Back in 2020, Stephanie Smallwood blogged about the State of Babies Yearbook. This post serves as an update and refresh of this valuable resource for all of us in the public library where babies are welcomed everyday!
Tag: babies
Reading to Newborn Babies
Due to my position in Family Engagement, a local hospital reached out and asked if I would be able to visit parents and staff in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) and discuss the importance of reading to infants in the NICU. Due to continuing precautions, I was not able to see the babies, but I had a delightful conversation with families and staff, bringing board books, explaining brain development, and discussing the benefits of reading to children from birth, even (especially) in a hospital setting.
Why Board Books?
Reading to babies is extremely important, and I have been told that many times and by many people. Doing a storytime for babies got me wondering why board books in particular were good for babies. Here are some of the reasons I found while scouring the internet:
Benefits of Storytime for Babies
In the fall, our library is bringing back baby storytime for the first time since before COVID and I also just had my first baby in July. Those things got me thinking about the benefits of storytime for babies. Of course I have always thought that storytimes are fun and educational for older children, but never considered why there are storytimes for babies.
Play With Babies in Library Spaces
Play is quite possibly my favorite of the five Early Literacy Practices. Not only because it has the boundless freedom to surprise and delight, but also because it naturally incorporates the other 4 practices – talk, sing, read, and write. When you play, especially with a playmate, talk is a natural part of the fun. If you’re anything like me, you also often make up songs about what you’re doing. Playing games such as I spy or tic-tac-toe incorporate reading and writing. There is just so much possibility with play, and I find that endlessly exciting.
Passive Programming Builds Community
Winter and spring breaks are coming up, which means our libraries might be more crowded than usual! This is a great time to engage library users, but can also be a bit stressful when trying to manage many age groups simultaneously. Your regularly scheduled toddler storytime now might include older siblings attending, and your children’s section might be filled much earlier than usual. So, how do you balance all of your patrons’ needs simultaneously? Passive programming! But, passive programming is so much more than a tool to help you multitask; it helps build community.
Cookies and Conversation: Early Childhood Programming
On Sunday, June 23 at ALA Annual, ALSC’s Early Childhood Programs and Services Committee (ECPS) hosted a Cookies and Conversation chat in the Networking Uncommons. The goal of this chat was to hear from children’s librarians across the country about what support they would like from ECPS in order to help ECPS plan their next project. We highlight a handful below, but check out the ALSC Connect page for the full set of topics covered.
BIG Play = BIG Fun!
A firefighter, a chef, a magician, and two elephants are creating an elaborate, imaginary world in the dress-up tent. Engineers are building cardboard forts and testing the strength of their structures. An acrobat is crawling and peeking through a small tunnel. Three printmakers are working on a collaborative piece of rubber stamp art. And a pair of tiny zoo keepers are inspecting, touching, squeezing, (and maybe even chewing on) a variety of soft, stuffed animals. Where are all these little ones doing all these things all in one place? They are at their library’s Big Play Date, and they are loving it! Inspired by Brooklyn Public Library’s innovative idea, libraries all over the country are hosting Big Play Dates and growing community, providing big fun, supporting parental learning, and strengthening the brains of our youngest patrons in the process. Here at San Francisco Public Library (SFPL), we host what we…