When hosting story time for preschoolers, have the children form a circle and allow each child to have a turn sitting in your lap while you read a book. You can choose a child based on best behavior during your last story session or just by rotation.
Collect stuffed animals that match up with the books you are reading. If one book is about frogs, for example, add a frog stuffed animal to your room. During story time choose one child to hold the frog while you read the book. Every day choose a different child to hold the stuffed animal while you read.
Read the book with enthusiasm, and use your voice to separate the characters and show their emotions. How you read the book has a huge influence on whether or not you can catch the children's attention effectively.
Allow the children to express themselves during story time. Stop and ask questions and have the children act out certain scenes from the book by jumping, for example, or doing what the storybook character just did. If a child has a question about one of the characters, take a moment to allow children to discuss the question among themselves.
When finished reading, take time to talk about the book with the children. Discuss the different emotions that the characters felt and the sequence of the story line. Ask questions and help encourage the children to express how they felt about the story.