"Children are made readers on the laps of their parents" *

On Monday, May 23rd at 7:00 pm, Spencer Public Library will be offering our first ever Lapsit Storytime for our youngest patrons, 0-24 months, and their parents or caregivers. While stories will be included, our lapsit program will focus on songs, rhymes, wiggles and tickles to entertain and delight the infants and provide an enjoyable interaction between parent and child.

Some may question how young is too young to begin reading to a child or bringing them to the library. The answer is this: IT'S NEVER TOO SOON! The fact of the matter is that infants are absorbing information from before they are born. While still in the womb, they become familiar with the tone and rhythm of the noises around them, especially the sound of their parents' voices. During the first year, baby learns to communicate through cries, babbling, facial expressions, and body movements. Parents reinforce this communication by responding to her signals and talking to her about the world around. The more the infant hears, sees, and touches, the more she will learn. The more positive, fun-filled, and engaging these interactions are, the more she will grow in confidence and readiness to learn to talk, walk, read, count, and everything else this world has to offer.

This is where the library can play a significant role in the lives of infants and their parents or caregivers. Lapsit Storytime will provide a fun, safe, and free outlet for parents to interact with their infants through singing, bouncing, exploring new things and just plain being joyful. Short stories and repetitive rhymes and songs introduce new vocabulary and rhythm to the child, broadening their communicative horizons. Lapsit Storytime will also be a great opportunity for parents to meet other parents as well as for infants to meet other infants. Perhaps even be the first social interactions babies have outside of their families.

So let's make our children into readers. All that is needed is a lap to sit on and a parent willing to share the experience and joy of visiting the library, reading books, and having fun with their infant or toddler. It's fun, it's free, and it's a great way to prepare your child for reading!

-Sarah Beth

*The title quote was from Emilie Buchwald, Founder, Publisher/Editor, and CEO of Milkweed Editions, an independent, non-profit publishing company in Minneapolis, MN