Themed storytime plans crafted by our librarians are available for your home or classroom. Each plan contains a list of books and links to storytime songs sung by our staff and ideas for crafts and other activities. New plans will be added on occasion.
Storytime At Home Guide
- Pick two or three books to read. Availability of a book in our digital library is noted below the title.
- Sing a song or two. Sing and rhyme along with PPL staff in the linked videos or simply sing a song that you already know.
- Try an activity or craft. Not every storytime needs a craft or game, but they can be a fun addition. Linked activities require minimal supplies not provided by the library.
- Be flexible. Don’t worry about having a set plan. The most important thing is to have fun.
Storytime Tips & Hints
Youth Services staff offer these suggestions:
- Read with enthusiasm. Give the characters in your story different voices. Change the pitch, volume and tempo of your voice. Most importantly, choose books that you enjoy reading.
- Encourage your listeners to repeat phrases with you. This helps little readers stay engaged with the story.
- Kids like repetition. After each book you read, do a song, rhyme or fingerplay and repeat it a couple of times.
- Try reading a nonfiction book. Studies have shown that sharing nonfiction books with young readers strengthens early literacy skills such as vocabulary and background knowledge. Even if you don’t read all the text in an informational book, learning a few facts and discussing a few photos can be a wonderful addition to your storytime.