The Zombie Stack Exchanges That Just Won't Die
How would a storytime that is aimed at toddlers (ages 1 to 3 or 4) be different from a storytime for babies or kindergarten aged kids?
KatieR
Story time for toddlers generally has more songs and finger play along with some activities that allow for the toddlers to move around. At that stage it is important to realize that toddlers need to move around in addition to a story. By kindergarten it is reasonable to expect the children to sit still for a bit longer and participate in some discussion (question and answer) regarding the story.
Also, select books that have very short text and large, bright pictures -- detailed illustrations are hard to see at any age storytime, but especially for toddlers.
If you have crafts, they need to be pretty simple with only a few parts or steps. The parts themselves can't be too small either.
I've found that the Toddler Age group (2 to 3) responds really well to flannel boards and even better if everyone could participate in some aspect of the telling.
Allow plenty of opportunities for group participation, but don't expect a child to actively participate if they do not want to. For a toddler, just watching may be their form of participation.