How to Prepare

Plan early: 

10 Storytime Tips

1. Use an expressive voice - Change the volume and tone of your voice to reflect the things that are happening in the story, or use different voices for different characters.

2. Read the books ahead of time - Make sure you are comfortable reading the books you have chosen, that you can pronounce all the words, and that you can get the pace of the wording right.

3. Make eye contact - Be comfortable enough with the book to look at your audience as you read - it will keep them engaged.

4. Talk about the books with kids - Research has shown that children learn more from a story if they are given the opportunity to talk about it. Ask open ended questions during and after reading without interrupting the flow of the story. For example: Talk about what happened in the story, discuss unfamiliar words, and ask children to predict what might happen next, what their favorite part of the story was, or if they think it could really happen. Remember to always accept and respect all the answers given.

5. Use attention grabbers to transition between books - Use songs, rhymes, fingerplays, felt board stories or rhymes, puppets, or other quick activities to keep children involved. Practice these things beforehand so you are not reading from a sheet of paper!

6. Transition into storytime - Choose a song or other opening routine to help get everyone's attention before you begin reading the first book. Use it everytime you do storytime. Here is a list of good transitions for the start of storytime. You can do this at the end of storytime as well!

7.

Early Literacy Storytimes

Storytime Applications for the Every Child Ready To Read program from the ALA.