The power of storytelling: How St. Johns County libraries inspire children

By: London Collins Puc

One of the most fun, and important, activities that the Southeast Branch of St. Johns County Public Library offers is Storytime to children ranging from the ages of zero to five. During these Storytimes, children engage in action rhymes, songs and stories presented in a circle time format in the Children’s Library.

Lisa Calvert and Andy Calvert are a married couple who are both Flagler College alumni. Mrs. Calvert is the Assistant Branch Manager and Youth Services Librarian of the St. Johns County Southeast Branch, and Mr. Calvert is the Youth Services Librarian at the Main Branch.

The two spoke about the importance of Storytelling programs:

“It is actually more on the lines of a class, and we’re modeling early learning concepts and early learning goals for parents…” Mrs. Calvert said. “We tailor each program to the developmental needs of each group… Baby-time is a gentle, quiet Storytime. The toddler-time is a complete show… It is just an active, active program, because children of that age need to get up and move. They don’t sit still, and we don’t expect them to… We work on classroom-readiness skills for kids who are a little bit older.” 

Mr. Calvert agreed, stating, “They get exposed to a lot of interesting ideas…They also get socialized by being with other kids.”

One of the most declining forms of learning, due to the increase in digital accessibility among young children, is storytelling and other reading-related activities. 

“Obviously, technology is important, because it’s in everything we do now….,” Mr. Calvert said. “But I think it’s very unfortunate that a lot of young parents use technology as a babysitter for their child, which does a disservice for their family, because they’re not connecting. The child is isolated with this device…”

With technology on the rise, It’s important to re-consider the benefit that old-school learning techniques, such as storytelling, can still provide children.

“…I think it’s very unfortunate that a lot of young parents use technology as a babysitter for their child… because they’re not connecting.”

According to Research Outreach, studies have shown that narrative skill at school entry predicts writing and reading comprehension up to ten years later. That being said, children who are exposed to Storytime programs will, naturally, have a greater literary, cognitive, and social advantage over their peers.

“Babies don’t even know how books work,” Mrs. Calvert said. “They don’t know how to hold them, how the pages turn, what to expect… But, of course, they’re going to learn something. They’re going to get something out of it… They’re going to associate books as points of joy, they’re going to think that books are fun, they’re going to see that adults love books, they’re going to see that we can laugh and we can play together.”

According to Oregon State, 1 in 6 in the U.S. aged 2–8 years has a diagnosable mental health condition. Today, mental health is a growing concerns among parents, as more children are showing signs of mental discomfort.

Reading, however, has been proven to combat mental health conditions.

According to a study by the National Literacy Trust, children who love reading and writing have better mental wellbeing. A child who reads and writes regularly outside school is more likely to have a high level of mental wellbeing than a child who is less engaged with literacy.

“Reading is awesome,” Mr. Calvert said. “And don’t stop, ever… Children are little sponges. They absorb everything. The more good information you provide them, the better they’re going to do as they progress and learn. Go check out your local library. It’s all free. Go check it out, and keep reading.”

“But, of course, they’re going to learn something. They’re going to get something out of it… They’re going to associate books as points of joy, they’re going to think that books are fun…“

“It’s all free. Go check it out, and keep reading.”

Spanning across seven library branches in St. Johns County, Storytime is offered multiple days per week, which includes Family Storytime, ASL Storytime and interactive, hands-on Storytime. If you are interested in St. Johns County Storytime, click here for more information.