How to use the Emergent Literacy Storytime Planning Sheets:

Template for Pre-Talkers (0-2)

1. Select a content theme: (for example, Growing and Gardening)

2. Select a concept theme to think about when you write your learning statement: (the concept theme is a point about child development that you will emphasize for parents. For the purpose of this sample, I’ll select as my concept theme the idea of print motivation, and I will write a learning statement based upon this concept. The learning theme statement is what I will tell parents at some point during the course of the storytime.)

3. Write your learning statement: “From time to time you may hear me refer to the idea of print motivation in these storytime sessions. Print motivation refers to a child’s interest in and enjoyment of books and it is one of the most important things you can help your child to develop. Studies have shown that children who feel that books and reading are fun and enjoyable activities are better prepared for kindergarten and learning than children who do not have exposure to books in a fun, loving atmosphere. One of the things you can do to help your baby begin to develop print motivation is to hold them close and cuddle them when you share stories, and use a warm, gentle, enthusiastic voice when you read.”

4. Plan storytime as usual:

• For babies, it is very good to have repetition at both the beginning and end of the session. You may choose to always open with a song such as The More We Get Together and close with a song such as If You’re Happy and You Know It.
• Select two or three simple books with pictures to read. For my Growing and Gardening Theme I might select such titles as:

-Butterworth, Jasper’s Beanstalk

-Ehlert, Growing Vegetable Soup

-Kraus, The Carrot Seed

-Rockwell, How My Garden Grew

· For each book you read, do two songs or fingerplays: For my Growing and Gardening theme I might choose such well-known favorites as

-The Itsy Bitsy Spider

- -Open, Shut Them

- -Mary, Mary Quite Contrary

-Round and Round the Garden

Check the “I Can’t Sing” books and the Piggyback Song books for lots more song and fingerplay ideas. Other helpful books for planning storytimes for the 0-2 age group are Jeffrey, Literate Beginnings: Programs for Babies and Toddlers and Marino, Sing Us a Story: Using Music in Pre-school and Family Storytimes. Both of these are available from the MHLS professional collection.