If you are participating in the 2015 Collaborative Summer Library Program, Every Hero Has a Story, then this great-big-super-hero post is for you!  I’ve put together a list of books, songs, rhymes, recorded music, flannel stories, and movement activities all about superheroes.

Prop Stories

FLANNEL STORY: The Best Superhero Suit

This flannel story comes from Miss Sarah’s Storytime. Her story is about a boy named Ben who becomes a very unique superhero. He wears gorilla arms to be very strong, bat wings to soar through the air, and rabbit ears to hear cries for help!  Visit her site for the words to the story.

FLANNEL STORY: Ready for Action
by Shawn Wolf at Read, Rhyme and Sing

This little girl is a superhero,
But you would never know.
She needs a few accessories.
Let’s help her get ready to go.

What is missing? What should she wear?
She needs a cape! Let’s put it right there.

What is missing? What should she wear?
She needs a mask! Let’s put it right there.

What is missing? What should she wear?
She needs some gloves! Let’s put them right there.

What is missing? What should she wear?
She needs a badge! Let’s put it right there.

What is missing? What does she need?
She needs a vehicle made for speed!

*I used a few different items for my superhero girl than in Shawn’s original rhyme, just to make it work with my flannel-making-skills.  She suggests giving her a tool belt instead of gloves, which would look pretty cool!

Here’s a scan of the flannel pieces.  The girl is based off of this clipart that I purchased from Clementine Digitals.  There are two ‘Build Your Own Superhero’ sets available: Boy Set & Girl Set.  I found the car in the Collaborative Summer Library Program manual (pg. 185).

FOLDER STORY: Capes of Many Colors
This poem was written by Carissa Christner.  Visit happy stuff for the words and to see her flannelboard!  She even has a scan of her flannel pieces, if you want to make the flannelboard.

Melendra Sutliff Sanders adapted Carissa’s poem into a folder story.  She’s provided detailed instructions for creating the folder story on a guest post at Storytime Katie.  Here’s what Melendra’s looks like. Awesome, right?

Rhymes

ACTION RHYME: Five Brave Superheroes
By Sunflower Storytime

Five brave superheroes (hold up five fingers)
Ready to save the day. (hands on hips in ‘superhero stance’)
One flies off to chase a villain, (“fly” one finger behind back)
Up, up and away! (stretch arms up into the air, i.e. ‘flying pose’)

 Count down from 4, 3, 2…

One brave superhero
Ready to save the day.
She flies off to chase a villain
Up, up and away!
Hooray for superheroes! (clap hands, shout hooray!)

These cute superhero kids come from DailyArtHub.com.
Here’s a direct link to the clipart that is available for purchase.

FINGERPLAY: Two Little Superheroes
By Sunflower Storytime

Two little superheroes, (hold up 2 fingers)
Brave and true.

One wears yellow,
And the other wears blue.

Fly away yellow zip! (one hand behind back)
Fly away blue, zap! (other hand behind back)

Come back yellow. whoosh! (bring first hand out)
Come back blue. zoom! (bring other hand out)

Fingerpuppet design and template by hellobee.
See instructions for making the finger puppets here.

ACTION RHYME: Superhero, Superhero, Turn Around 

Superhero, superhero turn around
Superhero, superhero touch the ground

Superhero, superhero put on your suit
Superhero, Superhero put on your boots.

Superhero, Superhero, jump up high
Superhero, Superhero, fly, fly, fly

Superhero, Superhero, turn around.
Superhero, Superhero, please sit down.

Credit: Jbrary

Songs & Movement Activities

SONG: The Superhero
(Tune: Wheels on the Bus)

The Superhero’s arms flex and lift,
Flex and lift, flex and lift,
The superhero’s arms flex and lift, all around the town.

The Superhero’s eyes go zap, zap, zap…

The Superhero’s legs run very fast…

The Superhero jumps up super high…

The Superhero flies zoom zoom zoom…

The person in trouble yells help help help!….

