Talks and sharing stories with children help their brain development and sparks their imagination.
It helps children become familiar with sounds, words, language and value of reading books.
It also helps children learn the difference between real and unreal things and lays the groundwork for their later social, communication and interpersonal skills.
Struben’s Valley Library offers a one-hour story time between 3 to 4pm every Thursday.
Librarian Reinette van Wyk is always there to read these stories.
Senior Librarian Suzette Els said it is something they started a long time ago.
“We don’t only do it for schools, but also for all the children around our neighbourhood,” said Els.
“Our library also introduced holidays programmes where children visit our library for learning activities,” she said.
Els said they are doing this to help educate and develop the children. Regular visitors at the library are pupils from Dios Los Ninos School based in Wilgeheuwel.
The school principal Leonie de Kock said since 2008 the library has been so supportive to them.
“Women there have never been anything but kind and accommodating. This gives our pupils opportunity to experience library life,” said De Kock.
De Kock said the pupils each own a library access card.
“They go to the library and choose books for themselves,” she explained.
She added that it is an experience that not many children have.
“Most children have never been inside a library,” she said.
She explained that they take the foundation phase pupils to the library for story time.
“They all sit together while a story on their level is read to them,” she said.
De Kock said all they can say is thank you to the women of the Struben’s Valley Library for everything.
Details: Struben’s Valley Library, 011 475 0569.
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