Storytime with Pocket book

If you have a storytime that includes a book about a pocket such as A Pocket for Corduroy by Don Freeman, Pouch! by Davide Stein or Katy No-Pocket by Emily Payne, here is a craft you can use to go with it.

Early Literacy Tip: As you are doing this craft with your children, you will notice they are developing what we call fine motor skills, using their finger muscles, as they cut out the pocket with scissors and lace the pocket. These are the same muscles they need for writing. If you like, you can add the letter P for “pocket” or the first letter of your child’s name. This helps develop their letter knowledge. The activities you do with your children all work together to help build a strong foundation for later reading.

Jennifer Rodriguez, New Braunfels (TX) Public Library

Early Literacy Scavenger Hunts

Scavenger hunts are a fun activity for parents/caregivers and children to do together. I have developed one for Toddlers and one for Preschoolers. Each one is two-sided.
Toddlers
Preschoolers

Early Literacy Tip—Empower
We have talked about different aspects of early literacy in our storytime. Here is a scavenger hunt you can do here at the library or throughout the week. These activities help develop all aspects of early literacy, helping your child be ready to learn to read. I look forward to seeing your scavenger hunt sheets next time you are here!

Amber Jarvis, Children’s Specialist, Moyock Public Library (NC)

Spunky Little Monkey by Bill Martin Jr. and Michael Sampson

Introduction: Our next book is called Spunky Little Monkey by Bill Martin Jr. and Michael Sampson. It is illustrated by Brian Won. [Remember Hooray for Hat? Brian Won wrote and illustrated that book, too! Bill Martin, Jr. wrote Brown, Bear, Brown, Bear, What Do You See?]

I'd like you to help me with reading this book. The monkey is getting some exercise and does somemovements to sounds. So, when it says the rhythm of the head, the sound is ding-dong and we move our head from side to side. Let me see you do that. Great! When it says rhythm of the hands, then we clap twice, clap clap. Try that. Great! For the feet, it says stomp stomp, so stomp your feet twice. Good! And then for the rhythm of the hips, it says shake, shake so wiggle your hips. OK! Let's try it.
[Read the book, having them join in. Repeat the movements in sequence till the children are comfortable with it--the page with ding dong, clap clap, stomp stomp, shake shake] Yay! You got the pattern--ding dong, clap clap, stomp stomp, shake shake!

Early Learning Aside--Example--Math Concepts--Patterns: Adults, in math, a repeated sequence is a pattern. When we did the repeated motions over and again, they could notice the pattern and begin to anticipate what comes next. This fun activity and book helps to build math skills!

Early Learning Aside--Empower: You can notice patterns or make up movement and clapping patterns throughout the day. Lots of fun and builds math skills, too.

City Shapes by Diana Murray

Introduction: Let's look at the cover of our next book, City Shapes by Diana Murray. It is illustrated by Bryan Collier. What do you see on the cover? [Note some different shapes, also kaleidoscope. Describe one, show one if possible. Open to end papers--what do they see, what does it look like?] 
Read the book, pointing out and asking children to point out some of the shapes.
Early Literacy Aside--Example:  Did you know--recognizing shapes is a first step to recognizing and writing letters, because researchers have found that children actually identify letters by their shapes. And this book has so many possibilities for recognizing shapes, from toddlers to school-age children.
Early Literacy Aside--Empower:  When we talk about shapes all around us, throughout the day, we help our children become more aware of shapes which will support their letter knowledge.
OR
Writing Activity: Have children draw a picture of whatever they like, can be related to the book.
Early Literacy Aside--Example: Adults, as your children are drawing and talking about their picture, talk with them about the shapes they see in the picture. Helping them be aware of shapes will also them identify and write letters.

Opposite Surprise by Agnese Baruzzi

[Opposite Surprise is a fold-out board book that can be used on different levels with mixed age groups. Some of the concepts are simple, like small or big which shows a small car and a large truck. Others are more complicated like thin and wide showing a pencil and a bridge, and one rather puzzling hot and cold showing the sun and two plugs. School age children could even make their own fold-out pages of opposites.]

Introduction: Our next book is a book about opposites. Can anyone tell me something that is opposite? [See if they give examples.] Let's look at this fun book of opposites. [Choose a few pages or read the whole book, talking about the pictures and the words that are opposite, letting older children guess what might the picture might be before opening the fold-out page.]
Early Literacy Aside--Example: Background Knowledge--Conceptual Thinking: Adults, we might often use words that are opposite like big and small or up and down. However, also pointing out that these ARE opposites helps children learn the concept of opposite which builds their understanding about the world around them, and also their comprehension when they later read these words.
OR
Early Literacy Aside--Example: Vocabulary: Adults, when we use the word opposite with words that are opposites, we are helping to build children's vocabulary which will later help them understand what they read.

