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 Hispanic Heritage Month!
Hispanic Heritage Month is a month-long celebration of Hispanic and Latino history and culture. It is celebrated each from from September 15 to October 15. While we love and encourage the celebration of different cultures year-round, this month in particular is a great time to share a vibrant and important culture and history with your little ones. Use it as a time to explore the contributions of Latina and Latino people to our society, as well as learn more about the foods, art, music, and lives of Hispanic people and countries. The library has many wonderful books about Hispanic culture and history, 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 Hispanic-heritage-themed storytime.
Note: These books are best for preschool age, but it’s never too early to start sharing with your littlest ones!
- Marta! Big and Small by Jen Arena
- Empanadas for Everyone by Jackie Azúa Kramer
- Frida Kahlo and Her Animalitos by Monica Brown
- Carmela Full of Wishes by Matt de la Peña
- Me Gusta by Angela Dominguez
- How Do You Say? / Cómo se dice? by Angela N Dominguez
- Drum Dream Girl by Margarita Engle
- Bravo! Poems About Amazing Hispanics by Margarita Engle
- Rainbow Weaver / Tejedora del Arcoíris by Linda Elovitz Marshall
- May Your Life By Deliciosa by Michael Genhart
- Spanish Is The Language Of My Family by Michael Genhart
- Imagine by Juan Felipe Herrera
- Dinner on Domingos by Alexandra Katona
- Let Me Fix You A Plate by Elizabeth Lilly
- Julián At The Wedding by Jessica Love
- Where Are You From? by Yamile Saied Maendez
- Alma and How She Got Her Name by Juana Martinez-Neal
- Kitchen Dance by Maurie Manning
- Dreamers by Yuyi Morales
- My Papi Has A Motorcycle by Isabel Quintero
- What Can You Do With A Paleta? by Carmen Tafolla
- Green Is A Chile Pepper by Roseanne Thong
- Round Is A Tortilla by Roseanne Thong
- One Is A Piñata by Roseanne Thong
- Looking for Bongo by Eric Velasquez
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: Mi Cuerpo Hace Música
This Hispanic classic originates from Puerto Rico and is great for promoting movement and body part identification! As you listen, you’ll point to different parts of your body and move according to the song. It gets faster and faster as you go, and is sure to make your kids smile!
You can watch the motions that go along with this song here.
Movement and Sing: La Araña Chiquitita
This video walks you through Itsy Bitsy Spider and then sings you through it in Spanish! It’s a great way to practice motor skills while learning a familiar favorite in a new way!
Do the hand motions as you listen.
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 Hispanic Heritage Month theme.
Peruvian Llama Craft
Materials Needed
- Toilet Paper Roll (one per llama)
- Cardstock in various colors (white, pink, yellow, etc.)
- Ribbons with small pom poms (optional)
- Paper straw
- White glue
- Black marker
- Pom poms
- Tissue paper (optional)
Source: Growing Up Bilingual
Directions
- Cut out the shape of the llama’s neck and head from a piece of cardstock.
- To make the face, cut two small, egg-shaped pieces from pink cardstock paper. Glue these pieces onto each side of the llama’s head to represent its cheeks. Use the black marker to draw the face onto these pink pieces.
- Cut two small ear shapes. Glue one ear on each side of the llama’s head, positioning them slightly above the cheeks.
- Cut four pieces of a paper straw to use as the legs. Each piece should be the same length to ensure the llama stands evenly. Glue these pieces to the bottom of the toilet paper roll.
- Cut a rectangular piece of cardstock to act as the blanket. This will be placed over the llama’s back. Then, cut thin strips of different colored cardstock papers to create a striped pattern. Glue each of the colored strips onto the rectangle to form a vibrant, patterned blanket.
- If desired, use a marker to draw designs onto some or all of the strips. You can also attach ribbon (with or without pom poms).
- At one end of the toilet paper roll, cut a slit that matches the width of the base of the llama’s neck. Insert the neck piece into the slit, making sure it is securely positioned. Add a bit of glue to hold the neck in place, ensuring it stays attached during play.
- If desired, choose a small pom-pom to use as the llama’s tail. Glue it to the back end of the toilet paper roll.
- Take it one step further: The original link also has instructions for how to make your llama a piñata!
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:
- Check out the library’s Spanish language children materials. We have books, movies, music, and more! Visit your local branch and ask a librarian for more information.
- Watch Encanto, Coco, or The Book of Life to celebrate with a beautiful movie. You can rent an Encanto DVD directly from our catalog!
- Visit the VMFA to explore their pre-Colombian art collection. Spanning approximately 3000 years, VMFA’s Pre-Columbian collection includes over 200 ceramic vessels, textiles, sculptures and metalwork objects from Meso, Central and South America.
- Attend the Richmond Kicker’s Fiesta de Herencia Hispana game.
- Make your own papel picado to hang in your house to celebrate or join us for a special papel picado workshop at our Broad Rock branch.
- Cook a new Latin American dish to try together at home.
- Play Latin music to introduce your children to Hispanic culture and have a dance party together.
- Make your own maracas to shake along with these songs. Fill plastic eggs with rice, beans, etc. and tape them shut with painter’s tape. Then tape the eggs into the heads of spoons and get shaking!
- Enjoy paletas (frozen treats made with fresh fruit) together. You can find them locally at La Michoacana.
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!
