Please allow this interruption for an urgent message from Sing, Rhyme, and Play.
We all know the storytime rules for kids; but do you know the storytime rules for grownups? These three simple rules not only make storytime better, they also ensure the world we all want for our kids.
Storytime Rules for Grownups
1. All the children at storytime are our children—treat them so.
There is no hierarchy of child value in which some children deserve kindness and others don’t.
2. Support the children at storytime—don’t hurt them.
A choice that is good for some children and bad for others is a bad choice.
3. These rules are not just for storytime.
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Ingrid Christina shares The Lavender Librarian’s storytime song, “I Choose Kindness.”
Welcome to my community media space for music and learning!
Happy New Year!
Enjoy Ingrid Christina’s original song for ringing in the new year.
2025 was a big year for Sing, Rhyme and Play.
One (1) big international move.
Six hundred (600) streams.
One thousand (1k) live show attendees.
One thousand eight hundred (1.8k) website views.
One hundred seven thousand (107k) video views.
What’s missing from this list? Books!
That’s right. Stay tuned for news of books coming out in 2026.
Thank you for being here with us!
Ingrid Christina and family wish you a happy new year! Enjoy this ukulele performance of the classic NYE song, “Auld Lang Syne,” for times past.
Three early learning mistakes to avoid in 2026!
What are your New Year’s Resolutions? Mine are to stop making three common early learning mistakes. Will you join me?
1. Stop thinking you can’t sing.
If you’re self-taught, like me, you’ll never forget those voices that said you couldn’t sing. Maybe those were others’ voices; maybe they were your own. Regardless, you can tell those voices to shut it. It doesn’t matter if you can sing! You don’t have to sound good to get people to feel comfortable and want to learn from you. You only have to sound happy. So enjoy singing, and you’ll sound better than you think.
2. Stop skipping your daily twenty minutes of reading.
Reading aloud to children for just twenty minutes a day exposes them to 1.8 million words per year and sets the stage for all future learning. Yes, it’s that easy and that impactful. Reading together is also just a really good habit and feel-good ritual. We all need to slow down and turn off our screens. We all need to connect with each other in person. So set that twenty minutes aside for reading together and protect it like it’s therapy.
3. Stop thinking your kids are too young. Or too old.
There’s no such thing as a kid that’s too old or too young to read to. In utero is a good time to start. And when they’re older and no longer want to be read to (this will be later than you think) let them see you reading for your own pleasure. Show them that they’re important enough to make the time for. Show them that reading is something you do for yourself too. Bonus points: Apply the same advice to singing.
What do you think? Are these three resolutions doable? If we commit to avoiding these early learning mistakes in 2026, the year will be fun for everyone!
Your Take – What are your New Year’s Resolutions?
Quote of the Week
When we fall down we get back up!
Rose Lani
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