#alsc14 Maxim of the Day: Sometimes you’ve gotta sing outside of the shower.
Take it from Gay Ducey, a speaker on the “Using Volunteers to Expand the Walls/Books for Wider Horizons” panel. She warmed up Thursday’s #alsc14 audience by asking us to stand up and sing the storytime smash hit “To Stop the Train”–several times in a row.
Singing not only works with kids, but is an effective tool when leading a storytime training for adult volunteers: people loosen up, get active, and have fun. After this clever icebreaker activity, their brains are primed to soak up the content rich presentation that follows.
She also emphasizes to volunteers that their storytime presentations will make a lasting impression on kids.
“Storytimes are a kind of spell children need to have.”
By creating this special timeless moment in a child’s life, a storytime volunteer is helping the child associate reading with fun and good feelings.
Inspire your volunteers to be spellcasters and singers–the children they reach will not only be enchanted, but will likely become lifelong readers.