How to Keep Your Kids’ Attention During Story Time

Story time is one of the best times of the day! But sometimes, even the best book can lose its appeal if the reader isn’t paying attention. Here are some tips for keeping your child’s attention during story time.

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Choosing the Right Book

Selecting a book related to a topic your child finds interesting is the first step in keeping your child engaged with the read-aloud. What are some topics your kid can’t get enough of? Maybe firefighters? Perhaps, outer space? Find books related to those themes; I am sure it will be a popular bedtime story.

Funny books are great; as you are hungry for more humor, you must pay attention to the story!

Add Sound

Another fun way to add sound effects is using the Novel Effect App. Novel Effect is a subscription-based interactive app that adds background sounds and music to accompany a read-aloud. An excellent resource for homes, schools, and libraries, Novel Effects is fun and easy to use. I was given a free trial in exchange for my honest opinion.

Once logged into the app, you select a title (they have a vast selection ranging from classics such as Madeline to new favorites like Amy Wu and the Perfect Bao), tap “print” in the app, and wait for the sound effects to download, and then you read the text from your book. The sound effects are in line with the words that you say. So, for example, when I read about the girls brushing their teeth in Madeline, the app plays appropriate sounds. 

Novel Effect elevates storytime. Children will be enthralled by the sound effects and may want to “try it out” again and again. Maintaining kids’ attention: ✅.

Interact

Interactive books engage the reader and invite them to participate in the story. They are SUPER fun!

I loved reading Hervé Tullet ‘s Press Here and Mix it Up!  with my classes; everyone wanted to be part of the fun. These New York Times bestseller titles are playful, letting the reader become part of the story.

Move Around

Research has found children benefit significantly from physical activity, improving a child’s ability to focus, reduce stress, and increase memory.

Here are some great titles to inspire kids to get up and move around during story time!

Laughter

Funny books are a great way to hook readers. If a book is funny, kids will be excited to discover what happens next in the story. Enjoy this list of seven books that I highly recommend that will inspire you to crack a smile!  

I would love to hear from you!

Please let me know if any of these tips help! Write me @playgroundlibrarian on Instagram.

XO, Sheryl