When you think of story time for your kids, my guess is that a store that sells predominantly furniture doesn’t come to mind. How about a cafeteria? Nope. Didn’t think so. Now what if I told you IKEA has a hidden gem of a story time? And now what if I told you that before story time your kids could eat for free which leaves you a little more spending cash to shop AFTER story time?
We didn’t know about the kids eat free part until we got there, but we definitely made time to shop after, because who doesn’t love affordable decor and furniture you have to assemble yourself (bottle of wine not included)? We got to the store about 10 minutes before story time started and found the other kids coloring the “props” for the story and helping the leader of the activities come up with pieces of the story mad-lib style. A few minutes later I was waiting for the standard story time sequence: asking the children to “put on their listening ears,” and pulling out a stack of books. I was pleasantly surprised to find something different.
The woman telling stories to the kids was enthusiastic and sparked their little imaginations by getting them involved in the story. She asked them questions, encouraged participation and told a Valentine’s Day version of The Little Red Hen (which just happened to be my favorite book when I was a kid – she even read in different voices for each animal like my Dad used to. Aww!) complete with the props and pieces of the story the kids had contributed earlier.
We will definitely make the drive to go again sometime soon. It was adorable, engaging and unique. Well-attended but not crowded, and another good excuse to stroll around with my little shopping buddy. (And — it’s free!)
IKEA West Chester holds story time near the cafe every Tuesday at 1:00 p.m. Tuesday is also Kids Eat Free day in their cafeteria — and that mac and cheese looked pretty delicious!
About Emily:
Emily grew up just north of Cincinnati in Hamilton, OH and now lives in Western Hills with her husband Jim, their son James and their lunatic yellow lab, Rosey. Emily graduated from Xavier University (Go Muskies!), and is now a stay at home mom after working in marketing and promotions for local radio and TV stations.
Emily spends most of her free time visiting the manatees (James’ favorite) at the Cincinnati Zoo, shopping at local antique shops, or singing Beatles songs with James who typically just stares at her like she’s crazy. Emily hopes one day he’ll join in but for now she enjoys his giggles. She also enjoys photography and has quickly turned into a Pure Barre addict while trying to melt away the daily milkshakes she consumed while pregnant. So far it’s going well, but Skyline frequently gets in the way.
Emily loves to write and is looking forward to connecting with other Moms in Cincinnati while writing for Cincinnati Parent.