Storytime at Home: Interactive Picture Books!

Posted about 4 weeks ago by Sarah Fenninger
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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 INTERACTIVE PICTURE BOOKS!

Some of my favorite books are ones that encourage readers to become a part of the story by interacting with the words on the page. Not only do such books promote literacy, they also encourage your child to get moving and practice both fine and gross motor skills. Tracing, poking, clapping, jumping, etc. – all of these movements help your child develop and learn. Interactive books are also a great option for engaging young readers who may have a harder time getting through a book in one sitting. These books can become part of play and help readers hold focus. Beyond these great benefits, interactive books that get us moving are just plain fun! The library has some wonderful interactive books, 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 interactive storytime.

Preschool

Toddler/Baby

There are many other 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 another 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 to make storytime more interactive and get moving.

Movement Song: Do You Like To Jump Around
Tune: Do You Know The Muffin Man?

Do you like to jump around?
Jump around, jump around?
Do you like to jump around?
Jump and now let’s FREEZE!

Repeat with: Roll, clap, shake, jump

Movement Song: Clap, Clap, Clap Your Hands
Tune: Row, Row, Row Your Boat
Do each movement as you sing it

Clap, clap, clap your hands,
Clap them now with me.
Clap your hands, let me see!
Clap them now with me.

Repeat with:
Tap your knees
Shake your feet
Tickle your tummy

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 to promote additional movement. 

Stomp Painting Craft

Materials Needed

  • Cardboard or large paper
  • Paint
  • Paper plates
  • Bubble wrap
  • Tape

Source: Inspired by Innovation Kids Lab

Directions

  • Add paint to paper plates. Pour one color on each plate.
  • Wrap your child’s feet in bubble wrap and secure with tape.
  • Have your child step into the paint with their bubble wrapped foot.
  • Then, have them stomp around on the cardboard or large paper.
  • Repeat for maximum fun!

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: 

  • Create an obstacle course with household items like pillows, cushions, blankets, tables, chairs, etc. Have your child climb, hop, roll, crawl, and more to get through it.
  • Have a dance party! There are so many great movement songs for children. Some of our favorites include the Party Freeze Dance Song, Silly Dance Contest, Hop Little Bunnies, Walking Walking, We Are The Dinosaurs, and the always-classic Hokey Pokey.
  • Help children channel their energy with an at-home yoga session. Cosmic Kids Yoga targets young children, from toddlers to early elementary schoolers, with kid-friendly stories that integrate simple yoga poses. 
  • Have an extra box lying around your house? Put your kids in it, give them art supplies (think: markers, stickers, paint, etc.), and let them go to town decorating it. Afterwards, the decorated box could become a book-reading fort, magic castle, secret hideaway and more. Encourage kids to decorate their space however they want!
  • We know it’s cold, but bundle up and get outside to one of Richmond’s many parks and playgrounds. We love walking the trails at Bryan Park and Three Lakes Park (which also has a playground). PARK365 is another great outdoor play option!

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!

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Sarah Fenninger

Sarah Fenninger is a lifelong book worm and library lover, and an enthusiastic appreciator of puns, creative outlets, silliness, and FUN. She considers herself lucky to be able to combine these things into a youth library associate role with Richmond Public Library. Sarah loves interactive children's books and singing songs that promote motor development and movement. When she's not at work preparing crafts or reading silly books about dinosaurs in underwear, Sarah can be found at one of Richmond's many local parks/trails and spending time with family, including her husband, daughter, dog, cat, and two chickens.

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