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.

Whether or not you have led a special needs program before, the fact is that you may have already led one and not even known it. If your storytimes are drop-in and you don’t have information about a child’s special need ahead of time, selecting crowd-pleasing stories could be a challenge. So, in order to be prepared, plan ahead and ask yourself these questions: Is the book based on children’s experiences and interests? If a child can identify with something in the story, it becomes easier for them to understand and enjoy. With this in mind, I focus my story selections around a particular theme. For example, food, animals, colors, transportation, bedtime…things that any child can relate to regardless of their special need. Does the book have repetition? Children with special needs often use repetition to help them become more comfortable and secure with a routine. In the same way,...

50+ storytelling ideas for kids. You'll find story starters, activities, tips, and more!

Here are some fun storytime ideas to compliment the book, Drum City.

Students can travel across the globe without leaving the classroom. Check out these fun geography lessons for any grade and curriculum.

Need painted rock ideas your kids will love? Here are more than 20 rock painting ideas that will wow your kids.

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Storytelling Activities for Children don't have to be complicated. Here are some fun ideas for kids to come up with imaginative stories that help strengthen vocabulary, early literacy skills,

This list took me a lot longer to make than my 10 MUST have picture books in a story basket. You may notice there are some on both lists! For this list I had to think about the 5 senses and durability. The other factor I considered was repetition, mine ( can I read it 50 times and not want to ‘loose’ the book) and the children’s (they ask for it many time if not 50 times a day). 1. That’s not my… series2. Where’s spot? 3. Dear Zoo 4. The very hungry caterpillar5. B

Me he dado cuenta de que ser profesora es muy malo para la economía doméstica. Especialmente sucede cuando una es profesora novata, es decir, cuando se necesitan por primera vez materiales, recursos, juegos, etc. y todo eso vale una pasta, y no te digo ya con la dichosa gamification, que resulta que ahora tienes que ser supercool para que tus niños te hagan caso (y que conste que no tengo nada en contra, todo lo contrario, me encanta). Yo me resistí a la gamification hasta que me encontré con una niña turca que se dormía LITERALMENTE en mis clases. Desde entonces soy amiga del color, los dados y las fichas. Resultado: mi turca habla español y ahora toda la familia quiere apuntarse al carro (yeah) Lo peor del colorín es lo caro que cuesta. Y yo no tengo colegio/academia que me lo pague, así que me toca tirar de impresora, cartulina y rotulador de toda la vida. Cuento todo esto para decir que ojalá me diera la paga para comprar un Trivial, Pictionary, Tabú, Lince y todos los juegos imaginables que tanta cancha dan para enseñar español. Pero resulta que no, que por no tener no tengo ni paga (snif, snif). Por lo tanto, cuando descubrí los tan maravillosos Rory Story Cubes se me escapó una lagrimica... por baratos que parezcan no me los puedo permitir... pero sí que puedo fabricarme los míos, no problem. Los Rory Story Cubes se pueden utilizar de mil formas en la clase de idiomas: tanto para que los alumnos cuenten historias libremente o para que repasen algún tiempo verbal en particular, un ejemplo de uso está en este post de El tarro de los idiomas, con el que he disfrutado mucho ;) Así que, sin más dilación os dejo mis ocho dados, clasificados en categorías: El protagonista La mascota El amuleto El lugar El transporte La acción Comida Profesiones (se puede utilizar como acciones) Espero que os guste y sobre todo que os sea de utilidad.Besos varios ¡hasta la próxima!

An educational and parenting blog about literacy and teaching strategies. As well, Aspergers and Selective Mutism are of special interest.

4 levels of sensory integration that prevent traffic jams in your child's brain for higher learning.

We’ve heard about these things called rhythm sticks, we’ve read many a blog post but for way too long they remained a mystery to us. Lindsey finally put her foot down and bought some. We’ve done shakers, we braved scarves and darn it it was high time we mastered the sticks! The result? We had... Continue reading Just Add Rhythm Sticks!

The activities below are available for free download, and are to be used in educational and/or private settings. They may not be used elsewhere or for other purposes (such as for profit) unless exp…

Distressed Dude Asks Reddit For Help With A Very Crappy Relationship Issue - Funny memes that "GET IT" and want you to too. Get the latest funniest memes and keep up what is going on in the meme-o-sphere.

