Be a Librarian for a Day!

What You Need:

• Book that the child can read
• Paper
• Crayons or markers
• Chair
• Props such as glasses, hats, or scarves
• Stuffed animals or dolls (optional)
• Video camera (optional)

What You Do:

1. Tell your child that they're going to pretend to be a librarian and host a storytime for their friends. If it's inconvenient to invite people over, you can “invite” their stuffed animals and dolls to the storytime.
2. Have your child pick out a book or two that they want to read for storytime. Tell them that they also get to sing any songs and ask the audience questions about the book.
3. Sit with them while they practice reading the book in preparation for storytime. Brainstorm with them about questions to ask and any songs they could sing. Talk about the characters in the book and ask your child if they plan on creating different voices to differentiate the characters.
4. Tell your child that they might want to make a flyer advertising their storytime. On the paper, have them write the name of the book they'll be reading, as well as the time, date, and place of the storytime. Have them draw a picture on the flyer that represents the book so that everyone will know what the book is about.
5. Talk with your child about what happens in the story and have them draw a coloring sheet to pass out at storytime. If possible, make copies of the coloring sheet for all of their guests.
6. Pass out the flyers to invite any friends or family members to the storytime.
7. On the day of the storytime, show your child the dress-up props and help them dress up like a librarian for storytime. Glasses and scarves are always fun!
8. Have your child decide where they want to hold storytime and set up a comfortable chair for them at the front of the room.
9. When the guests arrive, have your child greet them and show them where to go.
10. Have your child welcome everyone to storytime. Help your child as needed, but encourage them to run the show on their own.
11. Encourage the “librarian” to ask questions and interact with you and the other “children” during the storytime. If you did not invite friends to the story, you can be a "child” at the storytime. You could also supply voices for the dolls or stuffed animals in the audience.
12. After they've read the book and sung any songs, have them pass out the coloring sheet and crayons to the guests. You can also pass out blank paper for guests to color.
13. When storytime is over, have your child thank everyone for coming.
14. After the storytime, praise your child for a job well done and talk with them about what parts they enjoyed the most.

If your child loved their storytime experience, you can make it an ongoing event, or even invite their friends to join in a storytime group and all participate in reading to each other!