Dear Parent or Caregiver, 

Thank you for checking out a Storytime Kit To-Go. Before children can read and write, they must first learn the skills that will prepare them to do so. When you read the stories and play with the activities in this kit at home, you will help start your child on a path to school readiness and success. Babies need words!

You are your child’s first teacher, and it is important to engage him or her with the following:

  • LOVE OF BOOKS: Print motivation encourages children to enjoy books and think of them as toys.
  • WORDS: Children develop their vocabulary by learning the names for things.
  • BOOKS: Understanding how to follow words on a page encourages awareness of print.
  • ABCs: Letter knowledge stems from learning the names and sounds of individual letters.
  • SOUNDS: Phonological awareness is being able to hear and play with smaller sounds in words.
  • STORYTELLING: Learning narrative skills lets children describe what’s going on in their world.

All of the above can be achieved by introducing these five practices into everyday activities:

  • TALKING: Children will pick up oral language and stimulate brain activity.
  • WRITING: Children will develop the muscles in their hands and strengthen eye/hand coordination.
  • READING: Children will increase their vocabulary, learn how to use books, and discover that stories have a beginning, middle and end.
  • PLAYING: Children will come to understand that written words stand for real objects and experiences. Play prepares them to think symbolically through imagination.
  • SINGING: Children will gain a sensitivity to sounds in words through an emphasis on rhyming

When it is time for you to return the kit, take it to the Children’s Desk at your local branch. Double check the tag on the tote bag handle to make sure you return all the items. Please complete a survey about your experience to help us expand and improve our services. One survey is included with the kit, and more copies are available at the Children’s Desk.

Your input is very important to us. Thank you very much!
The Children's Department at the Charleston County Public Library