Creating a Literacy-Based
Play Centre for Preschoolers
by Helen Lerach
Many of the activities that children experience in a home or day care centre are literacy-based. Caregivers read to the children and encourage them to speak, write, paint, pretend and socialize with one another. Research has shown that the foundations for literacy are laid very early in life. The task for caregivers is to provide an environment that supports literacy and helps children develop an understanding and a love of reading and writing.
One very effective way of introducing literacy to preschoolers is by creating a Library Play Centre. Of course, a preliminary visit to a library is essential in order to give the children an idea of what a library is all about. During the visit, point out the different sections of the library and some of the duties of the people who work there. Make the children aware of the library programs and the process of checking out books and returning them. Then, return back home, move some furniture around and get ready to play library!
In an attempt to create an authentic setting, hang up a large sign that says "Library." Then create "Enter" and "Exit" signs and display them so that the children can move in and out of their pretend library quite easily. Designate one desk the "Return" counter where borrowed books can be returned. Let one child be the clerk who uses an imaginary wand (such as a wooden stick) to scan bar codes (imaginary ones are fine) in order to discharge the borrowed books. Another child can play the role of librarian and help the children (now referred to as "patrons") select good stories.
Another area can be set up as a picture book section with several books attractively displayed. Place cushions on the floor and scatter a few chairs around. This cozy corner is a place where patrons can quietly look at the books and "read" by themselves. Of course, it is also important for the children to see you reading. Read something amusing and let the youngsters watch you enjoying the experience.
Sometimes public libraries have a toy corner that contains tea sets, puzzles and other toys. In some libraries, there are also listening centres. Your play library can incorporate all these features, too. By obtaining a couple of walkmans, some cassette tapes and toys, young patrons will be able to explore these areas, just as they do in a real library.
Designate another area as the storytime program room. The child care provider can call the children into the room by playing a song, ringing a bell or repeating a fingerplay. A short 20- to 30-minute program can be introduced by a puppet and include two good picture books, a felt board story and a game. The ritual used to signify the end of the storytime program should be the same as the one used at the beginning. Do not be surprised if one of the children imitates you when she assumes the role of presenting a program. She will probably sit the same way that you do and even use the same expressions! Occasionally, present another library program, such as a puppet show, a film festival or a program about bats or paper-folding. To add more variety, try incorporating arts and crafts activities into the storytime program or invite a special guest to entertain the children, such as a local storyteller.
If you have the time and the resources, you can also create more sections in the library. Move tables and cupboards to designate areas for magazines, non-fiction books and baby board books. Put up signs to indicate the different areas. You may want to place sedentary patrons (such as dolls, teddy bears and other stuffed animals) throughout the library. Make it look like the patrons are browsing through books by placing them in reading positions, complete with reading glasses. It won't take long to realize that, as the child care provider, you will also have to get involved in the play. Instead of letting the children wander idly about your little library, maximize the experience. Point out the signs and their meaning. Discuss the joys of having a book centre so close (in your house!) and the behaviour that is appropriate there. Teach them how to turn the pages carefully and how to handle the books. Explain the difference between "borrowing" and "buying," and tell them what it means if their book is overdue. Encourage children to select a few books, to spend time looking at them and to check them out using the computer wand as they leave the make-believe library. Perhaps the children can be allowed to take two books home and then return them to the library in the morning. Keep in mind that you want children to realize that reading is fun and that libraries have material for everyone.
If you want the play to become more detailed, assign specific roles to the children such as clerk, storytime programmer, library truck driver, caretaker or computer repair person. Creative dramatics, impromptu speech and plenty of interaction are sure to take place. There are also many literacy props that can be used; many of these items can even be made by the children. For example, you can help the children create pretend library cards, complete with the library's logo and each child's name. You can also let them make book cards for stamping. Distribute book marks and show the children how they are used. Display posters relating to children's books and feature some of the children's own artwork. The young library workers can also hang up calendars, answer telephones, look up information in telephone books, sort file cards and use staplers.
Don't forget to make the parents aware of your Library Play Centre. Perhaps they can spend some time in it, too. Hopefully, they will talk about the library experience with their children. Follow-up visits to the neighbourhood library branch will now become more meaningful. Make library visits an essential part of your day care program -- at least two to four times a month. In addition, parents should be encouraged to include visits in their family's schedule. Children are sure to learn to love the "real" library, and they will read. In a few weeks, you might want to set up another play centre in your home or day care centre. Why not "play" school or gas station or airport? There is no end to the possibilities. Remember to make the play centres as authentic as possible, select age-appropriate work places, and use actual realia -- literacy props that serve a function. The whole play area should be designed so that the child will want to continue to play in the same way at home.
Helen Lerach is a former day care resource coordinator and school teacher. She is presently a
library assistant in the Children's Department of the Regina Public Library in
Saskatchewan.
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This article first appeared in Interaction published by the Canadian Child Care Federation, Summer, 1995. |
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