Preschool Storytime
Encourage school readiness with a storytime for active bodies and minds! Explore interactive stories, songs, and activities that help to promote early literacy learning while addressing attention, coordination and motor development. Each storytime includes stories, songs and movement activities and ends with open play time, allowing children and their families to socialize.
Toddler Storytime
Explore a new topic each week with stories, songs and rhymes designed to spark your child’s imagination and create the foundations for early literacy. Each storytime ends with open play time, allowing families to meet, play and socialize. Select sessions will include craft and/or sensory activities.
Best Practices
Storytime is designed for you and your little one to enjoy together! In order to make the most of your time at the library, we recommend the following:
- The MCSB Room, located on the library’s Lower Level, will be open ten minutes before our session begins. Upon arrival, sign-in with the storytime librarian, create a name tag with your child and choose a spot to settle in.
- Grown-ups, please participate as much you are able to! Children will emulate your actions at storytime, so we encourage you to move, dance and sing along with us in order to keep your child engaged. We also hope that you’ll repeat some of your favorite activities at home, to extend early literacy learning beyond the library. Please keep conversations and cell phone use to a minimum.
- During storytime, please feel free to let your child move about the room as needed. The only areas we ask caregivers to avoid are:
- The stage and screen. We ask that children do not climb on the stage area. We use a projector screen and flannel board in this space, and both are prone to wear and tear. If your child climbs onto the stage, please redirect them back onto the carpeted area.
- In front of the book. We always have some curious readers who like to stand close to (or in front of) the books we’re reading – if this happens, please direct your child back to a spot on the carpet.
- Don’t be afraid to move around, step out of the room, or leave storytime early. Wiggles and movement are entirely expected and developmentally appropriate, but if your child becomes disruptive, please step outside of the room and rejoin us when you can.
