Top Ten Programming Tips for Children Age 8 - 12

We received this question from Jeannine Finton from Harford County Public Library who is an LATI participants:

"I read the SLRC “programming tips for children” and realized that these were tips for story times for young children (2 yrs to 7 yrs) But libraries also program to older children. What differences in approach are recognized?"

In response, we've come up with a list of top ten programming tips for children ages 8-12.

1. Be friendly, warm, and welcoming. If you remember children by name, greet them accordingly. Engage positive emotions such as happiness, excitement, suspense, and surprise. Make sure everyone HAS FUN.
   
   
2. Encourage participation; ask for volunteers to do something, such as trying tongue twisters or brain teasers. Create an environment that fully immerses participants in the program experience. Include movement if possible.
   
   
3. Combine activities so that more than one sense is used. Utilizing many different venues recognizes that each child learns differently. Book reading, booktalking, storytelling, music, movement, and puppetry, are all effective with school-age children.
   
   
4. Find a way to help children build a personal connection with topics; if you are booktalking, choose a subject that has some relevance to them. Give the children a realistic problem to solve or ask for their opinion by voting on something."
   
   
5. Assess the interests and needs of the audience. Children who are 8 and children who are 12 have different interests. Keep spare books aside in case you attract an audience that is much younger or older than you expected.
   
   
6. Provide enrichment through your programs. Add unique experiences that the children might not get elsewhere. For instance, try an activity with colored scarves (using them to be a pirate, an old lady, a Canadian Mountie). Sparks the imagination of your program participants.
   
   
7. Schedule public programs for times when school-age children are in the library!
   
   
8. Always mention library resources, including free online homework help.
   
   
9. Have your supplies ready ahead of time. Books for booktalking should be set aside at least one week in advance to make sure they are still available on the day of the program. Preparing craft programs a week in advance ensures that there will be enough materials and that your supplies are in good condition.
   
   
10. As long as you don’t think it is babyish, they won’t think it is babyish. For instance, if you want to use picture books, just add an introductory sentence such as: “Some picture books are meant for older children and adults. They have sophisticated humor and more complicated story lines, but because they have lots of pictures, older children don’t usually read them. Today I am going to read you some pictures books that I would never read to preschoolers, but I know you’ll enjoy them because you are the intended audience.”