Wanting to offer programs for babies at your library? Check out this presentation to find resources, links, and other tools to spice up your library's offerings.

1. Library
Programming for
Babies
Suzanne Walker
Indiana State Library
suwalker@library.in.gov
@suzieecw

2. Who is this person?
What about my LEUs?

3. What are we talking about?
• Babies – ages 0-11 mos
• Ages 0-1 month should really not be exposed
to lots of other babies…up to you
• It’s never to late to start educating the
parents

4. Why should we have
programming just for babies?
• To educate their parents or caregivers.

5. What do we do in a baby
program?
• Talking, Singing, Reading, Writing, Playing

6. What do we do in a baby
program?
• We need to teach parents how to Talk, Sing,
Read, Write, and Play with their babies.

7. What do we do in a baby
program?
• Show them how to talk with their child.
• Show them how to play with their child.
• Model dialogic reading.
• Work on motor skills. (Precursor to Writing)
• Help them see that singing to their child
doesn’t have to be scary or intimidating (Yes.
This means you HAVE to sing to children).

8. Wait. I just want to play with
babies. You mean I have to
talk to parents?
• It is our job to enhance our storytimes and
programs for baby with great information for
parents and caregivers.
• Yes. Programming for babies should be fun,
but we need to be thoughtful about our
delivery of information to parents.

9. Quote from book:
1. We become more aware of how storytime
components support early literacy.
2. We can better articulate early literacy
information to other staff and to
administrators.
3. We become better child advocates in the
community.
4. We not only model but also explain early
literacy information to parents/caregivers…
Early Literacy Storytimes @ Your Library by Saroj Ghoting and Pamela Martin-Diaz

10. What programs can we have
for babies?
• So many options! But today we will focus on:
–Storytimes
–Playtimes
–Parent Education Programs
–Handouts for Parents

11. But first…about the senses…
Hearing
• Newborns can’t hear some very quiet
sounds, but the sense of hearing is well
developed
• After about 3 month baby will turn head
toward a sound
• By 4-8 months baby’s sense of hearing is
fully developed and she can hear the full
range of sound frequencies
• Good sense to focus on in our programs.

12. But first…about the senses…
Smell
• Newborn sense of smell is really, really good
• Breast pad experiment
• One of the most well developed senses when
baby is born

13. But first…about the senses…
Taste
• Newborns can distinguish between sweet,
salty, sour, and bitter
• Full taste sensitivity develops by about 12-19
months

14. But first…about the senses…
Touch
• Newborns can sense heat and cold and can
feel pain.
• The hands and the mouth are especially
sensitive to touch.
• Texture sensitivity develops from 1-9
months.
• Good sense to focus on in our programs.

15. But first…about the senses…
Vision
• Newborns can see in front of them only 8-15
inches in front of her face and have limited
color vision
• One month – about 3 feet, can track
movement with eyes
• Two months – can see basic colors
• Full color vision comes around 4-7 months
• Depth perception develops between 3-7
months and keeps developing until baby is
around 2 years old

16. Baby Storytimes
• How many people can you have?
• Parents or caregivers should ALWAYS be
in attendance. Some libraries call it
Lapsit for that very reason.
• Remember, babies have short attention
spans.
• Model with a friendly puppet or doll

17. Baby Storytimes –
Doesn’t Make Sense
• Flannel boards with small pieces
• Reading lots of books or long books
• Lots and lots of screen time
• Having an hour long program
• Expecting babies to be calm all the time
• Parachute

18. Baby Storytimes –
Does Make Sense
• Repetition + Variety
• Book sharing instead of you reading
• Invite parents to feel free to leave and
come back if their child is not happy
• Toy time or play time being a chunk of
your program
• Puppets, music, rhymes, fingerplays
• Have words available for parents

19. Baby Storytimes –
One Outline
• Pre-activity: Song with Scarves for example
• Opening Song, Introduction, Expectations
• Finger play – more complicated
• Rhyme with puppets
• Share the book
• Clapping song
• Finger play - easier
• Song with instruments
• Toy time
• Closing song

20. Baby Storytimes –
A Finger Play –
You do it / Baby does it
Way up high in the Apple Tree (Point finger up)
Five red apples smiled at me. (Hold up five fingers)
I shook that tree as hard as I could, (Clasp hands
together and shake back and forth)
Down fell an apple, mmm it was good. (Rub tummy
with both hands)

21. Baby Storytimes –
Your Repertoire
• Keep notes as to what works in your story time and
what doesn’t work
• Make sure to keep some back up plans with you
during storytime in case something falls flat
• Develop your own list of your favorite things to do

22. Play Times
• Play Times are great ways to educate parents
about the positive benefits of play
• “Many parents have not heard that play is
itself a rich and unparalleled learning activity.”
– Read, Play, Grow article

23. Play Times
• A couple of ideas for Play Times:
– Baby Dance Party / Baby Rock Band
– Toy Time @ the Library / Include Blocks!

24. Play Times – Baby Dance Party
• All music program facilitated by you
• Keep it short and simple…maybe ½ hour with
time for parent networking or a quick Early
Literacy Minute at the end
• Could require a 1:1 ratio

25. Play Times – Baby Dance Party
• More active than a lapsit
• Start with lapsit activities
• Have parents bounce babies on their laps, as
well as having parents get up or lay down and
move with baby

26. Play Times – Baby Dance Party
• Model with your doll, puppet, or stuffed
animal
• Repeat core songs each week
• Use instruments, props, rhymes
• Give baby time to lay on floor and kick

27. Play Times – Toy time
• Set out a bunch of age appropriate toys for
baby
• Encourage parents to move through different
stations
• Put out signs with ideas of what to do at each
station

28. Play Times – Toy time
• Could be offered at a longer time for parents
to just drop in
• Largely facilitated by the parent with the
signs as a guide
• You can be a roaming expert during the
program

29. Play Times – Toy time
• Blocks
• Scarves
• Instruments
• Puppets
• Board books
• Balls
• Sensory floor
• Things to
crawl through
• Bigger boxes
to stack and
knock over

30. Parent Education Programs
• Use your Every Child Ready to Read
information
• Partner with area experts on things like
– Car Seats
– Breastfeeding
– Local resources
– Baby Sign Language
– Speech Therapist

31. Parent Education Programs
• Calendar of activities
• Grab and Gos / Busy Bags
• Parenting Kits
• Parenting Resources
• Baby Shower
– Totally trick them into taking a parenting class

32. Baby Programming Resources
• Bloggers
– http://storytimesecrets.blogspot.com/
– http://melissa.depperfamily.net/blog/
• Twitter
– @sotomorrow
– @abbylibrarian
• Books
• Mother Goose on the Loose
• Websites
• Other Librarians

33. Bibliography
• https://sites.google.com/site/laptimeandstorytime/librarylap
time
• http://www.teachpreschool.org/2009/04/what-is-a-
fingerplay/#ixzz2bD6plSl1
• Storytime Magic by Kathy MacMillan
• Early Literacy Storytimes @ Your Library by Saroj Ghoting and
Pamela Martin-Diaz
• Baby Development Stages: The First Year – WebMD
• How Your Child’s Sensory System Develops –
www.abilitypath.org
• Read, Play, Grow! By Rachel G. Payne / School Library
Journal. Jul2013, Vol. 59 Issue 7, pg. 22