Here’s another Book Babies plan! This was the plan for September, 2023. Instead of doing a prop this month, we got up and did some dancing with our little ones! At first, it felt a little awk…
Looking for something new for storytime? Check out Storytime Theme: Baking for a fun storytime that combines science, math, and creativity together!
Storytime Theme: Dinosaurs 2021 is for all the dinosaur-loving preschoolers out there with lots of book, song, and craft suggestions!
Here’s another Book Babies plan! This was the plan for September, 2023. Instead of doing a prop this month, we got up and did some dancing with our little ones! At first, it felt a little awk…
One of my most popular posts of all time - Storytime Theme: Imagination Station is a great list of picture book titles to inspire creativity!
So...I made a set of caves for a pellon bear HERE. We are planning a Bear storytime soon but I couldn't find my original set! What to do?? Yeah, losing a set is a good excuse to remake it and tweak it to be bigger and 'better' this time. LOL! I made my caves to be about 5 by 6 inches and decided to have another animal behind each cave until at last, we find the bear. I Googled images of cute hibernating/sleeping animals and then laminated and cut them out. Here's some rhymes to use with the this set. We're having so much Fun with Friends ... and bears! at Storytime!
Here’s another Book Babies plan! This was the plan for September, 2023. Instead of doing a prop this month, we got up and did some dancing with our little ones! At first, it felt a little awk…
Books “Finders Keepers” by Keiko Kasza “Hooray for Hat!” by Brian Won “Whose Hat?” by Margaret Miller Grandma’s Glasses These are grandma’s glasses (circle…
Storytime is the premium service for children in public libraries across the country. For many youth librarians, it's the most treasured part of their job. A storytime veteran shares her best practices.
How do you explain weather to your preschool kids? When I was a child, the weather was something that both delighted and scared me. Here are some great books to help your kids understand all types of
A blog about children's books, story time, library service, and literacy activities written by a children's librarian turned stay-at-home mom.
Storytime Theme: Sticky & Slimy may be a little messy, but sure to be a lot of fun for toddlers, preschoolers, and even babies!
Here’s another Book Babies plan! This was the plan for September, 2023. Instead of doing a prop this month, we got up and did some dancing with our little ones! At first, it felt a little awk…
Today we had a bubble themed story time for our toddlers and we had so much fun! We read Rabbit Ears by Amber Stewart, Who’s in the Tub? by Sylvie Jones, and Bubble Trouble by Joy N. Hulme. Rabbit Ears is about a little bunny who doesn’t want to wash his ears until he realizes that in order to grow up and stay at his cousin’s house, he needs to learn how to wash his ears. Who’s in the Tub? is about a little boy who is hesitant to get in the tub for his bath, but once he’s finally in, he’s having too much fun to get out! And Bubble Trouble is a quick Easy Reader that talks about blowing bubbles and how they POP! We also sang 5 Little Monkeys Jumping on the Bed (a crowd favorite among the toddlers) and we shook our Shaker Eggs to the music of the Rubber Duckie song from Sesame Street. I also taught two American Sign Langauge , signs to the kids today the sign for “bubbles” and the sign for “bath.” After we read all of our stories, I blew bubbles for the kids for a few minutes. It was absolutely adorable to see them having so much fun with the bubbles! I forget how much fun something so simple could be!
In another attempt to avoid holiday programming while still celebrating a universal happy winter feeling, my last storytime of December was focused on the feeling of “coziness.” I invit…
Family Storytime Theme: Say Hello teaches kids how families from around the world greet each other and how animals in the natural world say "hi" too!
Good morning! Today's storytime theme: Daytime, Nighttime looks at the similarities and differences between day and night!
