Pick the right storytime.
- Time and day.
- Target audience. Little Ones Storytime is targeted to children who have not yet turned two. It is mostly songs, rhymes, and lapsits with one book. Family Storytime is targeted to all ages with typically 3–4 picture books and songs in between.
- Any accommodations. Sensory Storytimes is designed as an all-ages storytime for children with autism or sensory processing challenges.
- Language. All of our storytimes are currently in English only. However, please check out our blog post on Virtual Storytimes in Other Languages.
Participate!
Caregivers need to participate – kids will remain engaged when they see their adult is engaged. Children learn by watching their caregivers – mimicking their behavior and determining what is important as well. They also love doing things with their caregiver actively involved with them. So, sing, clap, stomp, hug, kiss, count, yell, and guess what will happen next!
Comment.
When attending virtual storytimes – add comments to the Facebook Live post so the librarian knows you are there. Adding a comment with the first name of the child watching with you lets the librarian say hello to them by name! It’s not as great as making real eye-contact during an in-person storytime, but it helps. Currently, we are not offering virtual storytimes on Facebook. Visit our YouTube channel, opens a new window for sing-along videos.
Reserve this time.
Set the time aside from your other tasks – you can’t multitask socializing or interacting with others on your electronic devices, and expect your child to be fully engaged. When you can come to in-person storytimes, be sure to linger afterward to socialize with other caregivers, as well as let the kids mingle.
Move!
Kids need to move and the many songs we do in storytime encourage that. If they need to move about while listening to a story, that’s ok too. On the other hand, if they are moving constantly, perhaps the storytime isn’t the right one for them – see first tip "Pick the right storytime."
Don’t force it!
Some days are just not going to work. You can always try again later. One great thing about virtual storytimes is the Library leaves them up on our Facebook, opens a new window page for 23 hours – so come back later to see the one you missed today or just try again next week.
Revisit the material from the storytime.
Place the books read during storytime on hold so you can check them out and read them at home with your child. Storytimes are a great way to learn about books you may not have tried before. For virtual storytimes, we always put the book information in the comments, including a link to it in our collection. When you do reread the book, think about how the librarian read it – perhaps pointing out ‘hidden’ things in the pictures or asking questions about what might happen next before you turn the page. This will help build curiosity about what is happening in the story.
Sing!
We always put the lyrics in the comments and frequently include a link to a video of the song. Also, check out our YouTube channel for more songs. Repetition – of both stories and songs – works really well for little kids to learn.
Use ideas from storytime in your daily life.
Sing the songs as you go about your day. Look for things related to the storytime’s theme and point them out to you children – or get them to find them and point them out to you!
Make storytime a habit.
Schedule it into your week whether in-person or virtually.
We can’t wait to see you at storytime!
-Kathy Swartz, former Youth Services Librarian, Children's Library
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