Working with Under Fives
Though I trained and initially worked as a secondary-school teacher, I have always loved to work with under fives.
In 2003, I had the fantastic opportunity to join Sure Start Acton’s team as a community librarian and I worked there until 2017.
I've learned a tremendous amount over the years I worked in this role. It particularly sparked my interest and developed my skills around making settings more welcoming and delivering storytimes and early years sessions in setting where many atendees do not speak English as a first language.
In 2003, I had the fantastic opportunity to join Sure Start Acton’s team as a community librarian and I worked there until 2017.
I've learned a tremendous amount over the years I worked in this role. It particularly sparked my interest and developed my skills around making settings more welcoming and delivering storytimes and early years sessions in setting where many atendees do not speak English as a first language.
In the beginning I did a lot of outreach work - attending baby clinics and drop-in health clinics, to promote the library and encourage parents to bring their children.
Initially, I set up a Family Book Group and many of the people I’d reached out to attended - so much so that I had to start up two more groups. Parents and children aged 0 to 4 came for one hour of activities.
Numbers grew so much, we also set up a Baby Club, for children under one.
During each Family Book Club session we had art & crafts, puzzles and free play. Because the children are so young, it was not appropriate to do much formal storytelling. Instead we did some one-to-one stories and either I or parents read to individual or small groups of children and incorporated some story into our songs and rhymes.
Then we tidied up and sat in a circle for songs and nursery rhymes. This all helped develop social skills and the skills needed to learn at school - listening, turn taking, waiting, concentrating and so on. Of course rhymes and songs are wonderful for developing speech and language skills - as well as working together. And it's all fun!
Initially, I set up a Family Book Group and many of the people I’d reached out to attended - so much so that I had to start up two more groups. Parents and children aged 0 to 4 came for one hour of activities.
Numbers grew so much, we also set up a Baby Club, for children under one.
During each Family Book Club session we had art & crafts, puzzles and free play. Because the children are so young, it was not appropriate to do much formal storytelling. Instead we did some one-to-one stories and either I or parents read to individual or small groups of children and incorporated some story into our songs and rhymes.
Then we tidied up and sat in a circle for songs and nursery rhymes. This all helped develop social skills and the skills needed to learn at school - listening, turn taking, waiting, concentrating and so on. Of course rhymes and songs are wonderful for developing speech and language skills - as well as working together. And it's all fun!
 |
 |
This work has build my understanding of what books work for babies, young children and their parents and carers.
It also so fed into the training sessions I offer to other librarians and early years professionals.
And of course, the experience fed into my writing for this age group.
It also so fed into the training sessions I offer to other librarians and early years professionals.
And of course, the experience fed into my writing for this age group.