A storytime prop I use a lot, especially for Family Storytime, are play scarves. They are so light, compact, and fun, and they provide an easy break from reading, which helps kids refocus and usually brings any wandering toddlers back into the group.

So, I thought I would share some of my favorite scarf songs and book connections.

I’m always looking for more, so please share your favorites in the comments at the bottom.

Songs:

Popcorn Kernels

For my Family Storytimes, which are in the evenings and have a smaller turnout, I always hand out the play scarves after reading the third book. I usually do a song that relates to the theme, or at least to the book I just read, and then I always do Popcorn Kernels. The kids love to grab handfuls of scarves and throw them all up in the air. Here’s a video from JBrary.

To the tune of Are You Sleeping? (Frere Jacques)

Popcorn kernels, Popcorn kernels, (Wave scarves)
In the pot, In the pot. (bundle the scarf into your hand)
Shake ’em, shake ’em, shake ’em. (shake your hands)
Shake ’em, shake ’em, shake ’em.
‘Till they pop! ‘Till they pop! (throw the scarf in the air)

The Wishy-Washy Washer Woman

Another favorite of mine. I like it because it uses the scarf in a lot of different ways, and it’s fun to sing the “ooh! ah!” part.

Way down in the valley where nobody goes,
There’s a wishy washy washer woman washing her clothes.
She goes “Oooh! Ahhh! Oooh! Ahhh! Oooh! Ahhh!”
And that’s the way she washes her clothes.

Repeat with drying her clothes (we blow on the scarves), folding her clothes, and wearing her clothes.

Two Little Blackbirds

This is a classic fingerplay (usually you pretend your thumbs are the birds and put them behind your back). I love to sing it with scarves though (I give each child two scarves). It pairs well with lots of different themes: you can substitute different colors of bird, or different types of bird (“two little owls sitting on a hill”). It’s also a great way to demonstrate opposites. But mostly, it’s just a lot of fun. The kids always giggle on the loud verse. Click on the triangle for the tune.

Two little blackbirds sitting on a hill, (Hold up both scarves)
One named Jack, and the other named Jill.
Fly away, Jack! (Put one scarf behind your back)
Fly away, Jill! (Put the other scarf behind your back)
Come back, Jack! (Bring the first scarf out in front).
Come back, Jill! (Bring the second scarf out in the front).

Two little blackbirds sitting on a cloud,
One was quiet, and the other was loud (I make my voice as loud and obnoxious as possible each time I sing the word “Loud!”)
Fly away, Quiet!
Fly away, Loud!
Come back, Quiet!
Come back, Loud!

Two little blackbirds sitting in the snow.
One flew fast!
And the other flew slow!…

Two little blackbirds sitting on a gate.
One was early, and the other was…late!…

You Sing a Song by Ella Jenkins

This is an old song by Ella Jenkins that we used to use regularly in Musical Storytime. I adapted the words to include things to do with the scarves (waving them, throwing them, etc.). You can also add in other actions like “You clap your hands,” or “You stomp your feet,” etc.

[C] You’ll sing a song, and [Am] I’ll sing a song,
And [C] we’ll sing a [Dm] song toge-[G]ther.
[C] You’ll sing a song, and [Am] I’ll sing a song,
In [G] warm or [C] wintry [G] wea-[C]ther.

You’ll wave a scarf, and I’ll wave a scarf, and we’ll wave our scarves together…

You’ll peek-a-boo, and I’ll peek-a-boo… (put the scarf over your face, then pull it away)

You’ll throw a scarf, and I’ll throw a scarf…

We Are Spooky Ghosts

I made this video during lockdown, when I was doing Zoom storytimes and asking kids to use props from home (that’s why I have a cloth napkin instead of a scarf). It’s a song I learned originally as We Are Scary Skeletons (at Halloween, it’s fun to ask the kids for different things they would like to be: witches, monsters, zombies, etc.), but I love to use play scarves and have the kids pretend to be ghosts. They love the “BOO!” at the end.

