Mel’s Ten Tips for Presenting in Front of Pre-School Children

Be silly.

Kids love silly. Wear a funny hat and look for it. Or tell them you can’t find your glasses (while wearing them).

Sing along with them. 

Kids love to sing (just like the rest of us). You can sing holiday songs. Or you can tell them that it’s the main character’s birthday and sing Happy Birthday, Mortimer. Or you can tell them that the main character loves Elvis and sing an Elvis song. You can even make up your own songs beforehand or together with them.

Come prepared and minimize downtime

Young children make a wonderful, genuine and attentive audience but they have a limited attention span. Hit the ground running and don’t stop till your finished. That requires preparation, practice and a plan.

Get Mixed Up. On Purpose

Kids love it when you get mixed up or confused. Hold the book upside down or start at the back.  Or if the main character is a giraffe, tell them that it’s a hippo. Or if it’s Christmas, sing them an Easter song. They love it when we adults get things wrong.

Eye contact

Maintain eye contact throughout. Don’t hold your book upside down and read it to them. Find a volunteer to do that so you spend more time looking at them. And don’t forget to smile.

Engage them. Ask questions

Asking the children questions is a great way to engage them. Do they know what’s going to happen? Do they think the brown sock is going to be rescued from the mouth of the hungry washing machine?

Bring Props

Bring props that are not difficult to carry (e.g. a broom for the witch), stuffed animals, handheld musical instruments. Kids just love show and tell. After all, they invented it…

Get them physically active

Kids get antsy when they sit for a long time. And they love it when you get them active. If the character of your story is a kangaroo, get them to jump around. If the lonely dragon starts crying, ask them to cry too. If the main character is a fish, well you know…

Don’t forget to ask them politely to sit down once you’ve tired them out a bit.

Enjoy it

Kids know when you’re having a good time sharing your stories with them. If you are enjoying yourself, they will enjoy you too.

When they get fidgety…

When your audience gets fidgety, say thank you and leave on a high note.  It’s not because you weren’t great. It’s simply because THEY ARE KIDS. “Short attention span” is their middle name.