Today, Nerdy Book Club hosts children’s book author/illustrator Abi Cushman with Ten Ways to Make Storytime Interactive. The post is a great resource for librarians, educators, and caregivers. But let’s give it another look from a creator’s POV. Abi has also identified 10 strategies creators can implement to pull listeners into a story and increase active engagement. Here they are:
- Create a guessing game theme
- Add movement words
- Make it a sing-along
- Use repeated lines
- Drop in sound effects/onomatopoeia (I use this technique in STRETCH TO THE SUN: FROM A TINY SPROUT TO THE TALLEST TREE ON EARTH, and it really works to increase listener engagement!)
- Give a structure that students can mirror
- Provide a drawing prompt
- Create a storyline that begs questioning during the reading
- Be sure the whole book is interesting, not just the main content. Writers, make that backmatter carry its weight! Illustrators, how can endpapers and the case cover contribute to engagement?
- Be theatric — can you make your text work for a Readers Theater experience?
What can you add to this list? Share below!
In addition, Abi offers two or three mentor texts for each type of engagement, so you can compare and contrast them with your concept.
Pop on over to Nerdy Book Club to read Abi’s original post and much, much more. Then get crackin’ on that engagement! Let me know how it goes.
