From babies to preschoolers, the Champaign Public Library has something special to offer your child during this week’s BabyFest celebration.
BabyFest is held to celebrate the “Week of the Young Child” and provides special programs for parents and their infants, toddlers and preschoolers. Held since 2005, the library has continued to offer this spring program every year since, making 2010 its sixth year.
In addition to its regular weekly storytime programs for children 0-5 (check dates and times here), the Champaign Public Library will have scheduled a bi-lingual Spanish storytime on Thursday, April 22 at 6:30 p.m. and a Friday morning baby playtime at 10:30 a.m..
The week will conclude with a family concert with local musician David Howie at 10:30 a.m. Saturday, April 24. Howie performed on the Baby Boogie CD that was produced by library in 2005 and is distributed, via local hospitals, to parents of newborns.
The library offers several tips for parents who want to instill a lifelong love of reading in their babies, including:
- Start now! A baby‘s brain grows fast. The first three years make a big difference.
- Share a book with your baby every day. Even a few minutes makes a difference.
- Talk with your baby while you read, and show your baby that reading is fun.
If you have a toddler, here are some tips to help him/her to take the first steps toward reading, courtesy CPL:
- Ask questions that encourage your child to talk about the story.
- Respond to their answers. If your child names an object in a book, a cow, for instance, ask a simple question about it. “What color is the cow?“ or “What‘s the cow doing?“ or “What do we drink that comes from cows?“
- Praise them for a job well done! Smile, touch and encourage your child. Let them know that they‘re doing well by saying, “That‘s right, good job!“
We’d love to hear your tips!
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