Storytime

Storytime is our weekly early literacy programme for preschoolers (3-5 year olds). Preschoolers and their carers can enjoy Storytime at:

Join us for a Special Saturday Father's Day Storytime

Join us for stories, craft, songs and a movie! No bookings are necessary. Storytime only takes a break at Christmas and in August for Book Week.

Storytime Tips

• Storytime is a fun event that helps with the development of early literacy skills. The programme is most suitable for preschoolers from 3-5, but many younger visitors attend and enjoy the sessions, even if they are not able to participate fully. If you have a child between three months and 18 months, you are warmly invited to visit Baby Rhymetime.

• A Storytime session takes 45 minutes to one hour. You can attend the whole session or only part of it, whichever way it suits you and your child. For safety reasons it is not possible for your child to attend by themselves; a carer needs to be in attendance.

• It often takes a little while for children to get used to sitting quietly and listening to a story with other children. If your child finds it difficult to sit with the other children, please have her or him sitting on your lap or with you on the floor.

• Your child may also need your help when doing the craft.

• For the safety of other children and patrons in the library, please stop your child from running in the library.

Storytime and Early Literacy

Storytime helps with early literacy development. Early literacy refers to what children know about reading and writing before they can actually read or write. Young children's emergent literacy skills are the building blocks for later reading and writing. Children learn these skills before they start school, beginning in infancy. From birth throughout the pre-school years, children develop a knowledge of spoken language, the sounds that form words, letters, writing and books. This is the beginning of the abilities that children need to be able to learn to read and write in school.

How Can Parents Help?

Parents and carers can do plenty of things to help their children in their journey to become proficient readers.

• Young children often have short attention spans but enjoy repeating favourite activities. Reading stories frequently for short amounts of time throughout the day is a good way to enjoy books with this age group.

• Share books or read with your children as often as possible. If your child loses interest, try another time.

• Encourage your child when she or he pretends to read.

• And, of course, visit the library for Storytime and borrow picture books from our picture book collections.

We look forward to seeing you soon at Storytime!