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 DOGS!
Did you know that August is National Dog Month?! Here at RPL we are celebrating this doggone good holiday with our favorite things – books! Dogs are such a fun topic to read about with children. Since most kids learn about dogs from an early age, they are a great vehicle for exploring new stories and ideas. A dog-themed storytime also offers wonderful ways to engage and support children’s motor skill development. You can woof, bark, wag, lick, jump, and more! As an added bonus, many of the dog stories in our catalog are funny and silly, and will have you and your kiddo laughing together as you read. The library has many wonderful books about dogs, and we’ve included some of our favorites below. When you visit, you can also search ‘dog’ in our catalog or ask a librarian to help you find the perfect one 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 dog-themed storytime.
Preschool
- I Want A Dog by Jon Agee
- Mr. Putney’s Quacking Dog by Jon Agee
- Bad Dog by Mike Boldt
- Dog Biscuit by Helen Cooper
- The Detective Dog by Julia Donaldson
- Hello Goodbye Dog by Maria Gianferrari
- Dog In Charge by K.L. Going
- Dog Day by Sarah Hayes
- A Ball for Daisy by Chris Raschka
- Hot Dog by Doug Salati
- Is There A Dog In This Book? By Viviane Schwarz
- Every Dog In The Neighborhood by Philip Christian Stead
- A Dog Named Doug by Karma Wilson
- Dog Loves Books by Louise Yates
Toddler/Baby
- Here, George by Sandra Boynton
- Clifford The Small Red Puppy by Norman Bridwell
- Go Dog Go! by P.D. Eastman
- Where’s Spot? by Eric Hill
- It’s Not The Puppy by Patrick J. Lewis
- Go Baby! Go Dog! by Anne Kennedy
- If You Give A Dog A Donut by Laura Numeroff
- Dogs Love Cars by Leda Schubert
- Dog and Bear: Two’s Company by Laura Vaccaro Seeger
- The Pigeon Wants A Puppy by Mo Willems
There are many ways to make reading fun and engaging for your little one! Click the arrow below to see some of our favorite tips for bringing stories to life at home.
Click here to see some of our favorite reading tips
- 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 wearing a bathing suit; do you remember when we wore ours?
- 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.
Sing: If You’re A Dog and You Know It
Tune: If You’re Happy and You Know It
If you’re a dog and you know it, wag your tail
If you’re a dog and you know it, wag your tail
If you’re a dog and you know it,
And you really want to show it
If you’re a dog and you know it, wag your tail!
Repeat with other actions like give a bark, scratch your ear, sniff your nose, etc.
Finger Play: Five Little Puppies
Do the actions in italics as you do the rhyme
Five little puppies were playing in the sun.
(Hold up hand, fingers extended)
This one saw a rabbit, and he began to run.
(Bend first finger)
This one saw a butterfly, and he began to race.
(Bend second finger)
This one saw a pussycat, and he began to chase.
(Bend third finger)
This one tried to catch his tail, and he went round & round. (Bend fourth finger)
This one was so quiet, he never made a sound.
(Bend thumb)
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 dog theme.
Dog Paper Bag Puppet Craft
Materials Needed
- Brown paper bag (lunch bag size)
- Colored construction paper – pink, white, brown
- Black marker
- Glue
- Scissors
- Dog face template
Source: 86 Lemons
Directions
- Cut out the shapes from the dog face template.
- Trace two ears and one tail onto brown paper, one belly and one face stripe onto white paper, and one tongue onto pink paper.
- Cut out the shapes.
- Fold under the lower corners of the bags flattened bottom and glue down.
- Glue shapes into place as shown, securing tongue under face and tail to back of bag.
- Use the marker to add eyes and a nose.
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:
- Go visit dogs at the Richmond SPCA.
- Practice counting and sorting! Sort dog biscuits (real or printed) by color and count how many are in each group.
- Set up a veterinarian pretend play station for your children. Have a doctor’s kit? Use the stethoscope on a stuffed dog or give your child some band-aids to administer to their favorite stuffed pup.
- Set up a “dog wash” play station. Grab some dog figurines and toss them into a bowl of soapy water. Have your child help clean the dogs at the dog wash.
- Build “dog houses” out of blocks or other items you have lying around the house. Add stuffed animals into their new homes!
- We love word play. Brainstorm a list of words that rhyme with dog.
- Go on a dog hunt! Take a walk around your neighborhood and see how many dogs you can spot.
- Make some puppy chow as a yummy treat for you and your kiddo!
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!
