Julie Dietzel-Glair

Books in Motion: Connecting Preschoolers with Books through Art, Games, Movement, Music, Playacting, and Props Julie Dietzel-Glair

Librarians and educators can shake up storytimes, help children stay healthy, and encourage a lifelong love of reading with Dietzel-Glair's easy-to-use resource. Demonstrating exactly how to use children's books to engage preschool-age children through movement, it's loaded with storytimes that will have children standing up tall, balancing as they pretend to walk across a bridge, or even flying around the room like an airplane. Presenting hundreds of ideas, this all-in-one book is divided into five sections:

• Art spotlights titles that are natural hooks for art or craft activities alongside ideas on how to create art just like the character in the story, while an appendix includes art patterns that can be used as coloring sheets;
• Games includes searching games, follow-the-leader games, and guessing games to enhance the books in this section;
• Movement features books that kids can jump, stomp, clap, chomp, waddle, parade, wiggle, and stretch with;
• Music chooses books perfect for activities like shaking a maraca, singing, dancing between the pages, and creating new sound effects;
• Playacting lets kids pretend along with the characters in these books, whether it's washing their face, swimming with fish, or hunting a lion;
• Props encourages storytime leaders to bring out their puppets, flannelboard pieces, and scarves; these books have enough props for everyone in the program to have a part.

Each chapter includes as much instruction as possible for a wide range of motions. Pick and choose the amount of movement that is right for your storytime crowd, or do it all!