Time to talk, read, sing and play

The moment a baby is conceived its brain begins to develop and by the age of five, 90 per cent of this development is complete.
To support parents and carers in creating stronger language and literacy environments for under-fives, Sunshine Coast Council has re-launched its First5Forever campaign, in conjunction with the State Government and the State Library of Queensland.
The council’s Young Peoples Services supervisor Karen Gawen said children were born ready to learn and the simple acts of talking, reading, singing and playing daily with loved ones vastly improved their learning abilities.
“Over the next 18 months, we’ll be actively showing people how they can make a difference every day, anytime, anyplace,” Ms Gawen said.
“Alongside our popular free library activities, we’ll be out in the community talking to people, providing and sharing information on social media and online, hosting events and of course council libraries and librarians are always there to help.
“The program isn’t just aimed at parents – grandparents, friends, carers, aunts, uncles play a huge role in a child’s development.
“Every story a child hears, every song sung, every conversation you have help a child learn.
Rather than sitting with flash cards and formally schooling babies and children, its about creating opportunities in everyday situations like going to the supermarket, trips in the car and cooking dinner.
“It’s hard to believe just how important these activities are, but research tells us they are not happening in all homes and children aren’t hearing the volume and diversity of words to maintain good literacy when they reach school,” Ms Gawen said.
“Our aim is to show people how easy, quick, simple these activities are by sharing ideas and resources, tips and tricks that work for every parent or carer.”
It is up to us to help the next generation thrive by making these small but invaluable investments into their future.
To find out more about the First5Forever program, visit the council’s library website – library.sunshinecoast.qld.gov.au – or council libraries.