I would suggest making the age range for PJ storytime smaller. Perhaps capping the storytime at age 6 instead of 8. Because we allow children as young as 2 to participate, most stories, songs, etc, have to be geared towards that age group to have any hope of keeping their attention. While I don't treat it as a toddler or preschool storytime necessarily, I however cannot read lengthy stories and the music used in simple and repetitive. Older kids who attend usually sit out song/dance time and even when they are interested in some of the longer, more advanced stories, a bored toddler usually ruins the experience for them. So finding a group that enjoys all the stories and music for that week is a toss up depending on who chooses to come. So while we may not "kick out" older children who wish to sit in with their younger brothers and sisters, by lowering the age range to 6, we do make it more clear to patrons and the storyteller who the intended age group of storytime is.
It is so hard to please everyone. Sometimes I like to play a game that catches the interest of the parents so they are encouraged to interact with their child. One example is singing a classic song that parents remember like "I wish I was an Oscar Meyer wiener" (OK maybe not the best example) but when I did this for Family Saturday the parents sang because it was nostalgic and they sang with their kids because parents think they are cool. Sometimes I think you have to cater to the parents so they can help the children participate.
On the flip side, there are always those parents who don't want to go on a bear hunt. If you can gain their interest you are definitely doing something right.
Anyone else have any thoughts they can share? Should a 2-6 storytime be offered along with a 6-12? Family Storytimes are important to have and we may be excluding siblings from participating (whether they are too cool for school or not). Something to definitely explore.
Family/PJ storytime can definitely be tricky because of the wide age range. Like Jennifer said, it's hard to pick some of the longer/more plot driven stories that some of the older kids would like, without losing the 2 year olds that are also there. I think in theory it might be good to separate the Family storytime in 2 age groups, but in practice, I think parents will still continue to bring all siblings regardless of the ages, and we'd be back where we started from.
One thing that I think might be helpful in keeping the age range for everyone in the Family, and maybe we could try to incorporate more in the future, would be more puppet show or prop story versions of many of the books we read for storytime. At the other library I work at (Anaheim), they have an extensive collection of puppets and prop story boxes (plastic tubs with a script and all of the prop pieces needed to tell the story). Everything is labeled, cataloged, and kept in ABC order in the storage area so it's easy to find/request when needed (puppets in hanging bags, prop boxes alphabetical by book title in large cabinets, fingerplay/felt/velcro stories in file cabinets), and each storyteller has a packet with the lists of what's in the storytime inventory. (It took them a looong time to get everything organized like that from what I heard!) In the family storytimes (for example), they might not even "read" any "book" versions at all, using all felt/velcro pieces stories, puppets, and prop box stories. This seems to keep the attention of everyone involved pretty well (the younger kids like all of the visuals, and it allows for longer stories to be told, which keeps the interest of the older kids). The lady who trained me goes to the local elementary schools and does 45 minute assemblies for hundreds of kids using these puppet/prop stories, and they love it. It does take a lot of work though, because we have to practice with all of the props/puppets and memorize the stories to be able to re-tell them without the scripts.
Other than perhaps splitting the age group of DC, I would say that the format of DC is pretty great already for the older kids. If there were to be a split, I might be more apt to incorporate more stories with the younger group and more ppts with the older group--still focusing on a theme that incorporates a fair amount of factual information with fun activities.
Would you say school age vs tween! We don;t currently offer an ongoing tween program (I count STEM Robotics as catering more to tween but it is not on a regular basis like DC or registered storytimes).
Don't forget although a format has been created for DC so long as we encourage vocabulary building and literacy skills DC can pretty much be whatever you can dream up. Often I found myself giving a short 4 minute intro about rules and Newton's laws then talking about physics while trying to teach the kids how to juggle.
My favorite activities are usually the ones where children are learning while doing instead of a lecture style. Reader's theater is fun (but a ton of work) because you can tell kids about the art of acting and stage production, sound effects and then have them act out the projected picture book. It incorporates literacy and team building skills.
