As a new parent, it can be difficult to navigate what sensations a child should be exposed to at an age where discovery and curiosity are at the forefront of their conscience. At the Hackley Public Library, the upstairs team is doing their utmost to ensure the community has ample access to sensory programs for children ages 0-4 with the help of PLAY Muskegon for their upcoming event at their location at The Corner.
“We were trying to figure out a way to do more programming for littles” Melissa Thatcher mentioned, Youth Services Specialist at HPL. “Our story time has always been preschool story time, but how could we get programming that really works for these younger kids? We started doing these sensory programs, and we’ve just had an amazing turnout.”
Starting the sensory program a year ago, HPL has hosted audiences for these events upwards of 100 combined children and parents in attendance. The events feature a diverse array of textures, toys, and tools for children to experience that stimulate proprioceptive (awareness of one’s bodily movements and force required to move objects) and vestibular systems (movement and balance senses needed to engage in activities) to improve motor skills and cognitive growth.
“Culture [has] shied away from letting our littles get into messes or into something that they need help getting out of,” said Lydia Schmidt, the Youth Services Librarian and supervisor of the sensory program. “And the goal is to create a space where they would have the ability to explore in ways that engage whole body type things, so we’re looking for not just what they’re seeing, but also hearing, especially touching at that age that can, developmentally, [when] they’re so into touching anything they can.”
Unlike prior sessions held indoors in HPL’s basement section, the event will take place outdoors, as the staff anticipates a mess when hosting this particular age demographic, encouraging parents of children to bring their swimsuits. HPL does their utmost to ensure the events are seasonally thematic, with warmer weather encouraging the team to take the event beyond the library’s archaic walls.
“It’s really organic, unlike some of our programming,” said Thatcher. “Where they generally come at the beginning, and it’s interesting to watch the parents because you can tell when a kid is done and then just organically leave when you have them in the basement, some of the kids will get really overwhelmed by the amount of noise, so they’ll come up here where it’s a little bit more quiet.”
Thatcher, who is a mother and now grandmother, emphasized the importance of having resources like this in an age where accessibility was seldom available when she first started as a parent along with being able to engage with fellow parents verbally rather than through digital means of communication.
“I didn’t have anybody else to talk about it with,” said Thatcher. “I spent all this time at the library [when I first became a parent], but I didn’t even know because I was now a parent. I knew how to use the library as a grown-up, but how do you use the library as a parent?”
Schmidt, who is a mother of two children within the ages of 0-4, hopes that events like this give parents an opportunity to not only help their children grow cognitively, but open potential dialogues between new and experienced parents to compare specific needs and interests to better understand what they could be doing at home to help stimulate the latter.
“It’s so hard right now to find activities for that age group,” Schmidt concluded. “Even if you’re not a parent, [but] if you’re a grandparent. What can you do with this age group and enjoy it together and maybe learn things together about each other?”
The sensory event will be taking place at PLAY Muskegon located at The Corner on August 19 from 10 to 11 am and is free to attend. If you would like to learn more about the event, visit https://www.hackleylibrary.org/event/toddler-sensory-program-at-play-muskegon/.
