THE LIBRARY FOUNDATION

Now more than ever, experts recognize the importance of interactive learning.

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Interactive play is vital to cognitive development. Recent research shows that reading and playing together with a caring adult has an even greater impact on the developing brain than we previously knew.

 

Young children who play and read aloud with their parents have an easier time learning to read. They build kindergarten readiness skills, such as problem-solving, reasoning and empathy, and are more likely to succeed in all academic subjects.

 

Multnomah County Library is working with national experts in educational play design to create interactive early learning spaces in all eight new and expanded libraries. Bright, engaging spaces will entice families to spend time reading, learning, and playing together at the library, building the neural pathways that support literacy.

 

When parents are at the library, they are exposed to simple read-aloud strategies that they can use to prepare their children for kindergarten, regardless of their own literacy level.