I have to admit though a good story works no matter what age so feel free to read those stories that are a little too old for the preschool age. Like the Spider and the Fly (and talk about insects and their eating habits).
What I would really like to explore is if we separated PJ and DC by age groups would we then have:
Wess, I agree with splitting the age groups in PJ and DC, and exploring more on what type of storytimes we would offer. Would older kids/tweens only be receptive to a DC like setting or do we think there would be interest in a strictly book focused storytime? Perhaps like a book club but on a weekly basis. Many children that age love to read, but there is never any book discussion focused for that age group.
I like Jennifer's idea of a book club for the older kids (8-12). I think that would be more in line with what they could really get into, versus a "storytime" format. We could choose a book, have a discussion session, and then have some activity/craft stations related to the book. I think something like that would work best as a monthly session, versus weekly though.
I think it would be a good idea to incorporate more parent involvement in the preschool storytime. At the other library I work at, there is a big emphasis on incorporating literacy tips for parents and modeling appropriate behaviors during storytime, so storytime is just as much for the parents as it is for the children. When I’ve observed Baby ST with Jessica and Toddler ST with AJ, I can see how they are able to incorporate the parents, giving them tips, etc. It would be nice to be able to do that with Preschool as well, but not with a Family storytime feel (caregiver with 3 other kids, vs. caregiver one on one with preschooler). In Family Storytime, I need to be able to appeal to the 8 year olds and 2 year olds as well, so to be able to focus on just the preschooler and parent would be nice. I think the main thing would be to stick to what the defining goal is for that particular storytime. Right now, the preschool storytime is aimed at being a first independent experience for the child, so not having parents fits in with that goal. I could see benefits though to changing that goal, and by adding parents it would be easier to handle children who might not be quite ready for an individual storytime.
Another thing that might be helpful would be to decrease the maximum enrollment for preschool storytime, if it stays as a no-parent storytime (maybe at about 32?). Right now it is capped at 40 preschoolers, and although not everyone comes every week, sometimes it seems like a smaller group might be more beneficial. I feel like the best storytimes are when the attendance is at about 25. The kids are able to talk more and ask questions, without things getting too sidetracked with everyone trying to talk at once. On the weeks where there are 30+ kids, depending on the mood/vibe of the group, there can sometimes be too many distractions amongst the extra kids. As everyone who does storytime knows, sometimes there can just be that one little darling :) who has more energy and can rile everyone around him/her up, so a smaller group would allow for the assistant to keep an extra eye out.
Great feedback Yolanda! I like the idea of having a parent with a preschool age child. Especially for the 3 year olds. Sometimes I feel they are not ready to be on their own and they need a little more time with mom or dad.
What if toddler was ages 2 and 3 & PS was 4-5 Would that change the dynamic and be more inline with first independence/preschool prep goal?
Wess, I think something like that would work well. There are some 3 year olds that are ready to be on their own, but more often than not, I feel like they are mostly too young. I think that one extra year (starting at 4) would make a big difference, and make independent storytime more meaningful overall.
I agree with Yolanda in regards to smaller group sizes for the Prek storytimes. It does seem like 25- 30 children is about right. With smaller groups, the storyteller and children can discuss the story, ask questions, review for comprehension and the children are able to ask more questions. It allows for more interaction without the group becoming as easily sidetracked.
Wess, your suggestion/question about Toddler being age 2-3 and PS 4-5 is more inline with preK prep. Perhaps integrating a transition period with the toddler group would be helpful, too. For example, for the second half of the session, having all the children(only) sit on the first step for storytime. Caregivers would still be in the room, but children would begin to transition a more independent experience.
I like Carmen's idea of a transition period. :) Maybe in toddler storytime (if we were to change it to ages 2-3), parents could sit next to their children that are 2 year olds, but when they turn 3, they could be encouraged to allow the kids to sit in the front row by themselves (with parents in the back row). They can start learning to self-regulate their behavior without the parent sitting right next to them, but the parent would still be in the room if needed/for comfort.
