NEWTON––Studies have long shown that children who are read to as early as possible develop a lifelong love of reading.

Reading to small children feeds their imagination. It stimulates literacy skills and helps develop the parts of the brain concerned with memory and reading functions.

And library story times for toddlers help them develop early literacy abilities, sch as language and pre-reading skills. Story times typically include books, songs, rhymes and other activities, such as fingerplays, puppets and felt-board storytelling. Some story times also have crafts or coloring sheets at the end of the programs.

The staffers of Catawba County’s public libraries are well aware of the importance of all this. The libraries offer their “Ready to Learn” story time activities for the preschool small-fry set. This preschool story time reading program promotes reading readiness. Parents are welcome to bring in their preschoolers for songs, sensory play, crafts and stories designed to prepare preschoolers to learn more.

On Wednesdays, story time activities are held at 10 a.m. at the Sherrill’s Ford-Terrell and St. Stephens branch libraries and also at the main branch in Newton. The Southwest Branch has its story time the same day at 11 a.m.

And on Thursdays at 10 a.m., your kids will enjoy the same program at the Maiden, Sherrill’s Ford-Terrell, Southwest and St. Stephens branches. The main branch in Newton features story time at 10 a.m. on Fridays.

Plus, there’s the “Tiny to Two” program. This is held on Mondays at 10 a.m. at the Newton Main Branch. This is a sweet, simple, 20-minute story time that features rhymes, bouncing, sensory play and singing for the littlest learners. Playtime follows.

Learn more by checking out the Website at www.catawbacountync.gov