Running a Story Time

Here are some really practical points to help you run your session.

Setting up

  • Set up the area before people arrive
  • Make sure they're comfortable – have they visited the toilet?
  • Can they all see and hear?

Starting up

  • Introduce yourself
  • Smile, it helps break the ice!
  • Talk about the book before you start
  • If it's a small group, ask the children's names
    Reading the story
  • Balance the book on one hand, using the other to turn the pages
  • Let the pages face the audience
  • Speak clearly, don't rush
  • Try to read expressively, match your tone of voice with the words
  • Keep making eye contact, this will help hold attention
  • Be wary of asking questions during your first reading – you will be inundated with answers plus whole new stories about puppies and baby brothers and sisters! Wait till you've finished and go back to bits of the story if you want to

Troubleshooting

  • If a book isn't working, just put it down and try another (always bring more stories than you need!)
  • Get children's attention back by a song or a rhyme
  • If you keep being interrupted, smile and ask them to tell you about it afterwards
  • If it's really not working out stop reading and try to involve another adult in resolving the situation
  • If a child is misbehaving you could ask the child to come and sit with you and help, or ask the parent to sit the child on their knee.

Especially with younger children it's great to have parents and carers joining in the session

And here are two check lists to download, summarising key points for story times with different ages.

Tips and a booklist (Word, 44.9kb) for a story time with primary age children

Tips and a booklist (Word, 816kb) for an Early Years story and rhyme time

And let us know via TRF Coffee Break, the online discussion forum, your favourite books and stories for story times with children and young people of different ages – and most of all, when you're out there reading, telling, singing or 'baby bouncing', you have a great time too!

For further help, there is a story time scenario to work through in our e-learning section.