[Danni]

one of my favorite ways to extend storytime conversation is through going back to the book and pause on pages, asking “what do you see happening here” or “How do u think the character feels in this story”

[Yejin]

One fun way I get kids talking after Storytime is by turning the story into a little game or role-play. For example, after reading a book about animals, I might give each child a simple animal mask or toy and ask them to make the sounds or act like that animal. This usually gets lots of giggles and talking as they try to guess each other’s animal or tell a short story about it.For building vocabulary, I like to use playful activities like “word treasure hunts” where kids find objects around the room that match new words from the story. Or we might create a colorful “word wall” with pictures and words from the book that kids can point to and use in sentences.One time, after reading a story about a hungry caterpillar, a child started telling me all about the foods they eat at home, and soon the whole group was sharing their favorite snacks. It was a simple moment, but it sparked a lot of conversation and new words!Making vocabulary fun and interactive helps kids remember words better and feel excited to talk.

[Medi]

I love reading books to the kids about which one is odd as they love to search or look for the image that does not belong in the picture or the odd one. I also have them say some of the few lines to have them actively engage in the process of read aloud.

[Ayshea]

During storytime I read a page once I’m done reading a page I ask them questions about what I read on that page and I just keep doing the same thing in every page once I’m done reading the book I ask them what was the book about and if they liked the book.

[Jessica]

When I read a story to the class I create a different voice fore each of the characters or act out different actions the characters do.”The little mouse, the red ripe strawberry, and the big hungry bear” is one of the favorites in the class. Together we stomp when they talk about the bear coming and dramatically sniff the air in search of the strawberry. And at the end of the book we all rub our full tummies because the strawberry eas so delicious we all have to taste to help the mouse. I’ve seen people use puppets or as open ended questions throughout. With my littlest they are just learning to talk at ages 12-24 so keeping their bodies and minds engaged is best through making it a big show.

[Hernestor Ramirez Diaz]

After storytime, one thing that works really well is using puppets or stuffed animals to ask the kids questions, like “what do you think happened next?” or “how do you think the bunny felt?” it makes them laugh and they start talking without even realizing they’re practicing language. one time after reading a book about a bear who lost his hat, i brought in different hats and we played “whose hat is this?” they made up silly stories about where the hats came from and who wore them. it was super fun and they used a bunch of new words without me even having to push it.

[Nizandra]

After storytime, I like to ask kids questions about the story and let them tell there own endings. Sometimes we play “word treasure hunt” where kids find things in the room that match new words from the story. One time, we made funny faces to show how characters felt and it got all the kids talking and laughing.

[Grace]

I find that with larger groups, it can be difficult to have space for lots of talking so I like to take the opportunity to read to a small group or even one to two children at a time. The child picks out the book and then as we go through the story I may ask questions about what’s on the page or it’s even better when the child talks about how they can relate to a situation in the book. For example I a book such as Rainbow Fish, a child may mention they love looking for fishes in the water. I can ask them follow-up questions and encourage them to other children to ask questions and share there experience which then may proceed to a discussion about loving rainbows.

[Mandy Wray]

Word treasure hunt after reading the story of the day! The kids love it and it’s fun and engaging for the kids.

[Sharon]

in our classroom we will change the name of the character in the book to one of our children and i will ask questions all throughout the book to keep the children’s attention

[Adriana Loscher-Blanco]

Reading out loud and having some children play the characters is a great way for them to be involved and productive.

[Adriana Loscher-Blanco]

Word detective game is great! I encourage the children to find words that mean the same, are opposite, do not make sense. I make them write them and make a drawing.

[Ciera]

One way is i engage them is to ask if they have something simliar happen to them and have them share with the class

[Uxue]

When I read a book, I try to make the kids part of the experience. Before continuing with the story, I like to ask questions like, “What do you think will happen next?” I also playfully “read” something different from what’s actually in the book. For example, if there’s an elephant on the page, I might say, “Look at that lion!” The kids already know it’s an elephant, so they jump in to correct me: “Nooo, that’s not a lion!” It’s a fun way to keep them engaged and thinking critically and also, build vocabulary. Other times, I read rhyming books. Before finishing the rhyme, I pause and ask them to guess what word might rhyme with the one I just said. It encourages phonemic awareness and gets them excited to participate.

[April]

During story time I would read and pick any of the Dr. Seuss books like “Green Eggs and Ham” and after I finish reading the book , I start singing the words into a song. Since most of these words all rhyme. The child start to get excited and start to read the words and sing along with me.