The Superhero goes to save the day!….

Found on: The Mild-Mannered Librarian

MOVEMENT ACTIVITY: Superhero Action Cards

I really wanted to find some more women superheroes for my cards, but was having a difficult time coming up with ideas/actions/pictures.  Maybe you all can find some good, strong women superheroes to use for this.  Leave suggestions in the comments! I’ve included two different ideas for using the cards below.

Here’s what mine look like:

If you want to create your own, the font I used is badaboom from dafont.com.

I found the images by doing google image searches for: spiderman jumping – catwoman climbing – the flash running – aquaman swimming –  superman flying.

ACTION SONG: If You’re a Superhero and You Know It
(Tune: If you’re happy and you know it)

If you’re Superman and you know it, fly through the sky
If you’re Superman and you know it, fly through the sky
If you’re Superman and you know it, than your pose will surely show it
If you’re Superman and you know it, fly through the sky

If you’re Spiderman and you know it, jump up high…..

If you’re the Flash and you know it, run super-fast…..

If you’re Catwoman and you know, climb a building…..

If you’re Aquaman and you know it, swim through the ocean…..

ACTION GAME: Superhero Freeze Game

Directions: Put on some superhero music (like Superman March by Cincinnati Pops Orchestra.)

Hold up one of the superhero action cards and have children start moving around the room performing the action on the card (e.g. start swimming around the room like Aquaman.)

When you hold up a new card, children change their action. You can either announce the change, or with an older group, quietly hold up the card and see who sees it first!  As an additional element, make a card that says “FREEZE.”

Note: You might want to practice each action ahead of time and have the children practice running in place as fast as they can if you are indoors (rather than running around the room.)

MOVEMENT ACTIVITY: Superman/Superwoman in the Wind, Yoga Game
found on Move Yoga

1. First, have everyone put on their imaginary capes.
2. Then, have the children lie down on their stomachs, with their arms reaching forward and toes reaching back.
3. Lift up arms and legs….like superman flying!
4. The librarian’s job is to be the wind, blowing side to side.
   When the wind blows one way, the students roll, keeping in superman pose.

Super Hero Music

1. Super Hero Day by Kimmy Schwimmy 
2. Dancin’ With Spiderman and Friends by the Hit Crew
3. Superman March by Cincinnati Pops Orchestra
4. Super Heroes vs. Super Villians by the Backyardigans
5. Superhero by Milkshake

Super Hero Craft

I’m loving these superhero shaker egg crafts!  I found these superhero egg decorating stickers on Amazon and we already had some plastic eggs sitting around.  We decided that they would be even more fun if we made them into shaker eggs!  Just fill them with beans or rice, and seal shut with hot glue or E6000 glue. For the stand, I just taped a small piece of paper together in a ring to fit the egg.

It would be fun to make these and then dance to some superhero music!

 

 

Super Hero Books

TODDLER BOOKS

These books are all a bit shorter and the concepts appropriate for ages 1-3 years.  However, they are all also great for preschoolers as well!  I’ve put stars next to my absolute favorites.

☆  Supertruck by Stephen Savage

Princess Super Kitty by Antoinette Portis

☆  Kiki’s Blankie by Janie Bynum

Batman: The Story of the Dark Knight by Ralph Cosentino

Do Super Heroes Have Teddy Bears? by Carmela LaVigna Coyle

PRESCHOOL+ BOOKS
These books are slightly longer, but still appropriate lengths for reading aloud in storytime for 3-5 year olds (and up!)

Ten Rules of Being a Superhero by Deb Pilutti

☆  Timothy and the Strong Pajamas by Viviane Schwarz

Mighty Max! by Harriet Ziefert

Loretta Ace Pinky Scout by Keith Graves

Kapow! by George O’Connor

☆  The Astonishing Secret of Awesome Man by Michael Chabon

Superhero by Marc Tauss

Supersister by Beth Cadena

Looking for even more Superhero ideas? Check out our other superhero posts here: