Children’s Christmas Craft Session Oakwood Library

Image Source: favecrafts.com

On Wednesday 8th December 2014, Oakwood public library held a Christmas craft session 4-5pm.  This one-off event was promoted via leaflets and posters within the library. There was no age restriction, which enabled families with children of varying ages to attend. Participants ranged from 1-8 years old. The structure was informal with large tables arranged with various craft materials – pre-cut Christmas shapes, glitter, glue and pens. Children were invited to take whatever interested them. They sat around the tables with siblings and carers. The informal structure was essential as participants had such varying levels of abilities.

This activity raised my awareness of the role library services play in children’s overall development and in the community. These events help foster a child’s well-being and social development. They help develop healthy relationships with carers while also giving carers a social outlet and a chance to meet people their own age (McKenzie & Stooke, 2012, p. 48). This contributes to long-term educational attainment and so should not be under-estimated. A 2005 teacher survey for the National Institute for Early Education Research concluded that social and emotional skills are more important for a successful school career than holding a pencil and reading (Brown, Winsor, & Blake, 2012, p. 115). The International Federation of Library Associations points out that making visits to the library fun for young children will encourage them to return (IFLA, 2003, p. 4).

One of this library’s strategic goals is: “Providing high quality library spaces where people from diverse backgrounds can come together” (Enfield Council, 2012, p. 12). The event was designed to be accessible to a diverse audience. There was no religious element to the Christmas craft, which may otherwise have alienated non-Christians. Perhaps changing the title to “festive” or “holiday” crafts would be more appropriate in this multi-cultural community.

Activities did not involve any reading or English language skills so were accessible to any families where English is a second language. McKenzie & Stooke’s work highlighted how important it is for early years programs in public libraries to consider language barriers (2012, p. 51).

Participants at the craft session were ethnically diverse but from my observations the children came from middle class, English speaking homes. Researchers have found that most attendees of early years public library activities are “female, heterosexual, partnered, able-bodied, English-speaking, middle class” (McKenzie & Stooke, 2012, p. 51). These families can and do pay for a variety of extra-curricula activities and libraries are perhaps viewed as an added extra.

Attending this event made me appreciate that to achieve diversity objectives children’s library programs must not only be designed to be accessible to all, they must strive to reach all. Children from less affluent backgrounds would greatly benefit from Oakwood’s craft session. Librarians face the challenge of attracting non-users to their events. Promoting activities outside of the library and in a variety of formats would help reach a wider audience. The library could also build relationships with community groups to target those most in need (Spielberger, Horton, & Michels, 2005, p. 12).

References

Brown, J., Winsor, D. L., & Blake, S. (2012). Technology and social-emotional development in the early childhood environments. In (Ed.), Child Development and the Use of Technology: Perspectives, Applications and Experiences, 112-128.  doi:10.4018/978-1-61350-317-1.ch006.

Enfield Council. (2012). Library Strategy 2012-2015. Retrieved January 11, 2015 from http://www.enfield.gov.uk/site/scripts/google_results.php?q=download+downloads+...+library_strategy_2012-2015...&btnG=Search

The International Federation of Library Association. (2003). Guidelines for childrens’ libraries services. Retrieved December 28, 2014 from http://www.ifla.org/files/assets/libraries-for-children-and-ya/publications/guidelines-for-childrens-libraries-services-en.pdf 

McKenzie, P.J., & Stooke, R.K. (2012). Making a difference: The important of purpose in early learning programs. Children & Libraries: The Journal Of The Association For Library Service To Children, 10(2), 47-52. 

Spielberger, J., Horton, C. & Michels, L. (2005). New on the shelf: Teens in the library. Findings from the evaluation of public libraries as partners in youth development.  Chicago: University of Chicago.