Library visits: We love libraries!

Are you making the most of your public library and teaching children how to use it? asks Lena Engel

Some children arrive at nursery with good experience of books, but those less fortunate will be unfamiliar with reading or the enjoyment it can offer. One of the ways early years staff can redress the balance is to encourage children and parents to frequent public libraries.

Nurseries, pre-school playgroups and reception classes that are located close to a public library should make arrangements to visit it once or twice a month at least. Childminders can visit too. Organising walks to the library may be a problem, but it can be solved with a rota of supportive parents. Settings in rural and suburban areas that are not within walking distance of a library should try to arrange for a library van or a children's librarian to visit the setting. Libraries are there to serve local schools and nurseries, so make your needs known.

Foundation stage skills
Plan your visits to fit into your curriculum, and identify learning outcomes for the children. Always tell the library you are coming. Some libraries can arrange for a staff member to read a story to the children.

These are some of the areas of learning the children can develop:

• Routine walks to the library will enable the children to become familiar with their local environment. They will acquire a growing vocabulary when they follow directions as they navigate the streets. (Knowledge and understanding of the world and mathematics)
  
  
• Remembering to collect and return the library books that they borrowed on the previous visit will encourage them to use their memory and concentration skills. (Personal, social and emotional development)
  
  
• Predicting what they may want to borrow for a forthcoming topic will engage them in purposeful communication with adults. (Communication, language and literacy)
  
  
• At the library, the children enter a generally quiet and restrained environment in which they will be expected to respect the needs of other people who use it. (Personal, social and emotional development)
  
  
• Sitting quietly together to investigate the children's books will encourage them to cooperate in a group and to handle the books with care. (Personal, social and emotional development and communication, language and literacy)
  
  
• Learning to control their voices and speak quietly teaches them to explore sound. (Creative development)
  
  
• Listening to stories in small and large groups will develop their interest in stories and encourage them to make sense of the illustrations. It will also develop their imaginative skill. (Communication, language and literacy)
  
  
• Choosing books from the shelves will promote their independence and enable them to discuss why they want to select a specific story to share with their friends or parents. (Personal, social and emotional development)
  
  
• Browsing through a wide range of books will ensure that the children begin to learn the differences between fiction and non-fiction and help them appreciate the purpose of using reference books to research their topics. (Knowledge and understanding of the world)
  
  
• Familiarity with the variety of books will encourage children to make judgements about the sorts of books they like and dislike. Adults need to support this critical thinking, and it is important to initiate it at an early age. (Communication, language and literacy)
  
  
• Getting to know the librarians will help children to understand the library as a resource that they can use with their parents and their friends. (Personal, social and emotional development)

Other resources
Nurseries and pre-schools are usually allowed to borrow at least 20 books per session as well as pre-recorded story and song audio-tapes. Children's libraries also lend videos. Some have quiet areas where children can enjoy playing simple board games; others offer access to computers. These resources may not be available to a class group, but knowledge of their existence may encourage children to ask their parents to take them to the library at the weekend.