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Bookbug Session Plan: Summer!
.jpg "Child inspecting a tree with a magnifying glass, with a smile on her face")
Spending time outdoors is great for mental health and well-being and provides us with great opportunities to investigate, explore and discover. We have created an outdoor, summer-themed Bookbug session to help inspire you to find different ways and places to share your favourite songs and rhymes.
Introduction song
Benefits
Familiar start – lets everyone know a Bookbug session has started.
Tips
Smile and use names if you know them. Clap or tap along to the beat and use signs if you know them.
Finger rhyme
Benefits
This rhyme is great for fine motor skills and beginning to move fingers independently. It also helps children understand object permanence (knowing that objects continue to exist even if they can no longer be seen).
Tips
Children love repetition, so offer variations to this rhyme by doing it slower, faster, louder or quieter. Look for birds and other animals while out on your walk and recycle the rhyme, e.g. 'two little caterpillars sitting on a leaf, one named Mary, one named Keith. Crawl away Mary, crawl away Keith. Come back Mary, come back Keith.'
Famliar song
Benefits
Songs with actions help link the words with their meanings. This song is great for fine motor skills and developing the pincer grip.
Tips
When sharing this song with babies, sit face-to-face and tickle as the spider moves around in the song. Encourage toddlers to use their thumb and index finger to demonstrate the spider climbing.
Action songs
Benefits
This song is great for conceptual language, helping the children understand up and down. For babies it encourages face-to-face interaction and offers the opportunity for them to feel beat and rhythm.
Tips
Use this song while you’re out and about. It encourages the children to march and walk and adds fun to your journey. For babies, sit them facing towards you and gently bounce them as you sing.
Benefits
This song is lots of fun for families to share as they swing their child. It's also a good way for soothing your child as you gently sway them from side to side.
Tips
A great song to share when at the park, on the swings or when near water. A popular song to use with lycra. This song can be used to support routines – try singing it at bath time or as a calming song for naptime or bedtime.
Story
We're Going on a Bear Hunt by Michael Rosen and Helen Oxenbury
Benefits
The rhythmic, repetitive format of this book is brilliant for supporting early language development and encouraging the children to join in with the repeated phrases and lines, or with the wonderful sounds that the characters encounter on their adventure.
Tips
Use this book for inspiration to go on your own adventure. Listen out for the different sounds of nature and go out in search of different creatures – or even a bear!
Calming rhyme
Benefits
This rhyme is great for positive touch, interaction and building anticipation and excitement.
Tips
Repeat this rhyme several times, swap hands and use other parts of the body too, e.g. feet, tummies and backs. This rhyme opens up opportunities for turn-taking with older children, e.g. taking turns in tickling each other.
Familiar song
Benefits
This song is a great way to introduce and explore colours.
Tips
Encourage children to point out things around them that match the colours in the song. Click the song link above to see how you can use Makaton to support the sharing of this song, too.
Final song
Benefits
Tells everyone the session is coming to an end.
Tips
Wave, smile and use names if you know them. If you know Makaton you can support this song with signs.
Please read our guide on permission to read books aloud online.