Storytimes that Fit!

Caregivers and babies (The Commons Getty Collection)

One of the sessions I attended at the Wisconsin Association of Public Libraries conference last week was by Ashley Theim-Menning about the importance of addressing the developmental milestones of the children attending storytimes.  One of her main points was a passionate argument for providing programs for infants and toddlers, and another was the importance of basing your programs on the developmental milestones of the children in your "target" audience.

I know that in small communities, it often is not practical to have a distinct storytime for each age group, but Ashley had some great suggestions for making your all-ages storytimes into a better fit for everyone by explaining to caregivers ways they can modify any activity to fit the needs of their child.

And where to find out about developmental milestones?  She suggested a few sites:

Zero to Three

Center for Disease Control

National Institute of Child Health and Human Development