Does it seem like everyone around you is obsessed with Pokemon Go? If your kids are into it, or the original Pokemon, why not add a Pokemon spin to their learning with Pokemon lesson plans? Mathema…

Enjoy!

A delicious storytime theme for the whole family - Storytime Theme: Cookies! It's a yummy, fun-filled storytime!

Storytime Theme: All Things Green is a celebration of really fun stories, songs, and crafts that celebrates the color green!

Storytime Theme: Mindfulness includes introducing kids to yoga, deep breathing, and identifying emotions through books and activities!

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…

Get moving with this dance storytime for infants, toddlers, and preschoolers! Lots of books, rhymes, flannel board activities, and dance opportunities!

This storytime was for babies and their caregivers at my library. Opening Songs & Rhymes Hello Song Well Hello Everybody, Can You Touch Your Nose? (from Jbrary) We'll Hit the Floor Together (from Mother Goose on the Loose) We'll hit the floor together Hit the floor together, Hit the floor together, Because it's fun to do. We'll smack our knees... We'll wiggle our fingers... We'll wave our arms... ...etc. Open, Shut Them Open, shut them, open, shut them Give them both a clap, clap, clap Open, shut them, open, shut them Put them in your lap, lap, lap Creep them, creep them, slowly creep them Right up to your chiny, chin, chin Circle around your little mouth but... Do not let them in! Themed Songs & Rhymes Let's Go Walking (from Sally & Erika) We had the caregivers and babies stand up and walk around the room Let's go walking, walking, walking. Let's go walking, walking so! Walking high! Walking low... Walking fast! Walking slow... Let's go walking, walking, walking. Let's go walking, walking so! Action Rhyme: Handy Spandy After we walked around and were standing in a circle, we did this jumping rhyme Handy spandy, sugar and candy We all jump in! Handy spandy, sugar and candy We all jump out! Handy spandy, sugar and candy We all jump up! Handy spandy, sugar and candy We all sit down. Action Rhyme: I Went Walking I went walking and what did I see? I saw a ____ looking at me! We used all sorts of puppets and animal sounds, just like the Read Aloud Book (see below) Read Aloud Book I Went Walking Written by Sue Williams, illustrated by Julie Vivas A child goes walking and comes across all kinds of animal friends! Similar to Brown Bear, Brown Bear, the repetition of text, animal & color identification, and cute illustrations make this a great read aloud. We had the parents join in on "what did you see?" One girl got so excited at the cow, pointing and yelling, "MOO!" So cute... Egg-Shaker Songs We end with some egg-shaker songs and playtime! Shake My Sillies Out (from Raffi) If You're Happy and You Know It (from Jbrary) If you're happy and you know it, give a shake! If you're happy and you know it, give a shake! If you're happy and you know it, And you really want to show it, If you're happy and you know it, give a shake! ...give a clap! ...give a tap!

My storytime was very busy this week – so busy in fact that when I normally sit to read the stories, I had to stand to make sure everyone could see. Families loved Cha-Cha Chimps and helped during the repeated phrase, but I was surprised that Choo Choo Clickety Clack! didn’t go over as well. For the number of people that were in storytime, it went fairly well! And only one week left! Opening: “Put Your Hands Up In the Air” Puppet Meet & Greet: Meet Woolly (monkey puppet) ASL Sign: Chicken – chicken looks a lot like a beak pecking the ground, scratching for food Early Literacy Tip: Playing with the smaller sounds in words can help children when they begin to read! Today we’re focusing on the c-h sound, or ch. Book 1: Cha-Cha Chimps by Julia Durango Transition: “5 Little Monkeys” Wiggles: “Zoom, Zoom, Zoom” Zoom, zoom, zoom, we’re going to the moon (2x) If you want to take a trip climb aboard my rocket ship. Zoom, zoom, zoom, we’re going to the moon. In 5, 4, 3, 2, 1, blast off! Far, far, far, we’re going to the stars (2x) If you want to take a trip climb aboard my rocket ship Far, far, far, we’re going to the stars In 5, 4, 3, 2, 1, blast off! Fun, fun, fun we’re going to the sun. (2x) If you want to take a trip climb aboard my rocket ship Fun, fun, fun we’re going to the sun In 5, 4, 3, 2, 1, blast off! Book 2: Choo Choo Clickety Clack! by Margaret Mayo Transition: “Baby Chickie” – Hap Palmer, So Big Book 3: Chicky Chicky Chook-Chook by Cathy MacLennan Closing: “Shake My Sillies Out” Puppet Show

