Toddler time prepares kids for preschool

During the Sweetwater County Library's Toddler Time Monday morning, children were learning the importance of singing and following directions.

As the children and their parents arrive, they are encouraged to grab a round cushion and put it on the floor.

The children then sit on the cushion through the entire class. The children are always excited to pick which color they will sit on.

Toddler Time starts off with the song "If you're happy to be here." This song encourages the children to claps their hands at certain points in the song.

They also sing and do the motions to "Head, Shoulders, Knees and Toes," "Where is Thumbkin?" and "Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star."

Trista Smith, youth services assistant, read the children a book encouraging children to act like different animals. The children were having a fun time acting like various animals, including a page encouraging them to kick like the donkey.

After the book, the students sang the song, "The More we get Together."

Next, the children work on rhymes, including "One, Two, Three," "Open, Shut Them" and "Here are Baby's Fingers." This is the very beginning of early childhood literacy.

At the end of the program, the children receive a book to read and a snack to eat. The snack usually includes Cherrios or Kix cereal.

This week, children and parents had the option to stay and color a paper with four stars on it. The paper also had the poem "Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star" on it.

"We do the same format, just different topics," Smith said. "It gets them used to a routine."

About 10 to 15 toddlers were at the Toddler Time Monday.

"This is about normal," Smith said. "We're probably missing a few families. We have some dedicated ones. Even it it's cold out they come."