Storytelling with toddlers - story circle structure

When my oldest kiddo was a toddler, I've tried to have an art activitiy in our local mommy and me group. I've brought finger paints and a big roll of paper. Couple of kids in the group were so eager to participate, they had a blast. They painted with their hands and feet. They got undressed to their diapers and got all arty and messy. Not my kid! He remained fully dressed, spot clean as he refused to touch the paint, and mounted on his tricycle. He calmly observed all the fun and partook absolutely no part of it. I was bitterly disappointed.

That day I learned that beautiful messy art activities aren't for everyone. However, if you are consistent and keep art activities in your kids life, eventually they'll find some form of art that is right for them (for example, my kid's favorite art activitiy is playdough. *Not* messy painting).

Storytelling with toddlers is really similar in this aspect. Not every kid will be eager to participate in a storytelling circle or a story time, and that's ok! Eventually, you'll find together what works best for your unique family or class setup.

Having said that, this routine usually works well for story circle with toddlers, either 1:1 or in a group:

- Prepare the area: lay out some picture books, simple open-ended toys (magnets are great) and/or art materials (e.g., paper and markers).

- Introduction and settle down. Welcome the kids to the activity/space, let them discover the books and the toys organized beforehand.

- Story time announcement. In one of my kid's kindergartens, the teacher who was about to read a book would go around the room with the book in her hands, showing the book to the toddlers and announcing that the story time is about to begin.

- Last call to the activity: like in theater, you can also use a bell or another instrument (teacher Tom uses "bangaroo" for transitions in his kindergarten) to let everyone know that the story circle is about to begin.

- Some kids would be reluctant to join. That's ok! They can play quietly nearby.

- Kids who decided to join the story circle: yay! Let the story circle begin.

In the coming blog posts, I'm planning to describe different story circle activities for toddlers. Stay tuned!

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