• Activities

    Storytime Theme: Summer

    beach pier

    Summer is right around the corner and you’ve got to celebrate with an awesome storytime! These great books share a variety of summertime activities and make great read alouds for toddlers, preschoolers, and even elementary school-age kiddos. Throw in a few songs and activities and you’re all set for at…

  • Activities

    How to Host Baby Storytime @ Your Library

    baby and mom

    We’ve hosted a baby storytime at our library for years. But, since COVID we’ve had to rearrange a lot of our space and staff and our baby storytime leader decided that after many, many years, she was ready to take a break. A few staff members were a little nervous…

  • Activities

    Music & Movement for Preschoolers

    kids dancing

    This was a new program I tried at my library. We’re hosting regular storytimes, but we’re also always looking for ways to try new and different programs for our toddlers and preschoolers. This was a departure from what we’ve done in the past – not a storytime and not a…

  • Activities

    Storytime Theme: Slow Animals

    tortoise

    I love this sweet storytime about getting ready for preschool! Most kids are a little nervous when trying something new and as parents and caregivers it’s our job to prepare them for what’s coming! These are the perfect books to use as kids transition into preschool with a bunch of…

  • Activities

    Storytime Theme: Preschool

    preschool

    I love this sweet storytime about getting ready for preschool! Most kids are a little nervous when trying something new and as parents and caregivers it’s our job to prepare them for what’s coming! These are the perfect books to use as kids transition into preschool with a bunch of…

  • Activities

    Storytime Theme: Kindness

    friendship

    Today’s storytime is of the utmost importance as society today seems to have forgotten the basic tenet. With stories about how to be kind in different types of ways, plus some adorable activities this storytime lesson plan can be aged up or down depending on the age of your kiddos.…

  • Activities

    Storytime Theme: Chickens

    chickens

    How is it possible that in the years and years I’ve done storytime, I’ve never done a chicken theme? Well, I’m changing that now with these adorable chicken stories. But have no fear, if you need a few more ideas, check out this list from a few years ago that…

  • Activities

    Storytime Theme: Friendship

    friendship

    Friendship is an important and sometimes difficult part of life and little ones need to know how to behave to be good friends. I selected a lot of really fun books, but you can always add quick little asides about things that make the characters good friends. Add in a…

  • Activities

    Storytime Theme: Black Voices

    Black Voices

    Although Black History Month is almost over, you can use this storytime lesson plan anytime during the year! Extremely important, Black history can be a little difficult to cover in a thirty-minute storytime for toddlers and preschoolers, so rather than focusing on history or biographies (which you could also do!).…

  • Lists

    2023 CLEL Bell Award Winners

    play blocks

    The CLEL Bell Awards are announced annually by the Colorado Libraries for Early Literacy (CLEL). Five books are awarded “in recognition of five high-quality picture books that provide excellent support of early literacy development in young children.” CLEL doesn’t just award books an award. They also create early literacy activity…