“What are you doing? What are you doing?” an excited cry came from a preschooler in Airdrie Public Library’s (APL) Children’s Area as one of our staff rolled out a play cart.
“I’m giving you something to play with,” the staffer replied.
Play carts, for those who don’t know, are a service APL provides for our little patrons and, truth be told, for many of their parents and guardians. (Yes, I’ve seen you, on the carpet, playing with toy dinosaurs, making growling noises!)
The carts are standard wooden trolleys that otherwise might be laden with books destined to be re-shelved, but in this case, they have become magical vessels containing animals, building blocks, vehicles and endless hours of wonder and imagination.
An article on the American Association of Pediatrics website states, “Play is essential to development because it contributes to the cognitive, physical, social and emotional well-being of children and youth.”
The article goes on to say play also offers the opportunity for parents to fully engage with their children.
In today’s world of constant connectivity through our ever-present mobile devices, being fully engaged with your child is more important than ever.
Play allows children to create and explore a world they can master, helps them conquer fears and teaches them how to negotiate working in a group and how to resolve conflict.
Playing with a child is also beneficial to parents and caregivers, giving them an opportunity to communicate and interact in a way that tells children they are fully paying attention to them, which helps to build enduring relationships.
While libraries are still primarily known for books, they have become much more than that; they are centres for learning-based play.
Here at APL, we understand that people’s lives are busy, and so we strive to incorporate play into many of our programs and events. From birth to seniors, from play carts to adult games nights, play is vital to our academic, emotional and social growth as human beings.
For more information on all our programs and services, visit airdriepubliclibrary.ca, call 403-948-0600 or drop by and get your free library card.
