Welcome to the Storytime at Home series! Every other week, we share a list of book options tied to a kid-approved theme, a craft you can set up to go along with the theme, songs/rhymes you can do during storytime, and additional enrichment activities. All books are available at Richmond Public Library, and crafts will involve items you likely have at home already! Our hope is that we can make it easy for you to share stories with your little ones and create a little bit of library magic at home.
P.S. Love library storytimes? Take a look at all in-library storytime options here. There is a storytime for your child every morning at our various branches!
Okay, now to the fun stuff…
Today’s storytime theme is BAKING!

Breads and cakes and cookies – oh my! This week we’re talking all things baking and bakeries. This is such a great topic for children because it’s chocked full of learning and development opportunities. Not only is it fun to talk about tasty treats, but mimicking the actions done in baking promote both fine and gross motor development. Scooping, pouring, mixing, stirring, sprinkling, rolling – all of these things get kids’ bodies moving! Baking also promotes early math and literacy skills. Kids can measure and count, as well as follow along with visual and word-based recipes. Beyond the in-kitchen learning, there are also so many great baking songs and rhymes to do with your kiddos. Of course, stories about baking are also just plain fun and silly. It’s a tasty win-win all around! The library has some wonderful books about baking, and we’ve included some of our favorites below. When you visit, you can also search in our catalog or ask a librarian to help you find the perfect book for you and your child.
Books
Reading to your kiddos turns them into confident thinkers. Making books a regular part of your daily routine is a great way to build children’s love of reading and learning. Storytimes also help build excitement around reading to support their literacy development.
Here are a few book options you can choose from for your baking-themed storytime.
Preschool
- The Best Gift for Bear by Jennifer Bell
- Gingerbread Baby by Jan Brett
- Pancakes, Pancakes! by Eric Carle
- Baking Day at Grandma’s by Anika Denise
- The Bakery Dragon by Devin Elle Kurtz
- Betty’s Burgled Bakery by Travis Nichols
- Challah Day by Charlotte Offsay
- There Are No Bears In This Bakery by Julia Sarcone-Roach
- Bunny Cakes by Rosemary Wells
- Whopper Cake by Karma Wilson
- Dad Bakes by Katie Yamasaki











Toddler/Baby
- The Very Hungry Caterpillar At The Bakeshop by Eric Carle
- Apple Cake by Dawn Casey
- Stir Crack Whisk Bake: A Little Book About Little Cakes by Maddie Frost
- Pancakes With Grandma by Kath Smith
- Mr. Cookie Baker by Monica Wellington





There are many ways to make reading fun and engaging for your little one!
Click here to see some of our favorite tips for bringing stories to life at home.
- Point at the pictures and ask your child what they see. Help build their vocabulary by pointing to pictures and saying the word aloud.
- Ask your child questions about the story: What do you think will happen next? How do you think this character is feeling?
- Read with expression and enthusiasm, and use different voices for different characters.
- Act out what’s happening in the story.
- As your child gets older, count objects in a book, discuss the different colors they see, point out shapes in the story, etc.
- Snuggle up and be patient. Reading is great bonding time for you and your child. Take your time walking them through the story. If your child wants to turn the page or be finished with reading, that’s OK too. You don’t have to read every word or even every page for reading with your little one to be beneficial for their development.
Songs and Rhymes
We love adding songs and rhymes to our storytimes. This is a great way to practice language with your child and support their physical (motor) development through movement.
Here are two songs and rhymes you can use for this themed storytime.
Nursery Rhyme: Pat-A-Cake
Pat-a-cake, pat-a-cake
Baker man.
Bake me a cake as fast as you can!
Roll it.
Stretch it.
Mark it with a B.
Then put it in the oven for baby and me!
Movement Rhyme: Making Cookies
Do actions in italics as you say it
I am making cookie dough. (hold out arms in a circle, like a bowl)
Round and round the beaters go. (roll hands)
Add some flour from a cup. (shake a pretend cup)
Stir and stir the batter up. (stirring motion)
Roll them, cut them nice and neat. (rolling pin motion)
Put them on a cookie sheet. (place pretend cookies)
Bake them, count them 1-2-3. (counting motion)
Serve them to my friends for tea. (take a bite!)
Arts and Crafts
Adding a craft along with a book is a great way to continue allowing your child to learn, explore, and grow. Crafts are a nice supplement as they encourage motor development, creativity, self-confidence, and more.
In fact, art and craft activities:
- Build fine motor skills. Actions such as painting, coloring, gluing, and cutting develop small muscles in small hands and improve coordination skills as children learn to use both hands at the same time.
- Support early literacy. When children make art, they learn vocabulary and how to follow directions when getting verbal instructions from parents and caregivers. They also boost their communication skills via talking about their work!
- Teach early math concepts. Math skills are used frequently in arts and crafts. Kids learn about and recognize different shapes, count and sort art supplies, and even measure out materials.
- Encourage creativity. Art helps develop creativity, self-expression, problem-solving, and curiosity.
- Boost self-esteem. Doing arts and crafts can give children a sense of achievement and allow them to take pride in their work, which builds confidence.
- Offer bonding time. Kids love spending quality time with parents and caregivers, and arts and crafts are a great opportunity for this.
Here is a craft activity you can do along with the baking theme.
Cardboard Cupcake Creation Station Craft



Materials Needed
- Cardboard
- Scissors
- Glue
- Markers, paints, oil pastels, etc.
- Decorating materials (e.g. pom poms, string, tissue paper, stickers, shape cutouts, etc. )
Source: Artbar
Directions
- Cut out a cupcake shape from your cardboard. You can cut one piece, or cut the top and bottom and glue them together.
- Set all materials out on the table.
- Encourage your child to decorate their cupcake however they want!
Additional Enrichment Ideas
The fun doesn’t have to end at books, songs, and a craft. There are many ways to enrich a storytime with additional activities and lessons. Here are a few ideas for you and your child:
- Get in the kitchen and bake with your child! Baking together has so many benefits. Kids can practice early math skills by measuring and counting; scooping, pouring, mixing, and stirring are great for motor development; kitchen sights, smells, and sounds provide great opportunities for talking about the five senses; and spending time together is the best way to spend time. Check out a kids’ cookbook from our collection to get inspired with new recipes!
- Have a play kitchen? Help your child bake yummy treats! Pretend and imaginative play are wonderful for children, and working at a play kitchen is great for both.
- Create a bakery-themed sensory bin for fun at-home play and exploration.
- Make puffy paint cookies to keep the baking fun going with a sensory craft.
- Visit a bakery together to see how things get made, what their ovens look like, etc. Showing children real-world examples of things they read about helps the literature and stories stick.
We share these Storytime at Home posts twice a month, so be sure to check back soon for more. You can also search “#storytimeathome” to see all past posts.
Have a suggestion for the next theme we cover? Email Sarah at sarah.fenninger@rva.gov and let us know!