Early Literacy Storytime: Play with Books

Here’s a way to add a literacy tip about playing to your baby storytime!

When you’re setting up for your storytime, place a selection of board books on the floor near where your families will be sitting. Tell your grownups that the books are there for the babies to play with during storytime, and it’s okay if they do! Keep an eye on the babies as you give your storytime. Watch to see if one of them picks up a book, chews on it, flips a page, or in any way interacts with the book. Make a note of it mentally and at your next transition time, say something like, “Grownups, did you see Ellie trying to open that book! She is learning how books work! I know you read to your babies, and that’s a wonderful way to help them get ready to read. You can also give them time to explore and play with books on their own, when you’re not reading to them! This helps them learn that books are enjoyable, are interactive, and aren’t just for grownups, which will help them stay interested in books as they grow.”

If you don’t feel that having the babies play during storytime is a good fit for your presentation style or your audience, you can set out books for them to play with before storytime begins, and give your message at that point. If you have time for free play afterwards, you could do this then, too!