Sure Start Kennington and Lambeth Libraries have worked
closely to encourage families to read at home together.
We have used character costumes to help bring stories to
life and to develop a strong interest in the characters
in the stories.
Spot the Dog stories are very popular with families in
Kennington: we believe this is because the children have
met Spot several times, and on these occasions there are
always lots of copies of the book available, either for
loan from the library, or free for families, funded by the
Sure Start Kennington. Children remember meeting Spot for
many months after the event, and this has a strong impact
on the motivation of the parent to seek out Spot books to
read together.
The use of character costumes attracts large numbers of
families to the library, some of whom may not have visited
before; this provides an ideal opportunity to promote library
membership and to demonstrate that libraries are family-friendly
environments. It is also a great way of attracting families
whose first language is not English and who may not normally
come to a traditional story time, as the use of props and
character costumes transcends language barriers, and brings
the community together for a fun and exciting event.
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