Family Storytime (all ages)
Tuesdays at 5:30 p.m. and Saturdays at 10:30 a.m.
Storyteller: Arin Hailey Reese
Family Storytime has stories, songs and rhymes for all ages, with a craft activity and playtime after the program. It takes place on Tuesdays at 5:30 p.m. and Saturdays at 10:30 a.m. in order to offer a family-friendly library program that busy working parents can attend with their children. The Saturday morning storytime draws a large crowd each week thanks to our neighborhood's thriving farmer's market, so be sure to arrive early to get a spot on the rug!
While Family Storytime is open to children of all ages and their grown-ups, the books, songs, and games are ideal for preschoolers age 3 and up. Preschoolers love to get wild and silly, so this program can be active and a little zany. The activities in the program incorporate singing, reading, playing, and talking to reinforce early literacy skills. Throughout the program, we will offer tips for parents on ways to bolster literacy. After the storytime, handouts will be available with lyrics to the songs and rhymes as well as information on everyday ways to support literacy development in young children.
While Family Storytime is open to children of all ages and their grown-ups, the books, songs, and games are ideal for preschoolers age 3 and up. Preschoolers love to get wild and silly, so this program can be active and a little zany. The activities in the program incorporate singing, reading, playing, and talking to reinforce early literacy skills. Throughout the program, we will offer tips for parents on ways to bolster literacy. After the storytime, handouts will be available with lyrics to the songs and rhymes as well as information on everyday ways to support literacy development in young children.
Storytime Theme: Getting Dressed
Getting dressed: It's something we all have to do, but some of us are more into "making it work" than others. This storytime has funny books that appeal to all kids, no matter where they fall on the "getting dressed" debate.
Opening Song: “Look Who Came to Story Time" (adapted from “Look Who Came to School Today”)
(Retrieved from http://www.resourcesforearlylearning.org/educators/activity/1496/)
Parents are encouraged to sing along, as the song is simple and repetitious. If there are regular attendees at storytime, I will sing their names as we go around the circle. For children I do not yet know, their parents can sing out their child’s name when we come to their place, and then the group can repeat the name in the following verses. Alternatively, name tags can be distributed and filled out before the program begins, or I can sing about groups in general, e.g. “Look who came to storytime...Children came to storytime (Mamas, Nannies, Grandpas, etc.)….”
Early Literacy Elements: Singing; phonological awareness, vocabulary
Welcome/Talking Point
Boys and girls and grown-ups, welcome to Family Storytime! You all look so fabulous today! I just love what you have chosen to wear to the library today. I bet all you kids got dressed all by yourselves without a fuss, right? Well, getting dressed is something we all have to do every day, and today's storytime is all about just that: getting dressed! We'll read some books about kids who love to get dressed, and others about kids who really, really don't. We're going to have so much fun together!
Grown-ups, the next half hour or so is all about having fun with your children, so I encourage you to sing along and be silly. Kids don’t take themselves too seriously, and neither should we! As your children enter preschool and get ready for kindergarten, their are building on their skills toward becoming super readers. There are five simple behaviors we can engage in every day to help stengthen the brain connections necessary for literacy: talking, singing, playing, reading, and writing. We'll be doing lots of those things today, and I'll be distributing handouts at the end of the session with even more ideas for fun things you can do at home. Now, let's get started!
Action Rhyme: "Red, Red is the Color I See"
(Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Vi7QWUXg9t8)
This active rhyme will kick off our storytime, as kids make connections between the colors I see and the clothes they're wearing. Parents are encouraged to help and to join in the dance
Early Literacy Elements: Talking, singing, playing; phonological awareness, vocabulary
Book: Pete the Cat: I Love My White Shoes, by Eric Litwin (author) and James Dean (illustator)
(See References)
(Tune retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nUubMSfIs-U&feature=youtu.be)
We'll continue our exploration of colors with this fun book about a cat who loves his shoes but goes with the flow as they begin to pick up stains. Kids love to sing along with this one!