I would suggest making the age range for PJ storytime smaller. Perhaps capping the storytime at age 6 instead of 8. Because we allow children as young as 2 to participate, most stories, songs, etc, have to be geared towards that age group to have any hope of keeping their attention. While I don't treat it as a toddler or preschool storytime necessarily, I however cannot read lengthy stories and the music used in simple and repetitive. Older kids who attend usually sit out song/dance time and even when they are interested in some of the longer, more advanced stories, a bored toddler usually ruins the experience for them. So finding a group that enjoys all the stories and music for that week is a toss up depending on who chooses to come. So while we may not "kick out" older children who wish to sit in with their younger brothers and sisters, by lowering the age range to 6, we do make it more clear to patrons and the storyteller who the intended age group of storytime is.
ReplyDeleteIt is so hard to please everyone. Sometimes I like to play a game that catches the interest of the parents so they are encouraged to interact with their child. One example is singing a classic song that parents remember like "I wish I was an Oscar Meyer wiener" (OK maybe not the best example) but when I did this for Family Saturday the parents sang because it was nostalgic and they sang with their kids because parents think they are cool. Sometimes I think you have to cater to the parents so they can help the children participate.
DeleteOn the flip side, there are always those parents who don't want to go on a bear hunt. If you can gain their interest you are definitely doing something right.
Anyone else have any thoughts they can share? Should a 2-6 storytime be offered along with a 6-12? Family Storytimes are important to have and we may be excluding siblings from participating (whether they are too cool for school or not). Something to definitely explore.
Family/PJ storytime can definitely be tricky because of the wide age range. Like Jennifer said, it's hard to pick some of the longer/more plot driven stories that some of the older kids would like, without losing the 2 year olds that are also there. I think in theory it might be good to separate the Family storytime in 2 age groups, but in practice, I think parents will still continue to bring all siblings regardless of the ages, and we'd be back where we started from.
DeleteOne thing that I think might be helpful in keeping the age range for everyone in the Family, and maybe we could try to incorporate more in the future, would be more puppet show or prop story versions of many of the books we read for storytime. At the other library I work at (Anaheim), they have an extensive collection of puppets and prop story boxes (plastic tubs with a script and all of the prop pieces needed to tell the story). Everything is labeled, cataloged, and kept in ABC order in the storage area so it's easy to find/request when needed (puppets in hanging bags, prop boxes alphabetical by book title in large cabinets, fingerplay/felt/velcro stories in file cabinets), and each storyteller has a packet with the lists of what's in the storytime inventory. (It took them a looong time to get everything organized like that from what I heard!) In the family storytimes (for example), they might not even "read" any "book" versions at all, using all felt/velcro pieces stories, puppets, and prop box stories. This seems to keep the attention of everyone involved pretty well (the younger kids like all of the visuals, and it allows for longer stories to be told, which keeps the interest of the older kids). The lady who trained me goes to the local elementary schools and does 45 minute assemblies for hundreds of kids using these puppet/prop stories, and they love it. It does take a lot of work though, because we have to practice with all of the props/puppets and memorize the stories to be able to re-tell them without the scripts.
Other than perhaps splitting the age group of DC, I would say that the format of DC is pretty great already for the older kids. If there were to be a split, I might be more apt to incorporate more stories with the younger group and more ppts with the older group--still focusing on a theme that incorporates a fair amount of factual information with fun activities.
ReplyDeleteWould you say school age vs tween! We don;t currently offer an ongoing tween program (I count STEM Robotics as catering more to tween but it is not on a regular basis like DC or registered storytimes).
DeleteDon't forget although a format has been created for DC so long as we encourage vocabulary building and literacy skills DC can pretty much be whatever you can dream up. Often I found myself giving a short 4 minute intro about rules and Newton's laws then talking about physics while trying to teach the kids how to juggle.
My favorite activities are usually the ones where children are learning while doing instead of a lecture style. Reader's theater is fun (but a ton of work) because you can tell kids about the art of acting and stage production, sound effects and then have them act out the projected picture book. It incorporates literacy and team building skills.
I have to admit though a good story works no matter what age so feel free to read those stories that are a little too old for the preschool age. Like the Spider and the Fly (and talk about insects and their eating habits).
