What do you do when your terrific storytime starts to devolve into a distracted, wiggly mass of kids? I’m serious, I’d love to hear some of your suggestions. Here are a few I used to use:
- Don’t be afraid to abort a mission to read a book if it isn’t working
- Do have a few fail-proof fingerplays or songs that help kids get re-engaged, and give them a chance to organize their bodies and minds
- Up the energy of your own presentation
- Have a secret signal for letting the kids know it’s time to quiet down
- Don’t take it personally and keep your sense of humor!
I found a great post on the ALSC blog recently about this. The author, Katie Lawson, had some terrific ideas to share, including a magic storytime wand, magic storytime dust, a kazoo (for grabbing attention), and having some books, songs, and fingerplays that allow for some organized wiggling. I highly recommend checking it out!
What is your fail-safe plan for the wiggles?