Scientific research agrees: the first years of life are crucial for a child’s development, with effects that influence the course of their entire existence. The foundations for health, intelligence, language, emotions, and social relationships are formed precisely during this period, and the experiences that young children have are decisive. In this context, the book, particularly the picture book, assumes a fundamental role in the educational projects of early childhood education, becoming part of daily routines as a moment of growth and discovery.
Reading carefully selected quality picture books represents not only an opportunity to develop language and cognitive abilities, but also a way to educate children about beauty and attentive observation. Exposing children from an early age to well-crafted images and stimulating texts helps cultivate aesthetic taste and critical thinking, elements that will accompany the child throughout their life journey, helping them develop their own autonomy in choosing and appreciating cultural content.
While the picture book is now a constant and valuable presence in school life, there is a need to extend this practice to the family sphere as well. It is indeed in the dialogue between school and family that reading can become a daily and established practice, enriching the child’s experience and strengthening emotional bonds.
It is from these reflections that the “Rigoloteca” project was born, a small child-sized library set up at the entrance to the early childhood school. Here, children can borrow books following the same rules as a real library, learning from the very beginning to take care of the “book that belongs to everyone.” Each child has a personal card that allows them to choose a picture book to take home, with the help of their mother, father, or other family members, to read together and share moments of calm and discovery.
The “Rigoloteca” will be enriched each year thanks to valuable donations resulting from the #ioleggoperchè project, which supports the promotion of reading in schools and families. The available books also come from the rich bibliography of Nati per Leggere, an initiative that promotes the importance of early reading as a tool for child development and for strengthening the parent-child bond.
But the “Rigoloteca” experience does not stop here. As an integral part of the project, children will have the opportunity to explore the local area through visits to the municipal library of Besana Brianza, where they can discover how book lending works, explore the dedicated rooms, and listen to stories read aloud. It will be an opportunity to become even more familiar with the world of books, in a new and stimulating environment.
Initiatives like the “Rigoloteca” not only promote a love of reading from an early age, but also help build a lasting and positive relationship between children, their families, and the world of books. And who knows, perhaps those young readers, who grew up browsing picture books at their school, will become the adults of tomorrow who will recognize the value of knowledge and beauty.