Early Literacy Elements: Reading, singing, talking; print motivation, print awareness, phonological awareness, narrative skills, vocabulary
Active Rhyme: Socks and Shoes
(Retrieved from http://www.bklynlibrary.org/first-5-years/songs-rhymes/lets-get-dressed)
We'll get up to move and sing this action song a couple of times, so the kids become familiar with the words and movements. On our final rhyme, we'll change the last time to “now sit back down and away we go!” to lead into the next story.
Early Literacy Elements: Talking, singing, playing; phonological awareness, vocabulary
Book: I Am Invited to a Party!, by Mo Willems
(See References)
Mo Willems's Elephant and Piggie series is perfect for preschool and early elementary kids, thanks to the easy words, cute drawings, and Willems's original sense of humor. In this book, Piggie is invited to a party and doesn't know quite what to wear--but of course Gerald the elephant has some wild ideas.
Early Literacy Elements: Reading, talking; print motivation, print awareness, phonological awareness, narrative skills, vocabulary
Talking Point: Fun Books Build Print Motivation
What exactly is "print motivation?" One of the six early literacy skills, print motivation simply means being interested in books and reading. When children have positive feelings toward reading, they will be more willing to engage in the work of learning to read all by themselves. How can we help that along? By choosing fun, silly books to explore with our kids and showing an enjoyment of reading ourselves! The funny books we're reading today are just a few examples. If you find your child is engaged in books at any storyime, don't forget to pick up a handout at the end of the program with recommendations for similar books. And you can always ask me or the other librarians for good picks for your child, no matter what their interests.
Book: This Is the Baby, by Candace Fleming (author) and Maggie Smith (illustrator)
(See References)
Young children, especially those with little siblings, find this book hilarious. It's about a baby who refuses to get dressed. The story builds on itself and continuously repeats what came before, and kids love to participate in the baby's constant response of "No! No! Noooo!" This is a great book for getting loud and giggly.
Early Literacy Elements: Reading, talking; print motivation, print awareness, phonological awareness, narrative skills, vocabulary
Song: "I’m Going to Take a Sweater" (to the tune of “He’s a Jolly Good Fellow”)
(Retrieved from https://storytimekatie.com/2011/06/06/clothes/)
In this song, we talk about all the things we take when we go out for the day. I'll sing a few rounds with some obvious choices such as a sweater, an umbrella, and a backpack. Then I'll ask the kids for suggestions, and encourage them to suggest whatever crazy thing they wish they could take when going out. Flippers? A tuxedo? A space suit? The possibilities are limitless.
Early Literacy Elements: Talking, singing, playing; phonological awareness, vocabulary
Book: Animals Should Not Definitely Not Wear Clothing, by Judi Barrett (author) and Ronald Barrett (illustrator).
(See References)
With big words on one page, and well-drawn silly illustrations on the facing page, this book is great for reading to groups of small children. The fancy adjectives used throughout stretch vocabulary jsut enough, and the pictures and theme of the book make the meanings obvious.
Early Literacy Elements: Reading, talking; print motivation, print awareness, phonological awareness, narrative skills, vocabulary
Closing Song: "Goodbye, Friends" (sung to the tune of "Goodnight, Ladies")
(Tune retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fMruF_CLrqM)
This brief song concludes the formal part of the program. If time permits, we can sing goodbye to each child by name, as we did in the Opening Song.
Lyrics adapted:
Goodbye, children
goodbye, grownups
goodbye, friends.
It’s time to say goodbye.
(Clap in time): Hope you have a happy day,
happy day,
happy day.
Hope you have a happy day,
we’re glad that you were here!
Early Literacy Elements: Singing; phonological awareness, vocabulary
Activity: Dress up Elephant and Piggie or color and label Pete the Cat's shoes
(Elephant and Piggie coloring sheet retrieved from http://pigeonpresents.com/teachersguides/EandP_eventkit2013.pdf)
(Blank clothing cutouts for coloring retrieved from http://coloringpanda.com/printable-clothing-coloring-pages)
(Pete the Cat coloring sheet retrieved from https://dbsenk.files.wordpress.com/2014/04/pete-the-cat.jpg)
Kids can dress up Elephant and Piggie for their party by coloring clothing cutouts and gluing them onto a coloring sheet. We will also have a Pete the Cat coloring sheet on which kids can color Pete's shoes and fill in the blank with the word or a scribble in the color they chose.