Books: Animal Boogie by Debbie Harter Old Mikamba Had a Farm by Rachel Isadora Señor Pancho Had a Rancho by René Colato Laínez Fingerplays, Flannelboards, Rhymes & Songs: Song: “Put Your Hands Up In the Air” Fingerplay/Flannelboard: 5 Little Monkeys “No More Monkeys” by Asheba, Putumayo Kids Presents: Animal Playground Flannel Board/Movement Song: “A Yellow Squash” based on “A Douglas Fir” A yellow squash, a yellow squash (hold hands together above your head to create the neck of a gourd) An orange jack-o’-lantern (draw a large circle using both your arms to create a pumpkin shape) and a yellow squash A yellow squash, a yellow squash An orange jack-o’-lantern and a yellow squash Red oak leaf (flutter hands down to the ground as if leaves are falling), red oak leaf, An orange jack-o’-lantern and a yellow squash Red oak leaf, red oak leaf, An orange jack-o’-lantern and a yellow squash Song:“Animal Action” by Greg & Steve, Kids In Motion Rhyme: “Two Little Blackbirds” Two little blackbirds sitting on a hill. One named Jack and one named Jill. Fly away Jack, flay away Jill. Come back Jack, come back Jill. Two little blackbirds flying in the sky. One named Low and one named High… Two little blackbirds sitting on a pole. One named Fast and one named Slow… Two little blackbirds sitting on a gate. One named Early and one named Late… Two little blackbirds sitting on a car One named Near and the other named Far… Two little blackbirds sitting on a cloud One named Quiet and the other named Loud… Two little blackbirds sitting on a mast One named Slow and the other named Fast… Puppet Show: “Shake Your Sillies Out”

A delicious storytime theme for the whole family - Storytime Theme: Cookies! It's a yummy, fun-filled storytime!

Storytime Theme: Things That Go! includes the perfect read alouds for your transportation-loving preschoolers! Travel by train, bus, car, plane, and boat!

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 […]

To assist you in planning your story times for next month, here are some themes I like to use in October. Pumpkins Suggested Books: Duck and Goose Find a Pumpkin by Tad Hills Pumpkin Heads! by Wendell Minor It's Pumpkin Day, Mouse! by Laura Numeroff Apples and Pumpkins by Anne Rockwell Big Pumpkin by Erica Silverman (Audio version with song available here.) This is Not a Pumpkin by Bob Staake The Little Old Lady Who Was Not Afraid of Anything by Linda D. Williams Extension Activities: Five Little Pumpkins Sittng on a Gate Five Little Pumpkins Round Mr. Scarecrow's Jack o'Lantern Literacy Activities About Pumpkins Moon Suggested Books: I Want to be an Astronaut by Byron Barton Moonlight by Helen V. Griffith Kitten's First Full Moon by Kevin Henkes The Mouse Who Ate the Moon by Petr Horacek Higher! Higher! by Leslie Patricelli The Moon by Robert Louis Stevenson, illustrated by Tracey Pearson Campbell Owl Moon by Jane Yolen Extension Activities: Aikendrum Climb Aboard the Spaceship Five Astronauts Went Up in Space Here is the World Moon Moon Moon Zoom Zoom Zoom Fall Suggested Books: The Little Yellow Leaf by Carin Berger Kitten's Autumn by Eugenie Fernandes Fall Leaves Fall by Zoe Hall Fall is Not Easy by Marty Kelley When Autumn Falls by Kelli Nidey Leaves by David Ezra Stein Ol' Mama Squirrel by David Ezra Stein The Very Busy Squirrel by Nancy Tafuri Extension Activities: Brown Squirrel Climb a Tree Down Around the Corner by the Big Oak Tree Five Little Leaves Are Hanging on the Tree Raking Leaves Signs of Fall The Trees Are Growing Spiders Suggested Books: The Very Busy Spider by Eric Carle The Eensy Weensy Spider Freaks Out Big Time by Troy Cummings Be Nice to Spiders by Margaret Bloy Graham The Eensy Weensy Spider by Mary Ann Hoberman Anansi the Spider: A Tale from the Ashanti by Gerald McDermott The Itsy Bitsy Spider by Iza Trapani Extension Activities: Four Colorful Flies The Itsy Bitsy Spider/The Giant Spider Little Miss Muffet (song) One Elephant Went Out to Play There's a Spider on the Floor

