One of the many joys of being a Youth Services librarian is leading storytimes. We love selecting the best stories, choosing rhymes and music that will make kids and their grownups wiggle and giggle together, and singing songs that soon become family favorites.
Fortunately, storytime doesn’t have to be limited to when we are all physically in the library building. In addition to our online storytimes and our Library At Home page, the latest resource we are excited to share with you is DIY Storytimes. That’s right, Do-It-Yourself Storytimes!
Developed by your Youth Services librarians, these storytimes are meant for you to experience together with your kids—anywhere, anytime. Here's how.
How to do storytime yourself
At the DIY Storytimes page you will find different storytimes with engaging themes like Bugs, Outer Space, or Colors. Selecting the theme name will open up the outline (printable version included), which consists of the elements you are used to experiencing at storytime: stories, action and movement songs, rhymes, extra activities, and more.
These elements have all been chosen for two primary reasons: to develop your child’s early literacy skills and to be fun to do together.
Also included are links to animated ebooks and videos of songs and rhymes that you can access instantly so you can read or listen to the stories in real time. Waiting in the doctor’s office or laundromat? Want an activity for your child to do with their grandparents? We want to make it easy to have a fun and enriching way to fill the time, wherever you are.
We hope you and your child enjoy our DIY Storytimes. We’re adding more to the list, so check back frequently to see what’s new. If you have any questions, you can always reach us at ysinfo@mgpl.org or leave a voicemail message at 847-965-4220 and we’ll call you back.
Stay safe everyone. We miss you, and we look forward to seeing you all again.
Sarah Mitchell-Mace is a Youth Services Librarian at Morton Grove Public Library.