Print Motivation

• Make the time spent sharing a book special for both you and your child.
• Let your child see you reading. It is especially important for a child to see his or her father read!
• Visit your public library often.

Narrative Skills

• Listen to your child carefully.
• Ask your child to draw a picture about an incident and tell you about it.
• Read together and ask your child questions about what comes first, next and last.
• Switch roles! Ask your child to “read” you a story.
• Ask open-ended questions, such as, “What do you think is happening in this picture?”
• Help your child relate the story to his or her own experience, such as, “What happened when we went to the beach?”

Letter Awareness

• Write words your child is interested in, such as truck or butterfly.
• Show your child that the same letter can look different.
• Make letters out of clay or play with magnetic letters.
• Point out and name letters on signs, toys and other objects.

Print Awareness

• Read a variety of everyday print, such as street signs, cereal boxes and lists, out loud to your child.
• Point to words as you say them.
• Allow your child to hold the book, turn the pages, and tell you the story.
• Hold the book upside down and see if your child turns the book around.

Vocabulary

• Talk with your child about what you are doing and what is going on around you. Talk about how things work, feelings and ideas.
• When your child talks to you, add more detail to what he or she says.
• Speak in the language most comfortable to you.
• Ask your child lots of questions.
• Read together every day.
• Learn together by reading some non-fiction books on subjects your child likes.

Phonological Awareness

• Ask your child if two words rhyme. Such as, “Do dog and cat rhyme? Do cat and hat rhyme?”
• Play with the parts of compound words. Such as "What would happen if we took sail out of the word sailboat?"
• Sing to your child, even if you do not think your voice is good!
• Play word games, such as “What rhymes with ‘ball’?” or “What starts with the same sound as ‘dog’?”
• Again, say rhymes and sing songs in the language most comfortable to you.

Yes! Your child starts learning from birth. Research has found that there are six pre-reading skills children must gain in order to learn to read.

Print Motivation

Developing an interest in books and learning to enjoy books and reading.

Narrative Skills

Learning to describe things and events and tell stories.

Letter Awareness

Learning that letters are different from each other, learning their names and sounds.

Print Awareness

Noticing letters and words, following the words on a page and learning how to handle a book.

Vocabulary

Learning the names of things.

Phonological Awareness

Learning to hear and play with the smaller sounds in words.

SMPL Preschool Story Time Guidelines

Preschool Story Time is a 30 minute story time for pre-school children at least 3 years old. We encourage the child to attend on his or her own, but you may sit in if you wish.

Each session includes stories, finger plays, nursery rhymes and songs.

During the program, please:

• Leave books, toys or snacks outside the story area.
• Arrive early enough to make sure your child has enough time to get his or her nametag before going in to the stories.
• If your child is not ready to listen, or should become disruptive, please take him or her aside until they are ready to return.
• Please turn off your cell phone or pager.

We encourage you to teach your child appropriate library behavior by joining in the activities by listening and participating in the program when appropriate.

Books your preschooler may enjoy are found in the picture book area in the Santa Monica Public Library.

The picture books are labeled and sorted by the author’s last name.

A few authors your child may enjoy:

Please Note: The authors below also write and illustrate books for other age groups. If you have any questions, please ask a Children's Librarian.

• Brown, Marc
• Burningham, John
• Conrad, Pam
• Cronin, Doreen
• DePaola, Tomie
• Hoban, Russell
• Kasza, Keiko
• McCloskey, Robert
• Numeroff, Laura
• Peet, Bill
• Sendak, Maurice
• Steig, William
• Stoeke, Janet
• Walsh, Ellen
• Wood, Audrey

• Picture books with a balance between words and pictures
• Books that play with words and rhyme
• Poems, jokes, puzzles and early learning books about letters, numbers, natural history and transport
• Stories that have a repeating pattern that builds to a climax
• Funny stories where things go wrong or get muddled
• Themes of interest, such as independence, sibling rivalry, friendships, or common fears
• Most of all, the book should be fun for you and your child!

Please note, although there are many books at the library appropriate for your child, it is also important for children to have books of their very own to read and play with!

When purchasing a book for a child, make sure there are no small parts or anything that may become hazardous to your child.