Early Literacy Aside--Empower: Adults, you certainly don't need a book about opposites to talk about opposites. As you are playing with your children, even lifting them up and down, feeling tired or rested/refreshed, or in the bathtub--float and sink--there are many opportunities throughout the day to talk about opposites which helps your children understand their world.

Found by Salina Yoon

This book can is a good one for mixed age groups. It can be understood on many levels. Even adults will enjoy the humor in the "Lost" signs, such as "Anyone see an elephant in the room?" or "Lost track of time."
Introduction: Here is a story called Found written by Salina Yoon. I see Bear on the cover. What do you think he has found? Yes, a bunny, a stuffed animal bunny rabbit. Let's see what happens when Bear tries to find bunny's home.
Read the book. On the page with all the Lost signs, read some of them, pointing to the text.
Early Literacy Tip--Example: [After reading the book, go back to the page with the lost signs. Point to and read a couple of the signs.] Pointing out the words in signs is one great way to help children develop print awareness, that print has meaning, that we are reading the text, not the pictures. This will make it easier for them to focus on the text when they learn to read.
Early Literacy Tip--Empower: Whenever you see signs, as you are driving, walking, at a store, pointing out what the text says is one way to help your children develop print awareness, one of the pre-reading skills they need to learn to read.

Tractor by DK Publishing (Board book)

Introduction: Our next book is a board book that is cleverly cut in the shape of a tractor. We won't read the whole book, but this is a good introduction to a tractor, its different parts, and what it does. Let's look at the cover. What do you see? (lights, tires) What does a tractor do? . . . Good ideas! Let's find out more. [Choose a page or two to share.]

Early Literacy Aside--Example:  Adults, when we talk with our children, even our young children, about factual information, we help them learn about the world. This introduces them to the background knowledge they will need to later understand what they read. Even if they do not understand everything we say, it is still important to share the information with them.

Early Literacy Aside--Empower: Adults, you do not need a book to share factual information with your children. As you are doing things together or going places together, share information you know about any topic of interest. You are building your child's background knowledge about the world which helps with comprehension. And! they are so very curious about the world.

Zoom, Zoom, Baby by Karen Katz

Introduction: Our next book is Zoom, Zoom, Baby by Karen Katz. In this book there are many environmental sounds, sounds we hear around us. We can say these sounds together. Let's practice first (children and adults say each sound together, adding repetitions till they are comfortable with saying the sounds--the boat goes putt-putt; the bus goes beep! beep, the plane goes whoosh-whoosh, the train goes choo-choo; the truck goes rumble-rumble; and the car goes zoom-zoom.
OK! let's read this book all together.

Early Literacy Aside--Example: Adults, drawing your children's attention to the sounds in the environment helps them become aware of sounds. This is a very beginning step to having them later hear the smaller sounds in words which will later help them sound out words when they learn to read. (That skill is called phonological awareness.)

Early Literacy Aside--Empower: Adults, remember the book Zoom, Zoom, Baby by Karen Katz, which I read earlier? You can talk about the sounds you hear at home and as you go about your errands, even without a book. Helping your children become more aware of sounds will help them later hear those smaller sounds in words which will help them sound out words as they learn to read. Yes! It does start early.

Don't Spill the Beans by Ian Schoenherr

Early Literacy Aside--Example: Adults, in our next book, notice the many ways to say the same thing, so many different expressions. Talking about the different meanings of words helps to build your children's vocabulary which will later help them understand what they read.
To the children: Our next book is called Don't Spill the Beans by Ian Schoenherr. What do you think "don't spill the beans" means? What is one thing it might mean? . . . discuss
In this book it is meaning--don't tell a secret. Bear has a fun secret. Let's see what it is. [Read the book.]
Early Literacy Aside--Empower: Adults, this week you may like to think about some of the expressions you use, and talk about words with different meanings. I have a handout with some more idioms.
Idioms Can Be Funny

Look at You! by Star Bright Books (book with a mirror)

Early Literacy Aside--Explain: Today I'll be pointing out we can share feelings while using books and songs. It is important to use many different words for feelings. This not only helps your child learn new words and builds their vocabulary, but it also helps them manage their feelings. The first step to managing feelings is to able to identify feelings.

Book: Read Look at You!  Talk about the expressions on the faces of the children in the photos. For some, you may ask them to make the faces of those feelings. Older children will be able to remember a time they felt that way.
Early Literacy Aside--Example: As we shared this book, some of the children shared when they have felt upset or surprised, which helps them understand these feeling words and their own feelings more deeply. Using specific words for feelings helps develop your children's vocabulary.

