By Nirma Delibasic, Toy Librarian in Kakanj, Bosnia and Herzegovina
Every day spent with the children in our toy library is different and special and it mostly depends on the children who visit us that day, their needs and desires, their attitude and progress.
When children enter the toy library, they have to wash hands because the first thing we learned is the importance of hygiene.
When we are ready, we start using the toys that the library offers. Our little daily visitors usually choose the toys they like. When they finish playing, the kids return the toys to the initial places.
Part of our daily practice is reading short and educative stories. Sometime we have guests who read these stories to the children. A frequent visitor of the toy library is an eleven year old, award winning actress Ena Delibasic. Sometimes the librarian also reads loud these stories, but the best time is when the children tell stories which they have learnt from their parents, or grandparents.
When the storytelling is over, the young ones share their vision on the stories, and then learn about new concepts, customs and emotions.
The children are often invited to be audience in theater plays organized in the Public Institution for preschool education „Mladost“ Kakanj. Also, the kids are often invited to birthday parties of preschool students, where they befriend, treat themselves with delicious fruits, snacks, juice and cakes.
To us, the toy librarians, it is important that the children have every day opportunity to learn useful things like colors, shapes, numbers, letters, new words. Of course, the most important thing is to see them happy and cheerful in the Toy Library.
Our mission as toy librarians is to demonstrate love and affection, teach the young people real values, respect, hygiene, develop their imagination, urge them to socialize and befriend other children.
