Is The Library Your Kids’ Life Buddy?

The other day I was hanging out with just the middles (my four year old and my two year old). A fun crew!

“What should we do?” I asked. My four year old was quick to reply, “I want to go to the library!” He Made the suggestion with every bit of enthusiasm a four year old can muster (and that’s a lot). He was super excited about the prospect. How cool!

His little sister jumped on the bandwagon, “Go to the life buddy!” She exclaimed. So there it was, and off we went.

A few things you can find at the library:

Books (of course)

A range building, imagination-promoting, and exploration-style toys

Stuff to write, draw, and color with

Other people

A fish tank

As it turns out, those few things are pretty cool and very engaging. From the moment we walked in until the moment I dragged them out non stop excitement was at hand. It was a real chore to pull them away in the end.

Apropos that my daughter called it the “life buddy” in her two-year-old dialect. Shouldn’t it be just that? It and/or it’s contents and energy. It’s all about fun, exploration, learning and growth. What more should we look for in a life buddy?

The books are windows into our past, present and future. From the most basic picture books to the most complex, they give us opportunities to explore ourselves, each other, and the limitless possibilities that make up human potential, both real and imaginary.

They even suggest that the imaginary has the capacity to become real, which seems a wonderful idea for us to play with.
Moreover a fine idea to share with our children as the develop into the innovators and leaders of tomorrow.

The building toys encourage creative and critical thinking, and the other people are great for building collaboration tools and skills.

It’s wonderful to watch groups of kids ranging in age and life experience working harmoniously on design and construction projects with little to no adult intervention.

Somehow the library promotes that type of collective effort among the children there at any given time.

Of course the stuff to write, draw and color with gives kids opportunities to write, draw and color, which may be a simple and obvious statement, but those opportunities are priceless. Writing, drawing and coloring are gateways to exploration, invention and progress.

Last but not least…who doesn’t love a great fish tank!

Is the library your kids’ life buddy? Do you fill your home and/or classroom with the basic stuff that gets kids’ wheels turning? When given opportunities, children tend to self-engage in learning and growth. Is it possibly that our job as parents and educators is simply to provide the right stuff at the right time, and then to support, encourage and celebrate the organic learning pathways that kids are on?

If nothing else, it sure is fun to witness self-motivated, excited and engaged kids using their imaginations enthusiastically.

We’re going to the library again today. I can’t wait!

Live. Learn. Lead.
Dream Big. Work Hard. Be Well.