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 Black History Month!
February is Black History Month, a month dedicated to celebrating and learning about Black history, culture, and leaders of today and yesterday. We believe it’s important to do this year-round, but love any opportunity to shine a spotlight on Black scientists, activists, inventors, and more who have impacted our history. It’s never too early to begin talking with your children about Black history. PBS Kids encourages parents to not “[shy] away from hard truths, [but rather] help your child understand the resiliency of Black women and men by discussing the history of unfair and differential treatment towards Black people due to their skin color. Discussing Black people’s achievements within their fight for justice and equity encourages empathy and understanding — and teaches children how to connect their personal experiences with the experiences of others.” It’s so important to share Black history and Black stories with our children. The library has many wonderful books to support you in this, and we’ve included some of our favorites below. When you visit, you can also search for specific items 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 Black-History-Month-themed storytime.
Note: These books are best for preschool age, but it’s never too early to start sharing with your littlest ones!
- Mae Among The Stars by Roda Ahmed
- Northbound by Michael Bandy
- Going Places: Victor Hugo Green and His Glorious Book by Tonya Bolden
- We Are Here by Tami Charles
- The ABCs of Black History by Rio Cortez
- Rap A Tap Tap: Here’s Bojangles – Think Of That! by Leo Dillon
- This Jazz Man by Karen Ehrhardt
- My Block Looks Like by Janelle Harper
- Little Legends: Exceptional Men in Black History by Vashti Harrison
- Little Legends: Bold Women in Black History by Vashti Harrison
- Black Is A Rainbow Color by Angela Joy
- I Am My Ancestors’ Wildest Dreams by Tanisia Moore
- Ruth and the Green Book by Calvin A Ramsey
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? This character is eating a cookie; do you remember when we ate cookies at the park?
- 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.
Movement Song: Let’s Go Riding On An Elevator
Alexander Miles was an African American inventor and businessman, known for being awarded a patent for automatically opening elevator doors. Let’s celebrate his invention with the elevator song! This is a great one to sing with scarves, or you can lift your kiddo in the air as you sing about going up each floor.
Sing and Dance: Old MacDonald
Listen to a jazzy take on a familiar favorite. This is a great accompaniment to This Jazz Man and learning about Black contributions and achievements in jazz music.
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 Black History Month theme.
Traffic Light Craft
This activity is inspired by African American inventor, Garrett Morgan. He invented a three-position traffic signal.
Materials Needed
- Construction paper (green, red, yellow, black)
- Pencil
- Scissors
- Glue
Source: Crafting A Fun Life
Directions
- Start by drawing three circles on a piece of black construction paper or cardstock. You can have your kids search for small circular objects around the house to trace.
- Next, let your kids either cut or tear pieces of red, green and yellow paper.
- Finally, glue them on the circles in the correct order to finish your traffic light craft. See picture above.
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:
- Looking for more great books that showcase Black children, Black love, Black joy, and more? Brightly has curated several lists with great book recommendations.
- Visit the VMFA’s Dawoud Bey: Elegy exhibit now through February 25. Per their website, “these 42 photographs and two film installations by contemporary American artist Dawoud Bey contemplate the harrowing journeys and human realities of the Virginia slave trail, Louisiana plantations, and Ohio’s Underground Railroad.”
- Visit the Black History Museum and Cultural Center. From February 6 to March 9, the museum will feature a special exhibition entitled “Visions of Progress.” This exhibit will showcase photographs of pre-Harlem Renaissance era representations of African American life.
- Enjoy delicious food at one of Richmond’s many Black-owned restaurants.
- Dive deeper into Black history and culture with the library’s offerings outside of books. We have movies, music, and more! Visit your local branch and ask a librarian for more information.
- Join us in the library for Black History Month celebrations. We’re hosting Black History Month bingo; a paper quilt making workshop; family storytimes on Black History Month, jazz music, loving Black hair, Black artists, and Black inventors like Garrett Morgan, Madame C. J. Walker, Sarah Boone, and Elijah McCoy.
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!
