Activities

Sensory-Friendly Storytime: Monsters

I visit the local intermediate unit in my county once a month to present story time to two different classes of toddlers and preschoolers who are on the autism spectrum and/or have other possible learning disabilities.  The classes are usually between 5 – 12 kids and are the majority are boys.

This is probably one of the best parts of my job!  I love the challenge that these children present and I love trying to find at least one piece of story time that interests each child.  We’ve done a construction theme, dinosaur theme, and bug theme in the past, so even though it’s nowhere near Halloween, I’m planning a monster themed story time for next week.  For the most part, I don’t choose books based on the children’s disabilities, I choose books that I think any child would enjoy.

There are tons of great monster books for kids – everything from relieving night-time fears to funny stories that are sure to make your kids giggle!  Because I see two different classes, I’m choosing a couple more books than I usually do.  Some are for the younger kids (mostly two-year-olds) and others are for the older (3 & 4 year-olds).

Sensory-Friendly Storytime: Monsters

Storytime Titles:

Title: I’m Not Going Out There
Author: Paul Bright
Summary: Monsters, witches, and een a dragon quake in fear when a prank transforms an ordinary person into a terrible beast!

Title: There Was an Old Monster!
Author: Rebecca, Adrian, & Ed Emberley
Summary: In this variation on the traditional cumulative rhyme, a monster swallows ants, a lizard, a bat, and other creatures to try and cure a stomachache that began when he swallowed a tick.

Title: Can You Make a Scary Face?*
Author: Jan Thomas
Summary: A ladybug invites the reader to play a game of “let’s pretend.”

* This is one of the funniest books to read out loud to a group of kids!  They absolutely love it!

Other monster books you might want to take a look at include:

  • Jumpy Jack & Googily by Meg Rosoff & Sophia Blackall
  • Billy Monster’s Daymare by Alan Durant
  • My Monster Mama Love Me So by Laura Leuck
  • Thelonius Monster’s Sky-High Fly Pie by Judy Sierra
  • Monster Hug by David Ezra Stein
  • What Do You Say When a Monster Says Boo? by Hope Vestergaard
  • Socksquatch by Frank W. Dormer
  • Leonardo the Terrible Monster by Mo Willems
  • Mostly Monsterly by Tammi Sauer

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