- Sit, sing, dance & listen to stories together. The more you participate in storytime, the more children will participate, enjoy, and learn from storytime. This is true for virtual storytime as well!
- Pay attention to the stories. Set a good example for your child by actively listening to the stories too.
- Turn your baby to face you. If you have a very young toddler or baby, they benefit from seeing your face! Especially during music and movement, or during breaks between stories when we do movement activities, feel free to turn your child to face you while you follow along with the songs and activities presented by the librarian.
- Allow your child not to participate if they choose not to. They are still absorbing the stories, rhymes, songs and rhythms of the storytime. You might find that your child will sing the rhymes and songs later, after storytime is over, even if they don't sing or clap along with the librarian while the program is live.
- Don't be afraid to log off. Some days children aren't in the right mood for storytime. If your child is having a bad day don't feel like you need to force them to participate. Also, all of our virtual storytimes and music and movement programs are recorded, so you can always view the recording later when your child is in a more receptive mood.
- Feel free to turn on your video camera (but don't feel obligated). While nothing can replace the magic of an in-person storytime, turning our videos on together does contribute to the group learning experience and makes the virtual experience more engaging.
