The Philipsburg Jubilee Library (PJL) is urging all parents and guardians of children between the ages of 0 to 4 to attend its Read to Me: Babies and Toddlers activities. There will be storytelling, fun and games for babies and their caregivers. The Read to Me program takes place in the library every Wednesday at 10 am and every second and third Thursday of the month at 6 pm.
During Rhyme Time, babies and their parents, or caregivers, sing along to many of the classic nursery rhymes. Rhyme Time is a wonderful alternative for children who do not attend daycare in the mornings. Zahira Marmar & Charlene Brison provide Rhyme Time on a weekly basis, on Wednesday mornings from 10 am to 11 am.
Every second Thursday of each month, from 6 pm to 7 pm, Millicent de Weever provides Story Time, where babies can listen to age-appropriate learning concepts through storytelling, while cultivating an enthusiasm for books and reading.
Every third Thursday of each month, there is Dancing with the Babies and Toddlers with Patricia Pantophlet from 6 pm to 7 pm. Dancing with the Babies and Toddlers is a fun activity that encourages the development of cognitive, social and motor skills.
As part of the library’s Read to Me campaign, throughout the year, parents of kids zero to four years of age, who enlist their child for a library membership for the first time, will receive a special backpack, containing: information leaflets, puppets, baby care items, reading materials, coloring pencils and a coloring sheet.
The library has been providing the Read to Me activities since 2010 to motivate parents and caregivers to read to their baby or toddler as often as possible and to visit the library and register as a library member. Reading to children on a daily basis reinforces the bond between parent and child, and children who are read to from an early age get better grades later on.
For any enquiries about the Read to Me: Babies and Toddlers programs, please contact Maryland Powell at telephone number 542-2970 or e-mail mpowell@stmaartenlibrary.org.