MARINE CORPS AIR STATION IWAKUNI, Japan -- Parents and their young children attended Story Time class at the station Library here Sept. 10.
Story Time is offered weekly by the station library to help promote good reading and learning techniques for parents and their children and is held at 10 a.m. every Thursday. It is open to all children age five and younger.
“We try to have a different level of reading for all ages and try to include a nursery rhyme, poem, song, or craft,” said Belinda J. Pugh, supervisory librarian.
The amount of children attending the class varies from week to week, but there is no set limit to how many children can attend.
“I never know how many children will come,” said Pugh. “I think it is really important for moms and dads to be as involved with their children as they can.”
The class held on Sept. 10 had over 20 children and parents attending.
“Moms and dads are a big influence on their children,” said Pugh. “They are the ones that will be with the children from zero to six, which is the time the children will be learning the most.”
If time constraints make it difficult to attend the class on Thursdays, parents can always go in and check out any of the books from the children’s section for free.
“In the past mothers have come in and asked about what books they can use to get their children ready for reading,” said Pugh. “I’ll be glad to customize a book selection for anybody that is interested.”
Pugh highly recommends reading to your children from birth because it is a progressive learning experience for them. According to the Early Literacy Initiative, a partnership among the public library association, there are six pre-reading skills your child can start learning from birth to age two.
Narrative Skills- Being able to describe things and events and tell stories. Talking with children develops comprehension skills that will help them understand what they read.
Print Motivation- Being interested in and enjoying books. Children who enjoy being read to will want to learn how to read. Phonological Awareness- Being able to hear the sounds that make up words helps children sound out written words as they begin to read.
Letter Knowledge- Knowing letters are different from each other, knowing their names and sounds and recognizing letters everywhere. Make sharing books something your baby or toddler wants to do often. Children learn best when they are hands-on.
Vocabulary- Knowing the names of things. Research shows children who have larger vocabularies are better readers. Knowing many words helps children recognize written words and understand what they read.
Print Awareness- Noticing print, knowing how to handle a book and knowing how to follow the words on a page. Being familiar with printed language helps children feel comfortable with books and understand that print is useful.
“Our youngest readers are our best clientele,” said Pugh. “We are teaching them no matter where they are in the world, because they are going to be a lot of places being a military child; there is a local library that can support them.”
For more information on the Story Time class or any other classes offered by the station library call 253-3078.