Are you tired of kindergartners crying because they are lost in the check out process? Try these tips for beginning weeks in the library.

Many young students walk into your library and a new experience. They may have never been to a library before. They do not understand the concept of borrowing books and returning them the next week.

My kindergarten classes usually follow a 10-10-10 timeline for a 30 minute class. This is:

• 10 minutes for story time
• 10 minutes for skills and coloring
• 10 minutes for book checkout

When students come into the library I have them sit on my story rug. To simplify the process I have students line-up when they enter the library and tell them where they will sit. This prevents the 5 minute scramble to sit next to a friend.

After the story explain the check-out process. I show the students where the books are located and that I will call them by name. I demonstrate where they will go to check-out their book.

Students then sit at tables where crayon boxes are located. I pass out skills sheets (usually simple behavior coloring sheets). After they spend a few minutes coloring, I begin the check out process.

If you have students check out books the first day try selecting books for them to choose from. I choose at least one per student plus 10 more. This allows students to make a selection without being overwhelmed by the number of books available to them.

You can opt to call students by name (three or four at a time) to choose their books. This prevents a mad scramble to get a particular book. It also allows me to better monitor the students sitting at the tables, selecting books, and still check out books.

Another item that assists young students is a runner that I have leading up to the circulation counter. This runner does three things:

1. It marks where students should stand when checking-out their books.
2. It assists students in lining up to check-out books. If they start to mob around the counter, I ask if they are standing on the runner.
3. It saves wear and tear on the carpet in the area in front of the counter.