Play While Reading

Interactive picture books are perfect for storytime! Library storytimes offer many benefits, including promoting early literacy and language development.
We also want to show that reading is fun!
Interactive books engage readers by having them actively participate in the story. Some of the benefits include encouraging body movement and awareness, learning to follow instructions, and interacting with a storyteller.
Some books will work better than others in a group setting. The interactive elements may also need to be adjusted depending on the age of the participants. However, all of these titles offer the reader a chance to play by following cues. The effects of their actions help further the fun in the story.

Tips for Interactive Reading:

• You can skip interactive elements.
  • I love using From Head to Toe by Eric Carle in storytime. However, the page encouraging donkey kicks is carefully skipped when I share this book.
• Include manipulatives for added fun!
  • Storytime objects such as shaker eggs, scarves, and jingle bells can add to the action cue.
• Adjust for your audience.
  • Some actions are a bit too advanced for younger children.
  • You may need to adjust the cue from “hopping on one foot” to “hopping on both feet”. 
• Adjust for groups.
  • Don’t Push the Button! By Bill Cotter and The Button Book by Sally Nicholls, ask the reader to push specific buttons on the page, but that action won’t work in a group.
  • Pass out construction paper circles, or have participants touch their nose, knee, top of their head, etc., in place of “buttons”. 
• Take a break if needed.
  • Kids can become very excited during an interactive story, especially if asked to stand and perform an action.
  • If the group becomes a bit too excited, you can always have them return to their seats before moving on in the story. 

Examples

The cues will range from very specific actions. In Ploof, the reader is asked to cheer by clapping. “Let’s clap for Ploof!” 

Some titles will require your creativity and imagination. In Shake the Tree, a variety of animals shake the tree to get what they want. The storyteller can have participants shake their arms, legs, head, etc. This book also offers a great opportunity to use a manipulative such as a shaker egg.

The list of titles includes some of my personal favorites, along with some new and exciting books to energize your storytime. I hope you have as much fun as I do sharing these stories! 

Today’s blog post was written by Jessica Beal (she/her), Youth and Teen Collections Librarian at Evansville Vanderburgh Public Library in Evansville, IN. Jessica is a member of the ALSC Early Childhood Programs and Services and Children and Technology Committees and can be reached at jessicab@evpl.org.

This blog post relates to the ALSC Core Competencies of: I. Commitment to Client Group, III. Programming Skills, V. Outreach and Advocacy

The post Play While Reading appeared first on ALSC Blog.

 Interactive picture books are perfect for storytime! Library storytimes offer many benefits, including promoting early literacy and language development. We also want to show that reading is fun! Interactive books engage readers by having them actively participate in the story. Some of the benefits include encouraging body movement and awareness, learning to follow instructions, and interacting with a storyteller.Some books will work better than others in a group setting. The interactive elements may also need to be adjusted depending on the age of the participants. However, all of these titles offer the reader a chance to play by following cues. The effects of their actions help further the fun in the story. Tips for Interactive Reading: Examples The cues will range from very specific actions. In Ploof, the reader is asked to cheer by clapping. “Let’s clap for Ploof!”  Some titles will require your creativity and imagination. In Shake the…
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