Early Literacy Elements: Talking, reading, playing; print motivation, print awareness, phonological awareness, letter knowledge, narrative skills, vocabulary
Stay and Play
Developmentally appropriate toys, games, puzzles, and books are set out for the children to explore. Parents are encouraged to play with their children, get to know other parents, and check out books to bring home. Handouts are distributed.
Early Literacy Elements: Talking, reading, playing; print motivation, print awareness, phonological awareness, letter knowledge, narrative skills, vocabulary
Handouts
Opening Song: “Look Who Came to Story Time" (adapted from “Look Who Came to School Today”)
(Retrieved from http://www.resourcesforearlylearning.org/educators/activity/1496/)
Parents are encouraged to sing along, as the song is simple and repetitious. If there are regular attendees at storytime, I will sing their names as we go around the circle. For children I do not yet know, their parents can sing out their child’s name when we come to their place, and then the group can repeat the name in the following verses. Alternatively, name tags can be distributed and filled out before the program begins, or I can sing about groups in general, e.g. “Look who came to storytime...Children came to storytime (Mamas, Nannies, Grandpas, etc.)….”
Early Literacy Elements: Singing; phonological awareness, vocabulary
Welcome/Talking Point
Boys and girls and grown-ups, welcome to Family Storytime! You all look so fabulous today! I just love what you have chosen to wear to the library today. I bet all you kids got dressed all by yourselves without a fuss, right? Well, getting dressed is something we all have to do every day, and today's storytime is all about just that: getting dressed! We'll read some books about kids who love to get dressed, and others about kids who really, really don't. We're going to have so much fun together!
Grown-ups, the next half hour or so is all about having fun with your children, so I encourage you to sing along and be silly. Kids don’t take themselves too seriously, and neither should we! As your children enter preschool and get ready for kindergarten, their are building on their skills toward becoming super readers. There are five simple behaviors we can engage in every day to help stengthen the brain connections necessary for literacy: talking, singing, playing, reading, and writing. We'll be doing lots of those things today, and I'll be distributing handouts at the end of the session with even more ideas for fun things you can do at home. Now, let's get started!
Action Rhyme: "Red, Red is the Color I See"
(Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Vi7QWUXg9t8)
This active rhyme will kick off our storytime, as kids make connections between the colors I see and the clothes they're wearing. Parents are encouraged to help and to join in the dance
Early Literacy Elements: Talking, singing, playing; phonological awareness, vocabulary
Book: Pete the Cat: I Love My White Shoes, by Eric Litwin (author) and James Dean (illustator)
(See References)
(Tune retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nUubMSfIs-U&feature=youtu.be)
We'll continue our exploration of colors with this fun book about a cat who loves his shoes but goes with the flow as they begin to pick up stains. Kids love to sing along with this one!
Early Literacy Elements: Reading, singing, talking; print motivation, print awareness, phonological awareness, narrative skills, vocabulary
Active Rhyme: Socks and Shoes
(Retrieved from http://www.bklynlibrary.org/first-5-years/songs-rhymes/lets-get-dressed)
We'll get up to move and sing this action song a couple of times, so the kids become familiar with the words and movements. On our final rhyme, we'll change the last time to “now sit back down and away we go!” to lead into the next story.
Early Literacy Elements: Talking, singing, playing; phonological awareness, vocabulary
Book: I Am Invited to a Party!, by Mo Willems
(See References)
Mo Willems's Elephant and Piggie series is perfect for preschool and early elementary kids, thanks to the easy words, cute drawings, and Willems's original sense of humor. In this book, Piggie is invited to a party and doesn't know quite what to wear--but of course Gerald the elephant has some wild ideas.
Early Literacy Elements: Reading, talking; print motivation, print awareness, phonological awareness, narrative skills, vocabulary
Talking Point: Fun Books Build Print Motivation
What exactly is "print motivation?" One of the six early literacy skills, print motivation simply means being interested in books and reading. When children have positive feelings toward reading, they will be more willing to engage in the work of learning to read all by themselves. How can we help that along? By choosing fun, silly books to explore with our kids and showing an enjoyment of reading ourselves! The funny books we're reading today are just a few examples. If you find your child is engaged in books at any storyime, don't forget to pick up a handout at the end of the program with recommendations for similar books. And you can always ask me or the other librarians for good picks for your child, no matter what their interests.
