Bilingual storytime introduces new languages, cultures to children
The mural ‘Once Upon With Love’ by Shaylen Broughton and Hasson Roberts is located in front of the Children’s Museum of Richmond, which hosts its series, ‘Bilingual Storytime,’ where children and families can expose themselves to new languages. Photo by Daijah Hinmon.
Daijah Hinmon, Contributing Writer
The Children’s Museum of Richmond holds “Bilingual Storytime” on every first and third Thursday of the month. It’s an event where people can sing, dance, read and learn different languages, according to the CMoR website.
The CMoR held “Bilingual Storytime (French)” on Thursday, March 21 at the CMoR’s downtown location, according to the CMoR website.
“First and foremost we want to make sure that we have regular programming that is great for our community,” said Danielle Ripperton, the executive director at the CMoR. “And we feel like that this is one of the elements families really enjoy in ‘Bilingual Storytime.’”
“Bilingual Storytime” was created by CMoR’s family engagement manager, Ali Sullivan, according to Krista Dawson, the CMoR’s director of education. Sullivan wanted to connect with the community and learn more about the museum community, so she began hosting “Bilingual Storytime,” which gained a lot of popularity.
“We look for a book that has simple language and that converts well to sharing it in two languages,” Dawson said. “Children in a half-hour story time are not going to come away fluent in another language. They might walk away with a couple of new words and a broader understanding of where the similarities are.”
When selecting what stories to read, it is important to select books that are recognizable in everyday life, have engaging language and have the ability to show words through movement, Dawson said.
“Bilingual Storytime” helps support caregivers and provides them with strategies and ideas to use on their own, Dawson said. The togetherness aspect heightens the experience people get from these events.
The CMoR is trying to be intentional about supporting interactions children have when participating in the activities, Dawson said. It’s all about the social and emotional impact of an activity as well as sustaining deeper learning.
“It’s gotta be fun,” Dawson said. “We’re all about learning through play.”
This event provides comfort for many families who may find it difficult to navigate life in another language that’s not native, Dawson said. It provides families with opportunities to expose their children to a new language.
“Bilingual Storytime” has had a variety of different languages introduced throughout the events, Dawson said. The first being in Spanish, another in Irish and the most recent in French.
Allowing children to engage in other languages and cultures is a skill that can aid in how they can function well in the world, Dawson said. If a parent has a smaller worldview, it can open opportunities to introduce ways of learning that can rub off on their children.
When it comes to guests and museum members, “Bilingual Storytime” is able to enhance their experience by offering something different, Dawson said. The CMoR wants to provide its audience and visitors with opportunities to learn.
“Bilingual Storytime” is open to anyone who is passionate about education and wants to use a skill they want to share, Dawson said. It is undecided which language will be covered in the future.
“We are a fighting staff that are interested in and have a passion or skill set that are stretching into new ways and giving us a deeper, more impactful program by using their skills to enhance museum offerings,” Dawson said. “So we’re really excited to have a bilingual story time continue.”
The event has provided new “Bilingual Storytime” French reader Juliette Aaslestad an exciting opportunity for her to use her French skills since she grew up in a bilingual household, Aaslestad said.
These events are less about attempting to teach children another language and more about introducing them to something they might not experience until high school, Aaslestad said.
“Our mission is to reach all the children in the community,” Aaslestad said.
The next “Bilingual Storytime (French)” will be held on Thursday, April 4 from 10:30 to 11 a.m. at the museum’s downtown location, according to the CMoR website.
Correction: A previous version of this article said Ali Sullivan was the former CMoR family engagement manager. The copy has been updated to reflect that Ali Sullivan is still part of the CMoR team.
