagious. It’s a program we’ll definitely be repeating!
