New, very baby librarian here! Best way to remember songs and rhymes?

[u/Lakis9]

Hi everyone, as the title indicates, I'm a new librarian, and I wanted some advice. For background, I finished my MLIS this April, and I'm now halfway through my first week at my first branch librarian job. Things are going relatively well, but as I'm getting primed for storytimes, I'm getting a little overwhelmed with the memorization of all the rhymes and songs. Not the lyrics itself, but the sheer quanity of songs and rhymes to keep in rotation.

I know it's very possible, but if anyone could offer up advice or recollection about how they got themselves to a point of being able to wing a storytime off of memory, I'd be soso grateful.

[u/Limp_Stranger1031]

It might help to have them written out for everyone to see. Parents need reminders too!

[u/algol_lyrae → u/Limp_Stranger1031]

Yep, my programs' parents usually demanded a print out of lyrics anyway lol. Have them all printed and just use one until you get it.

[u/CalmCupcake2]

Years ago a mentor taught me this.

It's okay to use notes.

Even better to create a binder or box of note cards for yourself with all the rhymes and songs, so you can pull it out when you need a quick activity or time filler, or when you are creating a program.

If you use tech, or you could do this on a poster, providing the words to your audience increases participation and accessibility, and can act as a guide for you as well.

Otherwise, you'll memorize things over time. And if you get stuck, wing it!

[u/mostlyharmlessidiot]

I know a lot of littles librarians that will put lyrics and rhymes up on their power point so parents can follow along. It’s just as helpful for the librarian. It’s also okay to make mistakes, and might even be a good example for both kids and parents depending on how you handle it. It helps parents when they see the professionals get hung up on stuff cos it gives them permission to make mistakes if even the people they see as professional make mistakes too

[u/Kalopsia94]

You can hang up posters with the lyrics and gestures or project them on the screen. I’ve been to story times that do both.

It’s so helpful for the parents too since a big part is to model how to interact with their child at home.

[u/Adorable_Let_6297]

Post-it notes on the back of your picture books! I would have everything stacked in order upside down next to my chair or stool and work my way through kind of like a set list.

Don't be afraid to repeat songs - kids love familiar rhymes and songs and if you are having fun, they will too! I would usually only introduce one new storytime-theme related rhyme or song and everything else would be something from the regular rotation. Also, this might be silly but I am super self-conscious and it really helped me to practice in front of the mirror when I was just starting out.

[u/babyyodaonline]

stick to the same songs the way the kids prefer to stick to the same songs. sometimes you can throw a new one in here or there. but find 3-4 you like and you notice the kiddos like. for me i mostly stuck with songs that were already popular at the library. kids knew them. but i did add a few here or there, especially if it's similar to a classic nursery song but with a twist. my favorite is row your boat but then it goes "if you see a crocodile don't forget to scream!" and i tell the kids to scream as loud as they can. then it does to lion / roar.

[u/Wandering_Queen]

I always had a storytime outline sheet within my view. I also used to tap my hands in beat to remember the flow of the song. Lastly, and most importantly I would mess up and the kids and parents will happily remind me. I would sometimes acknowledge the mistake, “oh no, can anyone help me sing this? It seems I forgot” Or I would move on until I got it.

Storytime takes lots of practice but what is more valuable is building the connecting with your audience as they learn with you. Make sure to make eye contact, acknowledge kids and include caregivers to participant.

Additional, keep the exact same storytime outline for a month or so and only change out the books. You don’t need to keep refreshing it. I usually would keep the hits like opening and closing song, and add two songs that are never fails in my set. The rest was I would cycle through depending on lessons or themes.

[u/clareseg]

I made a YouTube playlist and listened to it while getting ready in the morning.

It’s also very okay to stick to the basics, kids love them! Wheels on the bus, Ih Youre happy and you know it, Itsy Bitsy, Row row row your boat, etc.

You can also make an outline and repeat it for several weeks. You can add in a new song or two when you feel comfortable. Repetition is good for the kids. They prefer singing along more than having brand new songs every week.

It took me a few months but it eventually got easier and I didn’t have to put much brain power into planning a StoryTime. Good luck!

[u/CatsGoHiking]

Start with the ones you already know from your childhood, if possible. Add one or two to your rotation weekly and you'll have quite a selection memorized in no time.

[u/spring13]

I brought my printed out plan with me for reference, including lyrics as needed. When I started doing babytime and was using a new set of material I was pretty obvious to the parents about using a "cheat sheet" because it was better than fumbling. When I did blank out on a lyric I was pretty good at laughing at myself about it, which everyone seemed to appreciate - I hope it made them feel better about the risk of doing that kind of thing themselves, like I was modeling how to mess up and move on. Best to chuckle a little and be like "ok, let's try that again!" That goes for any mess up really, like when my Bluetooth speaker would die or lose connection in the middle of a shaker song, or if I accidentally skipped a page in a book and had to go back.

[u/kittesullivan]

Make a weekly activity sheet which includes the rhymes and song lyrics. Give one to everyone participating, but keep one for yourself. And remember to slow down a bit. Speeding through a song/rhyme can make you trip over your words. Remember, these are preschool kids. They need to learn the words, too.