A visit to the library

As a part of our kindergarten program the children visited the Lilydale library. This was the children’s first excursion on the bus, and they were all very excited. It was important to talk beforehand about safety on the bus and the children helped by thinking of ways we could all stay safe together on their first excursion. On the bus, the children spoke in quiet voices, and some held hands across the aisle. When we arrived at the library, we made our way to the children’s area. There were so many books. They didn’t hesitate and started selecting the books that they wanted to borrow, and soon we had a pile of books so high that it almost toppled over. Of course we couldn’t borrow all of them so a smaller selection was made. Next up was story time which was a huge hit and before they could say “reading is fun”, it was time to get back on the bus.

Libraries can play a strong role in early learning for all children, with the key role being in the development of early literacy skills. Early literacy is knowledge and skills required to become a successful reader and writer. These include cognitive development of the brain and its responsiveness to the environment, language development, listening and oral skills and relationship building. We’re very excited about our library visits and aim to continue them fortnightly for the year.

Children engage with a range of texts and gain meaning from these texts. They listen and respond to sounds and patterns in speech, stories and rhymes in context by viewing and listening to printed texts and respond with relevant gestures, actions, comments and questions. They begin to understand key literacy concepts and processes, such as the sounds of language, letter-sound relationships, concepts of print and the ways that texts are structured. By introducing children to books at an early age they become familiar with words and appreciate illustrations that help tell the story and keep them intrigued.

As educators we continually strive to find equitable and effective ways to ensure that all children have opportunities to achieve learning outcomes. We recognise the connections between children, families and communities and the importance of reciprocal relationships and partnerships for learning. They see learning as a social activity and value collaborative learning and community participation.

If you would like to know more about our early childhood education services click here or call 03 5967 2776 Yarra Junction or 03 9736 1918 Mt Evelyn. Our services range long day care, 3 and 4 year old kinder to OSHC.