This post was inspired by Anne's post at So Tomorrow called Putting it All Together: What My Story Time Prep Looks Like and Lisa's post at Libraryland entitled Story Time Prep 101. Each post outlines how these librarians prepare for their story time programs. My approach is somewhat different, so I wanted to write it all out and share it. I actually really recommend writing a post like this - for me, at least, it provided a much clearer sense of why I do what I do each week. Step 1: Get Organized Since my library system offers story times 50 weeks out of the year, I plan my story times one week at a time, and though it doesn't always work out, I try to stay one month ahead so that I'm never planning a program at the last minute. To that end, I keep a set of folders and documents on Google Drive that sorts my story times first by month, then by week, and then by individual session. Since January, I have been using themes for each week, so I indicate those in parentheses in the name of the folder, and if there is a more specific focus for an individual story time I indicate that in the name of the file for the session itself. I make all of these documents for the month before I choose any materials. Once I know how many story times I'm doing, and which themes I'm focusing on, I start filling in the blanks. Step 2: Choose Books After I have the framework for each week, I head to the catalog, the shelves, and my past blog posts to track down the books I want to use. I always select books before anything else, because if I can't find enough quality stories for a given theme or age group, I scrap that theme and try something else. For the most part, I try to choose very broad themes so I can take them in many directions. Earlier this year, when I was doing all of the story times at my branch, this was especially important because I needed so many books. Now that I'm down to four story times a week, it is easier to find enough books on less general themes, but I still try not to get too obscure or specific, because often even if there are books, there aren't many extension activities for those themes. Step 3: Choose Songs and Rhymes Finding songs and rhymes has become easier over time, as I have accumulated them over the past two years in my story time wiki. Typically, I will consult the wiki and my past blog posts first to see what I already have on file for a given theme, or to complement a particular book, and after I've chosen what interests me from those sources, I'll do some searching around for new things. I don't always need new things, but if I remember that particular songs or rhymes were flops, I'll look for replacements. If I can't find replacements, and I have the time, I might even try to write some new material. It is also during this stage of planning that I decide whether to make a new flannel board or stick puppet and make sure I have enough time to put it together. Step 4: Make a Set List Once I have notes in each document for a given theme, I go back in and start listing activities and books in the order I think I would like to use them. If I have a song or rhyme that I don't know well, I'll include the words and tune right there on the sheet so I don't draw a blank when I get in front of my audience. Once I feel finished with a given set list, I close it and move onto the next one. I don't look at the set list again until it's time to actually set up for story time. Step 5: Set Up I perform story time in two different rooms. The large drop-in story time is held in a conference room, because it frequently attracts over 100 people and that is the only space that can accommodate a group of that size. My other story times, which attract smaller numbers, are held in the actual story time room. In the conference room, I make sure to set up a handful of chairs around the edges of the room for the adults who refuse to sit on the floor. I also put two tables at the front of the room for me to set things down on as story time goes on. I used to bring in a chair for myself, but I find that no one pays attention if I'm sitting, so I now stand for the large-group story times. In the story room, I typically sit on the wooden steps at the back of the room, facing the door, and use the steps as a kind of stage. I keep all my props behind me so I can try to intercept kids who want to borrow them before story time starts, or even during story time. I don't provide chairs for adults in this room because the space is so small. I set up my space 30 to 45 minutes prior to story time, depending on how I find the room when I arrive, and whether there is a program before mine. At this point, I print out my set list, and then inevitably make changes in pencil once it has been printed. Most of the time, I change the order of things, but there are also times where I will realize I just can't stand a particular song, and I'll swap it out for something else. If I have read a book earlier in the week that was a dud, I might switch that for a better option at this point as well. When I'm happy with the list, I go find all the necessary puppets, flannel board pieces and books in the picture book bin I use for storage, and bring them into the story time space. Step 6: Take Photos Once I have everything laid out, I snap a photo on my phone to upload to my blog later on. This has been a great way for me to keep track of story times visually on Pinterest. Often I can just glance quickly at the picture and it will remind me of how that particular story time was received by the kids. Then I can click through and revisit more of the finer details on my blog. After the photo is taken, I change the way things are laid out just a little bit, to minimize the potential for little hands losing a flannel board piece or running off with a book. In the conference room, this means setting everything on the ledge of the whiteboard. In the story room, it means hiding almost everything inside the portable flannel board. Step 7: Open the Doors I open the doors for the large story times ten minutes before the scheduled start time. In the story room, I can typically wait until just about show time. If a story time requires registration, someone else from the staff signs the kids in so that I can get in the story time zone without worrying about paperwork. Because I hate to have them all staring at my expectantly (it reminds me of being asked to speak in class when I didn't know the answer in tenth grade history), I never enter the room myself until I'm ready to start story time. Step 8: Tune the Ukulele I typically only use the ukulele for the large groups, and I use that ten minutes between opening the doors and actually starting story time to tune it and make sure I have the chords memorized for whatever song I'm playing. The ukulele is never left unattended in the story time space, so it accompanies me when I enter the story time room. Step 9: Take a Deep Breath When I enter the story time room, I take one last moment to look over my materials and make sure nothing is missing. Then I count to three in my head to get myself into the story time zone and say, "Good morning everybody!" I launch into the hello song, and then follow the set list as closely as I can for the next 30 minutes. Step 10: Review After a given story time is over, I post on my blog about what did and did not work. Though this particular story time is done, doing a post-mortem analysis is actually good preparation for the next story time, especially if it's still early in the week and I'm still working with the same theme. Then I click over to the next set list and begin the process all over again! How do you plan your story times?

