Little Hands Need to Grip

Wonder Lab: Leaves

Recently, a member on the Storytime Underground Facebook group posted the article "Losing our grip: More students entering school without fine motor skills".  Like other commenters on the post, my first thought was "This is why we do crafts in storytime". 

The crafts we do are very simple.  The main focus is the child handling the crayons, glue sticks, and such, not creating a memento.  Many times toddlers love to rip up the craft after it's done.  Part of their process and we must respect!

If storytime is not an ideal time for crafts at your library, Host separate programs that involve hands-on activities, like toddler art times and STEM for preschoolers.  At my library, we find ideas on the blogs Show Me Librarian and Library Makers. 

If possible, have crafts and toys in the library.  We put leftover crafts in the children's area. Be careful about scissors, though, in the library.  One unsupervised preschooler cut up a library book.  You can find ideas for toys in a recent article in School Library Journal "Why toys should be in every children’s department—and how to make it happen".