By: Vanessa Sandoval
Last year was my first time being part the Spanish CLEL Bell committee, and it was truly an incredible experience. Not only was it an honor to participate, but it also inspired me to bring fresh creativity into my own Spanish Storytimes.
I have my weekly Cuéntame Cuentos Spanish Storytime for Westminster Public Library. One of my favorite ways to incorporate play was using the 2025 Spanish CLEL Bell winner from the PLAY/JUGAR category: El pañuelo de mamá by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie, illustrated by Joelle Avelino.
I’m excited to share some playful ideas you can try in your next Storytime!
Starting with a Song
We begin with our Hello song (I add my own tune):
“Hola, hola, hola
¿Y cómo estás?
Muy bien, muy bien,
¡Y espero que tú también!”
Songs instantly create connection, comfort, and joyful energy.
Exploring Vocabulary Through Movement
After our greeting, I introduce vocabulary inspired by the story. In El pañuelo de mamá Chino traces big red circles, and small blue circles on her mother’s scarf, we explore:
- Pequeño – crouching down low
- Grande – jumping up tall with arms wide
Then we focus on the shape círculo:
- Forming a circle with our fingers (thumb & pointer)
- Forming a circle with our hands
- Forming a circle with our arms
- Finally, tracing a circle in the air with our magic finger
A simple but helpful way to connect movement with early literacy.
Felt Board Play
Next, we bring out the felt board!
I add:
- Big red circles
- Little blue circles
We practice:
- Identifying colors (rojo, azul) We even search for those colors around the room (like on carpet squares or in the clothes we are wearing), reinforcing learning through play.
- Comparing sizes (grande, pequeño) Children move their bodies to match:
- Crouch for small
- Jump for big
Learning + movement = meaningful play!
Transition to Story
To signal storytime, we sing (tune- if you’re happy and you know it):
“Si estás listo para un cuento,
Aplaude las manos…”
Predictable transitions provide structure and security.
Then we read El pañuelo de mamá together.
Scarf Play Begins!
After the story, I introduce scarves:
“Just like Chino, we’re going to play with scarves!”
We:
- Shake scarves to “wake them up”
- Imagine them as capes, blankets, wings…
We then sing “Un pañuelito” a great song that can be used for this manipulative specifically. It can be foundon bibliocuentos along with other great songs that you can use with different Storytime manipulatives.
More musical ideas
123 Andrés also provides a fantastic learning guide filled with playful scarf activities.
In previous Cuéntame Cuentos, I’ve also used the song “Vuela Vuela” from his album Arriba Abajo.
However, this time I tried something new…
La víbora de la mar (Scarf Edition!)
Inspired by a traditional Mexican celebration game, we played La víbora de la mar. In this video Calico Spanish demonstrates how the game can be played:
Here’s how I adapted it:
- I start as the head of the “snake”
- A child holds my scarf
- Another child holds their scarf
- Continue until everyone is connected!
Two adult volunteers form an arch with their arms, and our colorful “snake” weaves through while we play “La víbora de la mar” from José-Luis Orozco’s De Colores album (Track #8).
The result?
Movement, laughter, teamwork, music, and culture; all woven together through PLAY.
I hope these ideas inspire you to play, move, and create magical moments in your own Storytimes.
Happy Playing!
