Well, it’s been ages since I’ve posted anything, but I wanted to share a song I learned a few months ago that’s been a big hit at all of my storytimes, from babies to preschoolers. It’s called We Bounce and We Bounce and We Stop. The kids love to jump up and down, and they giggle every time we stop.

The lyrics are really simple and adaptable, and it’s super easy to do with ukulele although if you’re going to bounce up and down while you do it, you will definitely want to invest in a ukulele strap (I have a Uku’Lei Sling that has been a lifesaver!). I slap the strings on the word stop to make it more dramatic.

Here are the lyrics and chords (click on the triangle to hear a recording):

C

We bounce and we bounce and we stop!

C

We bounce and we bounce and we stop!

C

We bounce and we bounce and we bounce and we bounce,

C                                          G7                       C

And we bounce and we bounce and we stop!

I usually repeat this at least twice, and then sing it again with different motions: We clap and we clap and we stop; we wiggle and we wiggle and we stop, etc. With babies I’ve used motions for parents (we tickle and we tickle and we stop; or we lean and we lean and we stop). With older kids I add stomping and turning, or ask them for other motions or even sounds they’d like to do. It’s a great way to give the kids a chance to move around, and re-engage any wandering toddlers. And it can be as long or as short as you like.

I learned the lyrics from a collection of nursery rhymes and songs on a set of signs at the Burlingame Library, and, not knowing how the song went, I used the tune to A Hunting We Will Go.  I’ve since found this other, slower version that sounds more like Skip to My Lou on a YouTube video from Jbrary, which looks great for baby storytime: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RcKGbUk54ns

What are your go-to songs for storytime? Please leave them in the comments.