For some parents of young children, an hour at the library is manna from heaven. They park their strollers and head into the designated room with lots of other toddler-toting folks. It’s storytime! Maybe it’s not everyone’s idea of a great time but that hour at the library is often a lifeline for parents who could use the company of other adults.
For the kiddos, it’s an absolute romp. They get to dance their wiggles out, play with shaky toys and make a lot of noise. That’s right. Kids at storytime don’t have to be quiet, still and well behaved (at least not overly well behaved.) Once they get their wiggles out, they settle in for a good interactive story followed by a craft.
It’s more than mere entertainment for kids and a break for parents. Storytimes introduce all kinds of good things:
- Foundational literacy skills (vocabulary, narrative understanding, print awareness)
- Listening and cognitive skills (memory, comprehension and critical thinking)
- Imagination and creativity (new ideas, cultures and experiences, sparking curiosity and creativity)
- School readiness (important pre-academic skills like sitting still, taking turns and following directions)
- Routine and structure
Knox County Public Library hosts 35 storytimes every single week from Baby Bookworms to Family Pajama Storytime. There are afterschool and special storytimes throughout the month. On May 1, the Knoxville Symphony Orchestra is bringing their musical storytime to the Howard Pinkston Branch Library at 11:00 and on May 29 at 10:30, KAT will bring their Bus Storytime to the Sequoyah Library.
We’ve hosted storytimes for decades. Many of the parents who bring their children today have fond memories of coming to storytime when they were young. We hope to see you at one of the three dozen storytimes available every week.
Mary Pom Claiborne is assistant director for marketing, communications and development for Knox County Public Library.
