Enriching Your Child’s First Five Years at the Library
The early years of a child’s life are crucial for their development. At Western Downs libraries, we offer a variety of resources and activities designed to support your child’s growth in language, social skills, and overall learning. To help you talk, read, sing and play with your child every day, the library has a treasure trove of opportunities and resources to enrich their early years.
Talk
The language and vocabulary your child engages with in their first five years will significantly impact their social skills, sense of belonging, and later educational outcomes. It’s never too early to lay the foundations for your child’s communication skills. The library offers a wonderful opportunity to talk to your child and include extra descriptive language. Together, you and your child can discuss the books they would like to borrow, describing what the books look like or what they seem to be about. For example, you might say, “Would you like to borrow this blue book with fish on the cover or this book with a hungry shark on the cover?” or “Wow, look at the big yellow digger on that book!”. Simply by entering the library, you will be engaging in a rich language experience with your child!
Read
Reading and sharing stories with your child is a fantastic way to improve their language and brain development while spending quality time together. Our collection includes a wide range of topics, so it’s important to read what interests your child. If they love tractors or fairies, find books on those topics. If you can’t find them in your local library’s collection, ask one of our friendly staff to help you reserve a book from another branch. With nine branches to choose from, there’s plenty to explore! Additionally, our online library collection offers fantastic resources to help you read to your child every day. LOTE4Kids is a website and app available to library members that allows children to enjoy the magic of books in other languages, perfect for bilingual children or those interested in learning new languages. Another brilliant e-resource is Borrow Box, where you can access eBooks and audiobooks on your phone, tablet, or PC. Whether you’re traveling or can’t carry a large collection of picture books, Borrow Box lets you bring favourites like Bluey and Diary of a Wombat with you.
Sing
It’s well known that babies and children love to sing. Music and singing help develop a child’s left brain, enhancing their language development. You can incorporate music and nursery rhymes throughout the day—during play, reading, shopping, brushing teeth, and even bedtime. A great resource for free kids’ music is Hoopla, accessible on your phone, tablet, or PC with your library membership. Hoopla offers a wide range of children’s music, including movie soundtracks, Kidz Bop, and relaxation music. We also sing lots of nursery rhymes during Storytime sessions at the library. So come on down to your local library to practice favourites and learn some new ones.
Play
Play is well known as a child’s work and a highly effective and complex form of learning. Providing your child with plenty of play opportunities helps their brains and bodies grow, and their language and social skills develop. All Western Downs Libraries have spaces and resources that allow children to play. Libraries no longer need to be spaces of silence and study! Some libraries hold monthly Playtime sessions, similar to Storytime sessions, but with extra developmentally appropriate toys and activities for children to enjoy.
Finally, one last resource worth mentioning is ParentTV. This website, run by the State Library of Queensland, offers short parenting videos by leading Australian child and parenting experts. Check it out if you’d like to learn more about the developmental importance of a child’s first five years.
Don’t forget to read, sing, play, and talk every day with your child!
-Renee