Storytime Theme: Jungle is a fun storytime to do this summer that is filled with uncommon animals that your kids might not see regularly!

Storytime Theme: Laughter whether a quick little giggle or a great big guffaw, I love to laugh! Check out these laugh-out-loud stories!

Looking for something new for storytime? Check out Storytime Theme: Construction, perfect for the little builders in your life!

Storytime Theme: Family is sharing how grateful I am for my family this November and celebrating all the great families in storytime!

One of my most popular posts of all time - Storytime Theme: Imagination Station is a great list of picture book titles to inspire creativity!

Have you heard about story stones? They’re becoming so popular and I get questions all the time about how to use them AND how to make them. So today I’m sharing how easy it is for you to make your own at home as well as some tips on how to use them. I absolutely […]

Story time books to get kids moving and grooving during the read aloud.

The Library Adventure uses affiliate links, see our policies for more information. Opening and Closing or Hello and Goodbye songs are staples of Story Time! In addition to being fun they provide structure for your group. I usually keep my beginning and ending songs the same every week, but now and then it is fun […]

Okay, so really some of these are sub-Saharan critters. Lions, zebras and giraffes don't live in jungles, right? Monkeys do...and crocodiles, and jungle elephants. But anyway, on with the rhyme! I realize my giraffe is missing some important parts. They're going on tomorrow! You can read the background story below if you're interested, but if not, let's just cut to the chase! Choose five of your animals and line 'em up. Put your sub-Saharan scene a bit away from your animals, and commence your chant: This little monkey went to market. This little lion stayed home. This little zebra ate grass. And this little elephant ate none. And this little crocodile went "snap snap snap snap!" all the way home! Move the crocodile to the picture as you're saying the last few lines, then move him back to the front of the line of animals and start over. Always put your returning animal at the front of the line, so that the next time you do the rhyme you'll have a new animal at the end of the line--that's the one that goes "all the way home". You can really use this rhyme with any set of five animals--farm, zoo, jungle, pets, etc. You could do it with bugs, even. And sea creatures! Just make sure you know what everyone eats and what noise or movement they make before you get started :) And guess what? This set is for sale at my Etsy shop! The Flannel Friday roundup is being hosted this week by Kate at Felt Board Magic! You'll also find other Flannel Friday goodies at Pinterest, Facebook, and the FF blog--check them out! _________________________________________________________________________________ Background Story:A few weeks ago I was playing with one of my two year olds with these sorting farm animals: We were lining them up, building homes for them, making them slide down ramps, and just generally having a good old time with them. (They are great, and most sorting toys are too small for below age three, so I especially love these guys!) At one point I started doing the This Little Piggy rhyme, but the row of animals I was pointing at had only one piggy, so I substituted the other animals names and sounds, and did the rhyme that way. It was a hit--I had to do it at least 17 times before I was allowed to play anywhere else! Yesterday when I pulled out my Herman the Worm flannel board story, I recalled the hacked version of This Little Piggy rhyme and tried it with the Herman and his friends. It worked, and I decided I wanted a set to devote to it. I went for jungle animals because there are already so many farm songs and poems swimming around in my head, and I wanted to change things up a bit.