In April, I like to do story times about rain, chickens, birds, bunnies, libraries, and jazz. Rain (April Showers) Suggested Books: Rain by Robert Kalan and Donald Crews Rain Dance by Kathi Appelt Rain by Manya Stojic Tap Tap Boom Boom by Elizabeth Bluemle and G. Brian Karas Bringing the Rain to Kapiti Plain by Verna Aardema and Beatriz Vidal Extension Activities: Rain, Rain Go Away I Like to See the Raindrops Fall Red Umbrella Keeps Me Dry The Itsy Bitsy Spider Chickens Suggested Books: Chicken Big by Keith Graves Minerva Louise by Janet Stoeke Bob by Tracey Campbell Pearson Hurry! Hurry! by Eve Bunting, illustrated by Jeff Mack Big Fat Hen by Keith Baker Extension Activities: I Know a Chicken I Had a Little Rooster Los Pollitos Over in the Barnyard Five Eggs and Five Eggs Bunnies Suggested Books: Home for a Bunny by Margaret Wise Brown and Garth Williams Moonlight by Helen V. Griffith, illustrated by Laura Dronzek What Does Bunny See?: A Book of Colors and Flowers by Linda Sue Park The Runaway Bunny by Margaret Wise Brown and Clement Hurd Brown Rabbit in the City by Natalie Russell Extension Activities: Bunny Hippety Hop Hop Your Bunnies Here is a Bunny Jazz Appreciation Month Suggested Books: This Jazz Man by Karen Ehrhardt, illustrated by R.G. Roth Ben's Trumpet by Rachel Isadora A-Tisket A-Tasket by Ella Fitzgerald and Ora Eitan Jazzmatazz by Stephanie Calmenson, illustrated by Bruce Degen Jazz Baby by Lisa Wheeler and R. Gregory Christie Extension Activities: The Wheels on the Bus Ten Little Monkeys ABCs Momma Don't Allow A-Tisket, A-Tasket Birds Suggested Books: Birds by Kevin Henkes, illustrated by Laura Dronzek Birdsongs by Betsy Franco, illustrated by Steve Jenkins Mockingbird by Allan Ahlberg, illustrated by Paul Howard Every Day Birds by Amy Ludwig VanDerwater, illustrated by Dylan Metrano A Home for Bird by Philip C. Stead Extension Activities: Chickadee Color Rhymes Two Little Blackbirds Way Up in the Sky Chickadee Tree National Library Week (April 9 -15, 2017) Suggested Books: I Took My Frog to the Library by Eric Kimmel, illustrated by Blanche Sims Otto the Book Bear by Katie Cleminson D.W.'s Library Card by Marc Brown Quiet! There's a Canary in the Library by Don Freeman Bats at the Library by Brian Lies Extension Activities: Library Song Book Bear, Book Bear If You'd Like to Read a Book These Are My Glasses
Waiting is hard. I think we can all universally agree on that. Waiting is especially hard when you are a little kid. This story is all about the waiting struggle. It will not solve the issue or truth that waiting is hard, but I think it helps kids feel seen when you state things like […]
There’s just something about spring that makes me want to do stories about colors! And the retelling of White Rabbit’s Color Book is kind of magical. A “color” storytime is …
Before we get started with this theme, I have a question for readers! Would it be helpful for me to post my rhyme/song sheets? These are 11×17″ (tabloid size) sheets that I print and put…
Be prepared to be really hungry when you're finished sharing these delicious books for Toddler Storytime Theme: Cookies! Yummy!
This storytime was for a visiting preschool class here at my library, after a tour of the building. I wanted to educate them on all things library! Read Aloud Books Read It, Don't Eat It!Written and illustrated by by Ian Schoenherr Now you have the book, what should you do with it? A list of rules in a way, but with a fantastic rhythm and rhyme scheme. It was the perfect way to talk about how we treat our books at the library. We Are in a Book! Written and illustrated by Mo Willems A reader is reading us! How fun! But what will happen when the book ends?? Yes, yes, I found another reason to use my favorite book. It's cute and hilarious. The kids enjoyed it. And it makes sense with the flannel I chose today. Book! Book! Book!Written by Deborah Bruss, illustrated by Tiphanie Beeke The animals on the farm are bored! When they see a bunch of happy people coming from the library, they decide to try it out. So this one is just sort of silly, but it did get some chuckles at the end. Songs & Rhymes Hello Song Song: If You're a Reader (Tune: If you're happy and you know it) If you're a reader and you know it, clap your hands If you're a reader and you know it, clap your hands If you're a reader and you know it, and you really want to show it If you're a reader and you know it, clap your hands And because we read Book, Book, Book... Song: Old MacDonald Had a Farm Goodbye Song Games & Activities Felt: Where's Piggie? Craft: Bookmarks Credit due to Storytime Katie, which is where I found the link to Elizabeth Dulemba's clipart, but here's the bookmark the kids got to color at the end. They also got some old Summer Reading Program stickers and colored pencils. It was well-received. Other Book Ideas Amelia Bedelia's First Library CardWritten by Herman Parish, illustrated by Lynne Avril Curious George Visits the LibraryWritten by H. A. & Margret Rey, illustrated by Martha Weston The Boy Who Was Raised by LibrariansWritten by Carla Morris, illustrated by Brad Sneed
I presented this plan to a toddler group the same morning I shared Night Sounds with our mixed-age family crowd. Like that plan, I love how everything in this storytime revolved around phonological…
Chickens are funny little creatures. They’re always fun to watch when we visit farms, which is something I feel compelled to do each Fall. There have been some amazingly comedic and clever picture books feature chickens published in the past few years and I couldn’t help myself from making another farm themed story time. affiliate […]
I usually do this storytime near Thanksgiving but pulled it out last month as my tribute to Maurice Sendak. RIP. OPENING SONG: Hello Song* OPENING FINGERPLAY: Open Them Shut Them* BOOK: Chicken Sou…
This one is kinda like my opposite storytime, which I’ll write about later, but talking about size is another easy theme. And talking about perception is a great way for kiddos to learn abou…
There are a lot of things that go into a successful storytime, but planning is a huge part. Whether you are doing a storytime with kids at a library or in your classroom, having a plan in your mind beforehand will eliminate those engagement killing moments where you putz with a CD player or ponder […]
A delicious storytime theme for the whole family - Storytime Theme: Cookies! It's a yummy, fun-filled storytime!
