Play & Learn Place at the Stow-Munroe Falls Public Library celebrates first anniversary

The Stow-Munroe Falls Public Library opened the door to the Play & Learn Place in April 2023 in the Children’s Department staff, where it now averages 3,400 visitors a month.

“We’re thrilled with our community’s response to the Play & Learn Place!” said Amy Thomas, assistant head of the Children’s Services Department at SMFPL. “It’s been so rewarding to see this space designed for learning through play make such a positive impact. When you integrate literacy skills into playtime, children are more likely to develop a positive attitude toward reading and learning in general.”

A permanent, early literacy-themed play area has been a long-time goal of the Children’s Department at SMFPL. In 2022, attendance at the library’s popular story time events soared, forcing these events from the whimsical story time room to the library’s larger multipurpose room. With fun characters on the walls and a “starry sky” built into the ceiling, the story time room was primed for its rebirth as the Play & Learn Place.

The project found its leader in Bethany Woznicki, who was then a graduate student and a children’s services associate at the library. Bethany decided to make imaginative play the main activity in the room. A new theme, like “pizza shop” or “veterinary office,” would be featured every month.

“I looked back at my childhood for inspiration,” Woznicki explained. “One of my favorite memories is playing restaurant with my grandmother, and I wanted to recreate that experience for the children who visit the Play & Learn Place.”

The true success of the Play & Learn Place comes from interactive play between children and their caregivers.

“When families play together, children build language skills, such as increased vocabulary, which leads to better self-expression," said Lydia Gamble, head of Children’s Services at the library. "These skills help children make sense of printed words and give them the tools they need to become successful readers and lifelong learners,”

The room is designed for children from birth to age 5, and they must be accompanied by an adult. There’s only one entrance/exit in the room, so children can’t easily wander away. The design team selected durable, age-appropriate toys and researched which cleaners would be best for all the different surfaces in the room. The Play & Learn Place closes an hour before the library closes each day to give the staff time to disinfect the toys and tidy the room for the next day’s visitors.

The Children’s Department will continue adding new toys and activities to the Play & Learn Place, while also researching new ideas for school-aged children. For more information on the Play & Learn Place, visit https://smfpl.org/youth/kids/play.

This article originally appeared on Akron Beacon Journal: Play & Learn Place at Stow-Munroe Falls library aimed at infant to 5