Build and Nurture Early Literacy at Storyland: A Trip Through Childhood Favorites!
Storyland: A Trip Through Childhood Favorites™ is the perfect setting for an adventure that is fun and educational! Not only will kids have a blast playing and exploring, but on their journey through the exhibition, they will strengthen and develop early literacy skills.
When your kiddo steps into the enchanting world of Storyland at Minnetrista, they’ll be met with beloved children's books that have come to life as exciting displays and interactive spaces. Each installation is designed to ignite a love for storytelling and reading in children of all ages, whether they’re already reading or just beginning to talk, and every display is written in English and Spanish!
As your child moves through the exhibit, they’ll try hands-on activities, hear interesting sounds, explore imaginative play areas, and experience the power of storytelling in ways that model the six essential pre-reading skills marking early literacy in children. Do you know what they are? Let’s explore them below!
Six Pre-Reading Skills, defined by the American Library Association:
1. Print Motivation
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Your child loves books! They’re excited and interested in reading books together.
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Each area has opportunities for reading books and displays. You can also read the books before your visit!
2. Print Awareness
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Your child notices text and symbols in their surroundings.
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There are opportunities to read in every area of Storyland. Each display is interactive, with text in Spanish and English.
3. Letter Knowledge
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Your child knows what letters by shape, name, or sound. They’re interested in looking at letters, saying them, and putting them together to form words and sounds.
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There are several letter-matching activities to do in Storyland. The “Chicka Chicka Boom Boom” area has a game for sorting lowercase and uppercase letters, a place to practice writing letters and words, and giant letters to explore.
4. Narrative Skills
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Your child can understand and tell a story! They enjoy listening, recounting, and sharing stories with you.
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They will be immersed in the stories highlighted in Storyland, opening the door for conversations about them! You can also read the books before you come or talk about what happened after your visit.
5. Vocabulary
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Your child has learned words and can use them to describe objects around them and the feelings they have.
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There are so many words to learn in the exhibition! Together, you can talk about their meanings and what role they play in the story. There are also word games in the areas and a space to leave a letter.
6. Phonological Awareness
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Your child can hear sounds and rhythms in sentences and plays with them when speaking.
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There are several areas to listen to interesting sounds and create their own.
Before your visit, you can do a few things to enhance your experience.
First, read the books that are featured inside the exhibition! Visit your local library to check them out if you don’t already own them. Reading the books and talking about the stories from the exhibit is a great way to get your child excited about visiting and prepare them for what they might see!
Continue the experience at home!
If you want to continue the experience afterward, talk to your child about what they saw, get creative by sharing or making stories together, or play letter and word games. The simplest way to continue is by reading! On your way out, visit one of our Free Little Libraries. There’s one located right in the lobby inside the Center Building, or take a trip down the Boulevard to visit one in Oakhurst Gardens. We also have a variety of children’s books by these authors and more on sale inside The Orchard Shop! Stop by to find something unique!