Storytime Theme: Family is sharing how grateful I am for my family this November and celebrating all the great families in storytime!
Storytime Theme: All Things Green is a celebration of really fun stories, songs, and crafts that celebrates the color green!
The Duchess of Sussex, 42, who lives in Montecito with Prince Harry and their two children, Prince Archie , four, and Princess Lilibet, two, visited the hospital on March 21, when she led a 'Literally Healing' session.
A delicious storytime theme for the whole family - Storytime Theme: Cookies! It's a yummy, fun-filled storytime!
Adorable rainbow stew felt board set from Flannel Board Fun!
Everything you need to know to start a story time program for kids in your community. Book ideas, tips and planning sheets for getting started.
My go-to themes for May are connected to spring, growing, flowers, gardens, and Mother's Day. Flowers Suggested Books: How to Grow a Friend by Sara Gillingham Alison's Zinnia by Anita Lobel The Rose in My Garden by Anita Lobel Fantastic Flowers by Susan Stockdale This is the Sunflower by Lola M. Schaefer, illustrated by Donald Crews Extension Activities: Five Little Flowers Flowers Tall and Small I'm a Little Daisy You Are My Flower Mothers Suggested Books: Harriet, You'll Drive Me Wild by Mem Fox, illustrated by Marla Frazee Mama, Do You Love Me? by Barbara Joosse, illustrated by Barbara Lavallee Mother, Mother, I Want Another by Maria Polushkin Robbins, illustrated by Jon Goodell My Mom by Anthony Browne The Quilt Story by Tony Johnston, illustrated by Tomie de Paola This Quiet Lady by Charlotte Zolotow, illustrated by Anita Lobel Extension Activities: I Asked My Mother for Fifty Cents Mother and Father and Uncle John Love My Mommy Bugs Suggested Books: Arabella Miller's Tiny Caterpillar by Clare Jarrett Beetle Bop by Denise Fleming Bugs! Bugs! Bugs! by Bob Barner Butterfly Butterfly by Petr Horacek The Grouchy Ladybug by Eric Carle I Love Bugs! by Philemon Sturges Yoo-Hoo Ladybug by Mem Fox, illustrated by Laura Ljungkvist Extension Activities: Four Colorful Flies Ladybugs Fly Butterfly Gals Flutter Flutter Butterfly Gardening Suggested Books: A Garden of Opposites by Nancy Davis In the Garden: Who's Been Here? by Lindsay Barrett George Inch By Inch by David Mallett, illustrated by Ora Eitan My Garden by Kevin Henkes Up, Down, and Around by Katherine Ayres, illustrated by Nadine Bernard Westcott Up in the Garden and Down in the Dirt by Kate Messner, illustrated by Christopher Silas Neal Whose Garden Is It? by Mary Ann Hoberman, illustrated by Jane Dyer Extension Activities: African Planting Chant A Garden Game My Garden My May Garden Fruits & Veggies Suggested Books: The Carrot Seed by Ruth Krauss, illustrated by Crockett Johnson Jamberry by Bruce Degen The Little Mouse, The Red Ripe Strawberry and the Big Hungry Bear by Audrey and Don Wood The Pea Patch Jig by Thacher Hurd Rah Rah Radishes by April Pulley Sayre Tops & Bottoms by Janet Stevens Extension Activities: Corn Grows Tall Fruit Salad Salsa Oats and Beans and Barley Grow Picking Fruits and Vegetables
Story time books to get kids moving and grooving during the read aloud.
Around the time of American Thanksgiving, I think it’s great to reflect on gratefulness and feeling thankful. Because this holiday is so intertwined with false historical narratives and the l…
The desired result of toddler storytime is not phonemic awareness, but a love of stories and people. 10 tips to make a happy storytime happen. Read aloud...
Storytime Theme: Things That Go! includes the perfect read alouds for your transportation-loving preschoolers! Travel by train, bus, car, plane, and boat!
