Tuesday - 6:15 to 6:45 p.m.
Wednesday - 9:15 to 9:45 a.m.
Wednesday - 10:15 to 10:45 a.m. (same program)
Session #1: September - November
Session #2: January - March
Session #3: May - July
Storytime is a gathering of young children (Tuesday evenings - all ages and Wednesday mornings 3 to 6 years of age) for the purpose of educating and entertaining them through books. Each storytime will consist of books read aloud and possibly include videos, poetry, plays, games, puppet shows, music or crafts.
Main Menu
Storytime Goals
- To create in children an appetite for reading and for using the library
- To encourage children to respect other children and the storyteller as well as library materials
- To teach library manners
- To stimulate children's imaginations
- To help children develop language, listening, and motor skills
Storytime Registration
Storytime Registration Form (must be printed and brought to the library)
All children should be registered for storytime sessions. Visitors are welcome anytime. Tuesday evening "Intergenerational Storytime" children can be any age, but must be accompanied by an adult. Wednesday morning storytimes are for 3-6 year old children who are able to sit quietly by themselves and listen for thirty-minute periods. A registration form is attached to the back of this brochure. Please complete and return this registration sheet (extras available) for each child to the Children's Librarian as soon as possible.
A child may be registered for a Wednesday storytime, if one or two months shy of his/her third birthday or simply wait until the next session. Remember, Tuesday evening storytime is for children of any age. BOOK BABIES for children birth through 3 years of age is offered on Tuesday nights during Sept., Jan., and May…limited to fifteen little ones.
All children are unique and have different levels of listening ability at different ages. Therefore, the Children's Librarian suggests that a child, regardless of age, who displays inability to sit and listen quietly, may benefit from a break of one or two sessions before returning to storytime or have a parent stay with them. Children adapt at different rates,
so please, keep trying!
Main Menu
Storytime Rules
(Ms. "Shelly" likes to call them ...library manners.)
The first time a child attends storytime, the parent or guardian should sit with the child. By the second or third time a child attends, the parent or guardian may or may not leave the immediate storytime area. The parent or guardian may go to other areas of the library but must remain in the library! If a parent or guardian for some reason must leave the building, the Children's Librarian must be notified in advance of the storytime.
This is a very important safety precaution! Library staff is unable to supervise children before and after storytime. (Refer to the Dwight Foster Public Library's Unattended Children Policy.)
Everyone is asked to make every effort to avoid late arrival to storytime. Interruptions are a distraction to the children as well as the storyteller.
Participation in a particular storytime session may have to be limited in size if it becomes too large, or a session may be cancelled if participation becomes too small. Parents/guardians may be asked to change sessions, or an additional storytime may be added to control attendance problems.
Main Menu
One Final Word...
Storytimes are just an introduction to the exciting world of books and reading. Parents and guardians need to take time to read to their children everyday. They need to help children choose books to take home from the library. This example will show children that reading is a worthwhile and enjoyable activity. In addition, the bonding between parent and child is beyond measure…take time to enjoy it. As a mother and now a grandmother, I can tell you that these years will go too quickly. Yes, I know, it doesn't seem like it now. Nevertheless, invest this time with your child now and you will both reap the benefits forever. Walk down the path of imagination with your child and once again or maybe for the first time enjoy being a kid again through the world of children's books.