Sensory Story Time: Colors All Around Us

Here's a sensory story time plan I created for a workshop I am presenting to Drag Artists for Expression NYC:

 

 1. Hello!
Talk about the colors we see around us, inside and outside around the city or at the park (animals, flowers, clothing we wear, etc.).


2. Welcome song: "The Story Time Ball"
tune: "Wheels on the Bus"
(Roll ball back and forth to each child)
The story time ball rolls back and forth,
back and forth, back and forth.
The story time ball rolls back and forth,
Let's see who it found. Hi ______!
Now roll it back to me.
(Keep rolling back and forth until each child has said their name.)

3. Yoga: Rainbow pose
While seated or kneeling on the floor, drop one hand down by side and arch your other arm over your head in a rainbow shape. Hold for a few breaths and you can say the colors of the rainbow when exhaling. Switch arms and repeat to other side.

4. Flannel rhyme: Traffic Light Rhyme 

Red says stop.
And green says go.
Yellow says WAIT!
You'd better go slow.

5. Story: Bear Sees Colors by Karma Wilson and Jane Chapman

Bear is strolling outside with his friend Mouse and sees all kinds of colorful things outside including animal friends, flowers, berries, and bear!

6.  Sensory song: "Bubbles"

tune: "Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star
(blow bubbles while singing and look at the colors in the bubbles)

Bubbles floating all around 

Bubbles fat and bubbles round (look at all those bubbles!)

Bubbles on my toes and nose

Blow a bubble, up it goes! (blow bubbles and look up!)

Bubbles floating all around

B..u..b..b..l..e..s f..a..l..l..i..n..g ... to....the....ground (follow bubbles as they slowly fall to the ground)

(source unknown)

7. Story: Make Your Own Rainbow: A Drag Queen's Guide to Color by Lil Miss Hot Mess

This is such a fantastic story with so many sensory experience possibilities you can share! Simple two-page spreads cover each color of the rainbow and more, with a queen sharing their favorite hue in clothing, accessories, foods, animals, and other things around us in nature.

Colorful sensory experience options include:

Red - ribbon, beads, flowers, sparkly shoe, sunglasses

Orange - pumpkin, orange, basketball, leaves, tiger puppet

Yellow - lemons, rubber duckies, flowers, sunglasses, tennis ball, beads

Green - feathers, lizard puppet, cucumber slices, gloves, plants

Blue - sparkly beads, wig, sea creature puppets, water, gloves

Indigo - beads, feathers, bird puppet, shoes

Purple - eggplant, grapes, flowers, feathers

8. Parachute/Stretchband: "Colors Hokey Pokey" 

(Form circle with everyone holding giant stretch band or parachute and have kids with colors called go in or out of circle)

You put the red in. You put the red out.

You put the red in, and you shake it all about (shaking stretch band).

You do the hokey pokey and you turn your self around (kids in circle turn around),

That's what it's all about.

(repeat with other colors)

9. Goodbye song and stretch: "Tickle the Clouds"

Tickle the clouds.

Tickle your toes.

Turn around and tickle your nose.

Reach down low.

Reach up high.

Story time's over.

Wave goodbye!

10. Colorful play outside:

• Blowing bubbles with squeeze blowers 
• Tactile color balance beam
• Color activity mats

Or colorful play inside:

• Light tables with colorful animal or building shapes
• Large colorful blocks
• Gluten-free play dough in different colors