Early Literacy Aside--Empower: There are many books that lend themselves to talking about feelings. Sometimes you may talk about feelings from the expression on a character's face in a picture, even if the feeling word is not mentioned in the text. When you read with your child, your child can share more than in a storytime group. I hope this week you will enjoy sharing feelings as you read together. I have a list of some feeling words to give you, to help bring them to mind. Sometimes it is hard to think of words for our feelings, other than the obvious ones like happy, sad, angry, surprised.
Words for Feelings handout

Black Rabbit by Philippa Leathers

Our next story is about a rabbit who notices a black rabbit following him around in the light of day. Let's see if you can figure out what that black rabbit is.
Activity: Use a flashlight to demonstrate making a shadow. If you want you can do this after the book as an explanation.
Read The Black Rabbit by Philippa Leathers.
Activity: Hand out flashlights for children to make hand shadows. Ask questions about how to make a shadow larger or smaller. Have children and adults experiment together.

Early Learning Aside--Empower: As you walk around outside during the day, talk about shadows and how they are made. Do you see your shadow on a cloudy day? at night? When you talk with children about shadows, you are helping them learn about earth sciences, their world and how it works. Children are curious and interested in the world around them. Your explanations will later help them understand what they read.

Solomon Crocodile by Catherine Rayner

Introduction: Our next book is about a crocodile who is trying to have some fun and in the process is stirring up a big ruckus!Early Literacy Aside--Example: Adults, listen to the many interesting words that children may not hear in everyday conversation. You'll see that I will actually talk about a couple of the words. This is a good way to build your children's vocabulary in a gentle way.

Read the book. [You can see there are many synonyms such as a pest, a nuisance, a pain and several interesting verbs such as stalk, splat, croak, squawk, spies, charges. Choose one or two to talk about.]

Early Literacy Aside--Empower: Children learn through repetition. So, reading a story such as Solomon Crocodile over several days or weeks will help them understand the story better. They may become so familiar with it that they join in with the words in the book. And you may find that they use some of those interesting words in other situations. You can too. The best way to learn new words is not from lists of words with definitions, but from using the words in different situations when appropriate.

Too Tall Houses by Gianna Marino

Early Literacy Aside--Explain: In today's storytime  I will be pointing out ways you can support your children's background knowledge through talking about what is happening in a book and writing about it too. By asking children about the story, we help them thinking bout what is happening and help them better understand the story. 
Introduction: Our next book is Too Tall Houses by Gianna Marino. There are two houses in this story, one for Rabbit and one for Owl and they get the two houses get too tall; they get very tall. In this story Rabbit and Owl have a problem. Let's see what that problem is and maybe you can give some suggestions on how to solve it.
Read the book to the page where Owl's house is blocking the sun that Rabbit needs for his garden, but Owl wants to see the forest. Ask an open-ended question such as "What do you think might happen?" "What do you think Rabbit and Owl could do solve their problem? Rabbit needs sun for his garden but his garden has grown tall and Owl wants to see the forest."
Early Literacy Aside--Example: Some stories, like this one,  really lend themselves to helping your children think about how to solve problems. Asking them to stop and think about possible solutions develops their thinking skills which also helps with understanding. Remember there is no one right answer. It is good for them to think about different possibilities.
Early Literacy Aside--Empower: In our storytime today we read the story Too Tall Houses. There are several ways Rabbit and Owl might have solved their problem. Have your children draw their own ending to the story and write down what they say. This activity combines writing with problem solving to make for better comprehension now and as they learn to read themselves.

Peanut & Fifi Have a Ball by Randall de Seve

Introduction: When we use books that are fun and use imagination, our children make a connection to the story. In Peanut and Fifi Have a Ball written by Randall de Seve and illustrated by Paul Schmid, Peanut has a new ball and Fifi tries so hard to get her to play.  Watch how this story uses a simple item and adds imagination.
Read the book.
Activity: Act out the story.
Early Literacy Aside--Example: Acting out the story, dramatic play, reinforces both the story itself and the pleasure about the story. By internalizing the story, they are better able to understand it.
Early Literacy Aside--Empower:  I hope you'll encourage playing with stories at home as well. Take a box, ruler, blanket, ball, or many other simple items and use make believe to encourage play.  Other books that work with Play and imagination are Not a Box and Not a Stick by Antoinette Portis.  After playing with a simple item, you can always expand on this play by having your child draw something they did, dictate a story about their play, or just describe what they did with the item.  Using writing to expand on the story validates your child’s play. Talking about and recording the story,  going over the sequence is uses their narrative skills which helps your child learn how stories work by using first, next, and last. Submitted by Dianna Burt, Allen County (IN) Public Library

