Baby Storytime

Welcome to our Baby Storytime Guide — a wonderful resource designed to help parents and caregivers introduce their little ones to the magic of books and language! I’m thrilled to share the importance of storytime and how it supports babies' early literacy development.

Storytime for babies is more than just reading words aloud — it's about engaging with your baby through rhythm, repetition, and sensory experiences. Babies are naturally drawn to the sound of your voice, and hearing familiar words or songs helps them build listening skills. The repetition of nursery rhymes and simple stories also helps babies begin to recognize patterns in language, which lays the foundation for future reading skills.

Our guide offers a variety of fun activities, including interactive songs, board books with colorful pictures, and hand motions that stimulate your baby’s senses. Singing songs like “Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star” or using finger plays like “Itsy Bitsy Spider” can help babies develop motor skills, while the cozy environment of storytime strengthens the bond between you and your child.

This guide also provides tips on how to make storytime enjoyable and effective, from choosing age-appropriate books to creating a calming, engaging routine. Baby storytime is a joyful way to support early development while instilling a lifelong love of books and reading!

I always begin my storytimes with early literacy tips. Choose one literacy tip to focus on for the session. Make copies of the image below and share it with attendees.

Here is a list of my person tips for Baby Storytime:

Set up: I like to set out a ton of "distraction items". I let little ones roam around freely during the session and have distraction items available on the floor (or within reach) distracts them from trying to take my teaching tools!

Intro: Start by letting caregivers know what I expect of them and their children.

Themes: I try to stick to a simple theme (numbers, colors, etc)