Fun virtual storytimes filled with great books, rhymes and songs. Watch anytime and sing along!

Storytime at Home

Dial-a-Story

Raising Confident Kids

Smiling little girl with hand on hip, posing in front of blurred grasses and flowers in the background

Disability: Read Up On It!

Here is a Bunny

Fingerplays help children develop narrative skills. Narratives are stories with a beginning, a middle and an end. Being familiar with narratives will help your child tell their own stories. 

Here is a bunny, (Hold up two bent fingers) With ears so funny. (Wiggle the fingers) Here is his hole in the ground. (Make circle with thumb and four fingers of other hand)

When a noise he hears, He pricks up his ears, (Straighten two fingers in ‘V’ shape) And jumps in his hole in the ground. (Jump fingers into hole on other hand)

Here is a Bunny Screenshot

Fingerplay: Here is a Bunny

Activities focused on recognizing and hearing sounds that go with specific letters help children sound out words when they begin to read. This activity can also be played at home where you mimic different sounds. 

Visit a park, library, backyard or anywhere you hear different sounds from your house. Put your baby on your lap facing you and listen quietly. When you hear a sound, make an excited face and ask your child, "Did you hear that? It is a ..."With older children, ask them to close their eyes and listen carefully, and ask them "What did you hear?" "What else do you hear?"

Baby with adult

Game: We're Going on a Sound Hunt

Activities focused on linking pictures and words to real objects helps children understand the relationship between real items and words. Actitivies using everyday objects will help familiarize your child with those objects. 

Collect and label pictures of things your child can easily find in your house: fruits, toys, furniture or household objects. Show your child a picture. Say, “Oh look! Here is a picture of an apple. I know there is a real apple around here somewhere. Can you find it?” Have your child bring you the object and compare it to the picture

Child and adult chasing frog

Game: Match Me Up

Activities focused on hearing similarities and differences between the sounds that make up words helps children develop an understanding of sounds letters make. Encourage your child to mimic the sounds as you sing. 

Fill a paper bag or a ziploc bag with some magnetic or foam letters and cut a hole to make a mouth in the middle. Add googly eyes, pom poms and some other decorations to make it look like a monster.
Play feed the monster by laying out a few letters in front of the monster and asking your child to feed the monster a specific letter. For babies, choose any of the letters and throw them in the monster's mouth and say the letter out loud as the monster 'eats' them.

Child dropping book into play box with adult

Game: Feed the Little Monster

Activities focused on hearing and understanding many words help children sound them out when they are learning to read. Consider pointing out objects or characters in books that your child may be interested in. 

Say, “I spy with my little eye, something that is …” and ask your child to find something according to a category, like shape, colour or size.

Child searching with adult

Game: I Spy

Activities focused on knowing the different sounds of letters helps children sound out written words. Consider expanding this activity to include numbers as well. 

With your child, go on a hunt for things in your house that start with a letter. You can choose to play with items in specific rooms. For example, if you start with the letter "a" and are playing in the kitchen, you can find an apple, an apron and an avocado. Work your way through the alphabet until you get to "z".

Child in kitchen

Game: Letter Hunt

Activities focused on knowing the different sounds of letters helps children figure out how to say written words. This activity can also be played with numbers. 

Tape a feather onto the end of a straw. After reading a page of a story, ask your child to “tickle” a letter. For example, ask your child to tickle all of the r’s on a page from Red is Best by Kathy Stinson.

Baby Smiling

Game: Letter Ticklers

Five Little Ducks

Fingerplays prepare your child to sound out words as she learns to read. Adding actions helps children break down language into separate words and introduce them to new words.

Five little ducks went out one day, (Hold up five fingers) Over the hills and far away, (Wave bye-bye) Mother duck said "Quack, quack, quack, quack," 
But only four little ducks came back. (Hold up four fingers)

Repeat rhyme for: Four little ducks went out one day... Three little ducks went out one day... Two little ducks went out one day... One little ducks went out one day...

Over the hills and far away, (wave bye-bye) Mother duck said "Quack, quack, quack, quack, "But none of the five little ducks came back. (open hands in an 'empty' gesture)

Sad mother duck went out one day, (sing it sadly and slowly) Over the hills and far away, Mother duck said, "QUACK! QUACK! QUACK! QUACK!" And all of the five little ducks came back.(Wave hand with all five fingers!)

Children sitting with adult sitting

Fingerplay: Five Little Ducks

I Had a Little Turtle

Fingerplays help prepare your child to sound out words as she learns to read. Adding actions help your child break down language into separate words.

I had a little turtle, (Make a fist with thumb sticking out) He lived in a box. (Cup hands together for a box) He swam in a puddle. (Wiggle hand for swimming) He climbed on the rocks. (Fingers climb up other fist) He snapped at a mosquito, (Snap fingers) He snapped at a flea, (Snap) He snapped at a minnow, (Snap) And he snapped at me! (Snap)

He caught the mosquito, (Clap, gulp) He caught the flea, (Clap, gulp) He caught the minnow, (Clap, gulp) 
But he didn’t catch me! (Wag pointer finger back and forth)

Child sitting with adult sitting holding hands

Fingerplay: I Had a Little Turtle

Sorting activities help children recognize written words and understand what they read. Sorting activites are a great way to introduce your child to new words. 

Find magazine pictures (dogs, fruits, vegetables, etc.) in the same category and paste each picture on a card. Make at least five sets of category cards and then mix them up. Ask your child to sort them.

Child and adult sorting

Game: Sort Your Sets

Play is how children learn, and how they come to understand their world.

Play

Talking with your child helps build language and vocabulary skills.

Talk

Reading together is the best way to help your child become a strong reader.

Read

Singing helps your child hear the sounds in words and build their vocabulary.

Sing

Writing helps children learn that letters and words represent sounds and have meaning.

Write

Print and books should be familiar and everyday items in your child’s environment. Allow your child to explore books by keeping a variety of books within reach. Keep some books in your child’s toy box. Start a little library for your child keeping books on lower shelves. 

Language Rich Environments (1)

Choose a “Letter of the Day” and point out everything you see, all day long, that starts with that letter. Find and name letters in books, on signs and labels, on toys, food boxes and other objects all around.

Play with Letters (3)

Play games with alphabet blocks, felt or foam letters, or letters cut from newspapers or magazines. Try making simple words or your child’s name. Letters can also be made from string or cooked, cooled spaghetti. Your child may enjoy playing, writing and drawing in sand, pudding, sugar or flour. 

Ready for Reading

Find fun activities to do with your child

playing

Fingerplay: Here is a Bunny

Game: We're Going on a Sound Hunt

Game: Match Me Up

Game: Feed the Little Monster

Game: I Spy

Game: Letter Hunt

Game: Letter Ticklers

Fingerplay: Five Little Ducks

Fingerplay: I Had a Little Turtle

Game: Sort Your Sets

playing Tips

Six skills that get your child ready for reading

Liking Books

Hearing words

Knowing words

Telling a story

Seeing words

Knowing letters

Storytime at Home

Dial-a-Story

Raising Confident Kids