The Doorbell Rang by Pat Hutchins Handout

Introduce the book The Doorbell Rang by Pat Hutchins. Have children repeat the phrase "No one makes cookies like Grandma."
Read the book. Count the cookies on one plate as more children arrive. Early Literacy Aside--Empower: The kitchen is a great place for activities around counting and measuring whether you use recipes or not. A “handful” is a measurement! How does the amount in your handful compare to the amount in your child’s handful? The bathtub is another great place to play with measurement, pouring water from one container to another. I have a handout here to go with The Doorbell Rang. You and your children can cut out the twelve cookies and plates and see how the cookies are divided as more children come. Handout:  doorbellranghandout

Chicka Chicka Boom Boom Tree Craft

Chicka Chicka Boom Boom Tree Craft:Offer enough materials for one per person (children and adults). Use construction paper cut outs for tree and cocoanuts, or offer a blank sheet of paper to draw a tree. Children can color their trees, and glue coconuts and leaves to tree. The youngest children can pat the glued pieces. Older children can write letters or something that looks like a letter.  If they know how to write their name, they can write those letters on their tree.  Encourage adults to describe and talk about what their children have drawn and made.

Early Literacy Aside--Empower: As you make things with your children, you can take opportunities to support their awareness of letters. With your preschoolers, help them write the letters in their name, but don’t worry if it’s not perfect. For younger children, talking about shapes, like the shapes of the cocoanuts or the shapes in the leaves, is the beginning of letter knowledge because children recognize letters by their shapes. Enjoy!

Submitted by Katie Ringenbach, Bucks County (PA) Public Library

Joseph Had an Overcoat by Simms Taback

Read book:  Joseph Had an Overcoat by Simms TabackHave children say the repeated phrase, "But it got old and worn."
Retell with flannel board: Now let's do the story on the flannel board. What happened first?
Early Literacy Aside--Empower: [As you give out the handout] I have a handout for you today for Joseph Had an Overcoat. It is the same pattern that I used for the flannel board. You can cut out the pieces and have your children retell the story. As you have your children retell other stories too, using props can help them remember what comes next. For your younger children who may not be able to retell stories, they can repeat a word or perhaps a phrase. These are all activities that will later help your child understand how stories work and also help them understand what they read. Pattern for flannel board and handout:  josephovercoathandout

Elmer by David McKee Craft

Extension Activity: Elmer PuppetHand out elephant cut outs on white card stock and colorful construction paper squares to glue to the elephant or crayons to color the elephant. They then glue a popsicle stick to the back. Encourage children to describe what they made and to retell the story using their puppet. Adults with babies can make a colorful elephant to move in front of their babies’ eyes and talk about the shapes and colors.

Early Literacy Aside--Empower: Adults as you play with your children or make crafts with them, try to use a word they are less familiar with. Children learn words best through their experiences, not by memorizing words. You might use less familiar words for colors, like fuschia or magenta, or perhaps the way the elephant is walking, lumbering slowly along. You have many opportunities throughout the day to build your children’s vocabulary. It is these little things you do over and over again that make a difference.

Submitted by Katie Ringenbach, Bucks County (PA) Public Library

There Were Ten in the Bed by Annie Kubler

Extension Craft Activity: Five in the Bed Handout
Half-sheet of construction paper cut lengthwise and figures for children to decorate. Younger children glue five figures in the bed; older children decorate with more detail. Each child also gets a brad so that they can rotate their figures onto and out of the bed as in the book/song.

night1

Early Literacy Aside--Empower: Adults, your children are not only using their art to reinforce retelling the story There Were Ten in the Bed we read today, but also to reinforce our early literacy skill.  Singing is a great way to support phonological awareness in that it slows down the words and gives a different note to each syllable, so today’s activity is a 2 for 1!

Submitted by Katie Ringenbach, Bucks County (PA) Public Library

Little Red Hen Handout

Early Literacy Aside--Empower: In our storytime today, we read the story of the Little Red Hen by Byron Barton. Your children also retold the story with me on the flannel board. In today's handout I have the repeated phrases and the order of what the little red hen did. There are also boxes for your children to draw the animals. You can cut them out and have the children retell the story for you. For your younger children, they can say the words "Not I" or say the sounds of the animals. Having your children retell stories helps them understand the story better and helps them learn how stories work. Enjoy!Handout: lrhenhandout