Storytime at Home

Create your own storytime! We’ve made it easy to do storytime with your children at home or in your classroom. Choose from themed storytime plans crafted by our librarians. Each plan contains a list of books as well as links to storytime songs sung by our staff and ideas for crafts and other activities. Mix and match from this plan to create your perfect Storytime at Home. New plans will be added on occasion.

Additional Themes

Storytime At Home Guide

1. Pick 2 or 3 books to read. Books that are available in our digital library are noted below the title.
2. Sing a song or two. Sing and rhyme along with PPL staff in the linked videos or simply sing a song that you already know.
3. Try an activity or craft. Not every storytime needs a craft or game, but they can be a lot of fun! Linked activities include minimal supplies not provided by the library.
4. Be flexible. Don’t worry too much about having a set plan. The most important thing is to have fun.

Storytime Tips & Hints

Our Youth Services staff have some suggestions for you as you begin your storytime journey.

• Read with enthusiasm. Give the characters in your story different voices. Change the pitch and volume of your voice as well as the tempo. Most importantly, choose books that you enjoy reading.
• Encourage your listeners to repeat phrases with you. This helps little readers stay engaged with the story.
• Kids like repetition. We like to do a song, rhyme or fingerplay after reading a book. Go ahead and repeat it a couple of times. Read a book then do a song or rhyme. Read a book; do a song or rhyme; read a book; …you get the idea.
• Try reading a nonfiction book. Studies have shown that sharing nonfiction books with young readers strengthens early literacy skills such as vocabulary and background knowledge. Even if you don’t read all the text in an informational book, learning a few facts and discussing a few photos can be a wonderful addition to your storytime.