In our library, we hold a short meeting for everyone who does a storytime and during this time we decide on themes and assign each week to someone. During their week, they need to pull books, activity ideas for the theme, and supply the craft for each storytime.
This week, I held my usual Family Storytime and covered a preschool storytime. This week was the beginning of spring break and that didn't do so well for attendance, but we were still able to have some fun with reading.
When I first was trained for storytimes, I had some opportunities to work with a preschool group a little bit before I was given family storytime. The preschool group is really a fun and nice age to have because they always seem to love listening to stories and participate. I find that preschool storytimes are always easier for me than my family storytime because the kids are a little bit older and attentive.
Family storytime is great because whole families can participate in a storytime together and parents love this option because they can bring all their kids, regardless of age, to a single storytime. It can be very convenient for parents.
The downside of a family storytime is it is harder to comply to such a wide range of the learning spectrum. It is difficult to find books that will keep everyone's interest, but not go over some of the little ones' heads. The same difficulty can be applied to the activities.
Another downside is younger attention spans can take the attention away from older children. A crying baby or a crawling toddler can quickly take away the older children's focus from a book or activity.
Regardless, family storytimes still work and are still done to cater to those families who love this option. And for me, the bottom line is to have each group learn through reading and being read to. I always get excited when I have a group that appreciates the stories more than the activities or craft because to me that's what it's really all about.
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