Book: This Is the Baby, by Candace Fleming (author) and Maggie Smith (illustrator)
(See References)
Young children, especially those with little siblings, find this book hilarious. It's about a baby who refuses to get dressed. The story builds on itself and continuously repeats what came before, and kids love to participate in the baby's constant response of "No! No! Noooo!" This is a great book for getting loud and giggly.
Early Literacy Elements: Reading, talking; print motivation, print awareness, phonological awareness, narrative skills, vocabulary
Song: "I’m Going to Take a Sweater" (to the tune of “He’s a Jolly Good Fellow”)
(Retrieved from https://storytimekatie.com/2011/06/06/clothes/)
In this song, we talk about all the things we take when we go out for the day. I'll sing a few rounds with some obvious choices such as a sweater, an umbrella, and a backpack. Then I'll ask the kids for suggestions, and encourage them to suggest whatever crazy thing they wish they could take when going out. Flippers? A tuxedo? A space suit? The possibilities are limitless.
Early Literacy Elements: Talking, singing, playing; phonological awareness, vocabulary
Book: Animals Should Not Definitely Not Wear Clothing, by Judi Barrett (author) and Ronald Barrett (illustrator).
(See References)
With big words on one page, and well-drawn silly illustrations on the facing page, this book is great for reading to groups of small children. The fancy adjectives used throughout stretch vocabulary jsut enough, and the pictures and theme of the book make the meanings obvious.
Early Literacy Elements: Reading, talking; print motivation, print awareness, phonological awareness, narrative skills, vocabulary
Closing Song: "Goodbye, Friends" (sung to the tune of "Goodnight, Ladies")
(Tune retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fMruF_CLrqM)
This brief song concludes the formal part of the program. If time permits, we can sing goodbye to each child by name, as we did in the Opening Song.
Lyrics adapted:
Goodbye, children
goodbye, grownups
goodbye, friends.
It’s time to say goodbye.
(Clap in time): Hope you have a happy day,
happy day,
happy day.
Hope you have a happy day,
we’re glad that you were here!
Early Literacy Elements: Singing; phonological awareness, vocabulary
Activity: Dress up Elephant and Piggie or color and label Pete the Cat's shoes
(Elephant and Piggie coloring sheet retrieved from http://pigeonpresents.com/teachersguides/EandP_eventkit2013.pdf)
(Blank clothing cutouts for coloring retrieved from http://coloringpanda.com/printable-clothing-coloring-pages)
(Pete the Cat coloring sheet retrieved from https://dbsenk.files.wordpress.com/2014/04/pete-the-cat.jpg)
Kids can dress up Elephant and Piggie for their party by coloring clothing cutouts and gluing them onto a coloring sheet. We will also have a Pete the Cat coloring sheet on which kids can color Pete's shoes and fill in the blank with the word or a scribble in the color they chose.
Early Literacy Elements: Talking, reading, playing; print motivation, print awareness, phonological awareness, letter knowledge, narrative skills, vocabulary
Stay and Play
Developmentally appropriate toys, games, puzzles, and books are set out for the children to explore. Parents are encouraged to play with their children, get to know other parents, and check out books to bring home. Handouts are distributed.
Early Literacy Elements: Talking, reading, playing; print motivation, print awareness, phonological awareness, letter knowledge, narrative skills, vocabulary
Handouts
- Song and rhyme lyrics, including "Red Is the Color I See," "Socks and Shoes," "I'm Going to Take a Sweater," and other easy rhymes to do at home
- Book list from today's storytime with recommendations for other developmentally appropriate books that fit with the theme
- Storytime and children's program schedules for this branch and others in the local library system
- Here Comes Kindergarten! handout on letters and writing (Retrieved from https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/159283785/Here%20Comes%20Kindergarten/HCK%202012-2013/Handouts/Letters%20and%20Writing.pdf)
- Handouts from other storytimes (Baby Bounce and Toddler Storytime) for parents with younger children