What I would really like to explore is if we separated PJ and DC by age groups would we then have:
-PJ storytime ages 2-6
-DC ages 6-8 (or 9?)
-Tween ages 10-12?
Wess, I agree with splitting the age groups in PJ and DC, and exploring more on what type of storytimes we would offer. Would older kids/tweens only be receptive to a DC like setting or do we think there would be interest in a strictly book focused storytime? Perhaps like a book club but on a weekly basis. Many children that age love to read, but there is never any book discussion focused for that age group.
DeleteI like Jennifer's idea of a book club for the older kids (8-12). I think that would be more in line with what they could really get into, versus a "storytime" format. We could choose a book, have a discussion session, and then have some activity/craft stations related to the book. I think something like that would work best as a monthly session, versus weekly though.
DeleteI think it would be a good idea to incorporate more parent involvement in the preschool storytime. At the other library I work at, there is a big emphasis on incorporating literacy tips for parents and modeling appropriate behaviors during storytime, so storytime is just as much for the parents as it is for the children. When I’ve observed Baby ST with Jessica and Toddler ST with AJ, I can see how they are able to incorporate the parents, giving them tips, etc. It would be nice to be able to do that with Preschool as well, but not with a Family storytime feel (caregiver with 3 other kids, vs. caregiver one on one with preschooler). In Family Storytime, I need to be able to appeal to the 8 year olds and 2 year olds as well, so to be able to focus on just the preschooler and parent would be nice. I think the main thing would be to stick to what the defining goal is for that particular storytime. Right now, the preschool storytime is aimed at being a first independent experience for the child, so not having parents fits in with that goal. I could see benefits though to changing that goal, and by adding parents it would be easier to handle children who might not be quite ready for an individual storytime.
ReplyDeleteAnother thing that might be helpful would be to decrease the maximum enrollment for preschool storytime, if it stays as a no-parent storytime (maybe at about 32?). Right now it is capped at 40 preschoolers, and although not everyone comes every week, sometimes it seems like a smaller group might be more beneficial. I feel like the best storytimes are when the attendance is at about 25. The kids are able to talk more and ask questions, without things getting too sidetracked with everyone trying to talk at once. On the weeks where there are 30+ kids, depending on the mood/vibe of the group, there can sometimes be too many distractions amongst the extra kids. As everyone who does storytime knows, sometimes there can just be that one little darling :) who has more energy and can rile everyone around him/her up, so a smaller group would allow for the assistant to keep an extra eye out.
Great feedback Yolanda! I like the idea of having a parent with a preschool age child. Especially for the 3 year olds. Sometimes I feel they are not ready to be on their own and they need a little more time with mom or dad.
DeleteWhat if toddler was ages 2 and 3 & PS was 4-5 Would that change the dynamic and be more inline with first independence/preschool prep goal?
Wess, I think something like that would work well. There are some 3 year olds that are ready to be on their own, but more often than not, I feel like they are mostly too young. I think that one extra year (starting at 4) would make a big difference, and make independent storytime more meaningful overall.
DeleteI agree with Yolanda in regards to smaller group sizes for the Prek storytimes. It does seem like 25- 30 children is about right. With smaller groups, the storyteller and children can discuss the story, ask questions, review for comprehension and the children are able to ask more questions. It allows for more interaction without the group becoming as easily sidetracked.
ReplyDeleteWess, your suggestion/question about Toddler being age 2-3 and PS 4-5 is more inline with preK prep. Perhaps integrating a transition period with the toddler group would be helpful, too. For example, for the second half of the session, having all the children(only) sit on the first step for storytime. Caregivers would still be in the room, but children would begin to transition a more independent experience.
I like Carmen's idea of a transition period. :) Maybe in toddler storytime (if we were to change it to ages 2-3), parents could sit next to their children that are 2 year olds, but when they turn 3, they could be encouraged to allow the kids to sit in the front row by themselves (with parents in the back row). They can start learning to self-regulate their behavior without the parent sitting right next to them, but the parent would still be in the room if needed/for comfort.
Delete