YFS Introduces P.L.A.Y. Packs

In 2021, the Kenosha Public Library will be developing and rolling out “P.L.A.Y. Packs” (Preschool Learning and You Packs) for parents and caregivers of preschool-aged children. Each P.L.A.Y. Pack will focus on a different skill to help prepare young children for Kindergarten. Kindergarten readiness skills include not just the knowledge of shapes, colors, numbers, and letters, but also things like learning how to use scissors, tracing letters and writing your name, getting dressed, using the bathroom independently, gaining impulse control, and engaging in social-emotional roleplay. These are skills learned in preschool, but as preschool attendance is not mandatory in the state of Wisconsin, children who do not attend preschool may enter Kindergarten well behind their peers. Even children who are enrolled in preschool would benefit from these skills being further reinforced at home with their caregiver.

P.L.A.Y. Packs will include themed activities for children, all necessary supplies to complete the activities, and easy-to-follow tips for caregivers. Currently, the main supplies we anticipate including across the entire series of packs include: safety scissors, adhesive velcro, laminated tracing sheets, highlighters, dry erase markers, crayons, a jumbo paintbrush, Play-Doh, bingo dauber, glue stick, ruler, 3-ring binder, and a school supply pouch.

P.L.A.Y. Packs will be presented as a series. Alongside the base pack, participants will receive the first P.L.A.Y. Pack (which is themed around animals) and complete the activities at home. Each P.L.A.Y. Pack will have 10 themed activities that promote a Kindergarten readiness skill: reading, writing, playing, singing, talking, gross motor, social-emotional, visual math, counting/numbers, and a craft. Once they complete all activities in the pack, they will go to a Kenosha Public Library branch to pick up the next P.L.A.Y. Pack in the series. The aim is to create sustained engagement between families and the Kenosha Public Library. We want to not only bring them into the library, but encourage them to check out books, participate in the 1,000 Books Before Kindergarten program, and join in our our weekly storytimes to help boost their child’s early literacy skills as they also work on Kindergarten readiness skills through the P.L.A.Y. Pack program.

Our library can fund 100 of these P.L.A.Y. Packs (that is, 100 children will be able to participate in the entire series). The Kenosha Public Library Foundation is providing $7,825 for 500 additional P.L.A.Y. Packs. The first round of P.L.A.Y. Packs will be handed out through community partners (such as the Kenosha Literacy Council, the Urban League and NAACP, and childcare centers serving disadvantaged populations), so that, according to the 3rd grade reading statistics, we are reaching those who are most likely to need assistance with preschool learning. The community partners will thus be encouraging those families to come to the library to continue picking up P.L.A.Y. Packs and taking advantage of all the services we have to offer.