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 GONE FISHING!
Kids and fish are a dynamic duo. Whether you’re watching them swim in a tank or finding swimming friends in a creek, fish are great entertainment for young ones. Books about fish are also wonderful for kids. They can help us practice counting, learn about underwater animals, explore concepts like patience (fishing isn’t instant gratification, right?) and friendship, and more. Books, songs, and rhymes about fish also support development when we do movements like swimming and puckering our mouths for fishy kisses! The library has some wonderful books about fish and fishing, 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 fish-themed storytime.
Preschool
- Poor Little Guy by Elanna Allen
- Fish Wish by Bob Barner
- We Love Fishing! By Ariel Bernstein
- Fish and Crab by Marianna Coppo
- The Story of Fish & Snail by Deborah Freedman
- Bear & Hare Go Fishing by Emily Gravett
- Ugly Fish by Kara LaReau
- Big Bear and Little Fish by Sandra Nickel
- The Rainbow Fish by Marcus Pfister
- Don’t Trust Fish by Neil Sharpson
Toddler/Baby
- Boats by Byron Barton
- Little Fish series by Lucy Cousins
- Go Fish! by Tammi Sauer
- Ten Little Fish by Audrey Wood
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.
Counting Song: One, Two, Three, Four, Five
Do actions in italics as you sing
Listen here
One, two, three, four, five, (hold up fingers one by one, while counting)
Once I caught a fish alive. (put hands together and wiggle like a fish)
Six, seven, eight, nine, ten, (hold up fingers one by one, while counting)
Then I threw it back again. (make throwing motion)
Why did you let it go? (hold hands out asking why)
Because it bit my finger so. (shake hand, as if hurt)
Which finger did it bite? (hold hands out asking why)
This little finger on my right. (wiggle pinky finger)
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 fish theme.
Paper Plate Fish Craft
Materials Needed
- Paper plate
- Scissors
- Stapler
- Colored tissue or construction paper
- Glue
- Googly eyes (optional)
Source: Glued To My Crafts
Directions
- Cut a wedge/triangle out of your plate. (Any size will work. The triangle you cut out will be the tail of the fish.)
- Glue or staple the triangle to the plate, to give your fish a tail.
- Cut or tear your paper into squares.
- Help your child cover the entire plate with glue and place the paper all over.
- Add google eyes if desired, or draw eyes with markers/crayons.
- If desired, use construction paper to add fins to the top and bottom.
- If you want to hang your fish, punch a hole on the top & string some yarn through the hole!
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:
- Take a fish field trip! There are so many places to see fish in Richmond. Whether you browse fish tanks in a pet store, watch fish swim in the pond at Maymont‘s Japanese Gardens, visit Robins Nature Center, watch the fish feeding at Bass Pro Shops, or go fish scouting at one of the many river trails, there is so much fun to be had!
- Take a day trip to the Virginia Aquarium in Virginia Beach. With two large buildings to explore, you and your kiddos can enjoy lots of fish time!
- Create your own fishing game with pipe cleaners! This is a great sensory bin activity that also supports motor development.
- Have older children? Teach them how to play Go Fish.
- Make fish out of playdough. See how many differently shaped and sized fish you can make!
- Make mealtime more fun with a fish-shaped waffle. Check out Sunny Day Family for inspiration!
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!
