The Sundre Municipal Library's Wiggles and Giggles program introduces toddlers to word play through a fun, interactive reading and rhyming session that includes parental participation, said the coordinator.
"There are some really important skills that help kids as early readers," Karen Tubb, the library's program manager, recently told the Round Up.
Among those skills is the ability to rhyme as well as to play with words, she said.
"Music and nursery rhymes teach that in a very intuitive way."
Now in its second year, Wiggles and Giggles was initially organized by Tubb, who was motivated to introduce a program geared more specifically towards toddlers about two or three years of age to complement the library's existing Rhyme and Rhythm program, which is aimed more for children around the age of five.
A main goal behind Wiggles and Giggles is to provide an opportunity for families to participate and learn some songs and rhymes together, she said.
Throughout the packed half-hour-long sessions, Tubb ó with assistance from Parent Link coordinator Jolene Fluet ó cover a wide variety of songs. Along the way, the program has slowly but surely "built up a repertoire of kids and families."
The nature of the program in large part also depends on parental participation ó so moms and dads can't just drop off the tykes. Parents get to sit down with their kids, who in turn see their parents participating, which also promotes interaction within families, she said.
"It's a nice way to foster that parent-child bond."
As a bonus, the program also offers a chance for moms and dads to meet and connect with other parents, she said.
"We've had moms who've come and said, ëI've been in Sundre a year, and this is the first time I've met other parents!' It's a really nice opportunity for connections to be made."
Wiggles and Giggles is inclusive and fluid ó there is no registration fee nor any kind of commitment to come every single week, she said.
"Come when you can."
Depending on the week, there are as many as a few dozen toddlers to a modest handful, she said.
"We get that families are busy and they can't always make it, but we're happy when they come."
The program runs every Wednesday at the library from 12:30-1 p.m. until the end of the school year.
When it comes to introducing toddlers to literacy, the time is always right, she said.
"Truly, you can't start too early."
For more information on this as well as other programs, visit sundre.prl.ab.ca, contact 403-638-4000, or simply drop in during the library's regular hours.