We are spooky ghosts (put scarf on your head)
Floating down the street,
Floating down the street,
Floating down the street.
We are spooky ghosts
Floating down the street.
We’ll scare you!
BOO! (pull scarf off quickly)

Rain Is Falling Down

This one is a lot of fun too, and pairs well with stories about weather. I use the same tune as the one in the JBrary video below, although they don’t use scarves in the video.

Rain is falling down. SPLASH! (toss the scarf in the air, and then grab it and pull it down quickly towards the ground)
Rain is falling down. SPLASH!
Pitter patter, Pitter patter, (wave the scarf up and down)
Rain is falling down. SPLASH!

Snow is falling down. SHHH! (wave the scarves in figure 8’s in the air getting lower each time)
Snow is falling down. SHHH!
Swirling, twirling, swirling, twirling,
Snow is falling down. SHHH!

Icky Sticky Bubblegum

Another fun one to do with scarves. I have the kids stretch the scarves between their hands like they are stretching bubblegum, and then we “stick” them to different body parts (I ask the kids for suggestions). I usually end with the bubblegum “all over my face.”

Icky, sticky, sticky bubble gum, (stretch the scarf between your hands)
Bubble gum, Bubble gum,
Icky, sticky, sticky bubble gum,
Sticking my hands to my knee… (touch one end of the scarf to your knee)
1,2,3, UNSTUCK! (throw the scarf in the air)

Other Songs and Activities:

There are lots of ways to adapt favorite songs and rhymes to work with scarves. Here are a few ideas:

• You can pretend the scarf is a spider climbing up the waterspout for The Itsy Bitsy Spider, or a mouse climbing up the clock (your arm) for Hickory Dickory Dock
• You can throw the scarf in the air for any rhymes or songs that talk about falling, like London Bridge is Falling Down.
• You can spin the scarf in the air for The Wheels on the Bus Go Round and Round, and then wave it up and down for “The windows on the bus go up and down.”
• You can wave the scarf up and down for songs like The Noble Duke of York
• Sometimes it’s fun just to have a “snowfall fight” with the scarves, bundling them up and throwing them at each other. The kids especially love throwing them at me, and at their caregivers.

Using Scarves with Books

Another fun thing to do with scarves is to use them with certain picture books, usually ones involving waving or throwing or painting. Some of my favorites are:

Go Away, Big Green Monster by Ed Emberley. I like to give them kids scarves before I read the book. Each time I turn the page to make another part of the monster disappear, we all wave our scarves like magic wands and make a “whsh” sound

Food Fight Fiesta by Tracey Kyle and Ana Gomez. This is a fun picture book about La Tomatina, a Spanish festival where people throw tomatoes at each other. I usually hand out scarves before we read it, and we all throw them in the air whenever the book talks about throwing the tomatoes

The Snowy Day by Ezra Jack Keats. There are a number of fun ways to use scarves with this story, like putting the scarf on your head when the snow plops on Peter’s head, throwing them in the air on the page with the snowball fight, and bundling them up when Peter puts the snowball in his pocket.

I Ain’t Gonna Paint No More by Karen Beaumont and David Catrow. This one works especially well with scarves, because you can have the kids pretend the scarves are paintbrushes and use them to “paint” the different body parts along with the book.

Other Scarf Tips:

Fortunately, my Family Storytime group is usually small enough that all of the kids can have the scarf color that they want, but I used to bring the scarves to preschool visits where the “I want pink!” “I want blue!” demands could sometimes end in tears. For those situations, I usually have the kids close their eyes tight and then I drop a scarf in their laps, telling them that the color they get is a surprise!

Washing scarves is always a bit of pain. But if you have volunteers, a good task for them is to hand wash the scarves gently in warm water and baby shampoo or a little dish soap. Then rinse in cold water and hang them up to dry. Just don’t use hot water or the dyes will run (I have a set of scarves that is now a blend of very interesting colors!)

Do you have any favorite songs or rhymes to use with scarves? Any other tips? I’m always looking for new ideas, so please share them in the comments below.