When people think about literacy and libraries, the first thing that comes to mind is often books and reading. However, any modern librarian will tell you that both libraries and literacy are about so much more than that! While the connection between Legos and literacy may not be obvious to everyone, at Chillicothe Public Library District (CPLD), we see Legos as a valuable tool to support literacy development through creative expression and play-based learning. 

Narrative skills refer to the ability to use language to tell a story. We use these skills every day to communicate with those around us. Recalling and retelling stories they have heard before, putting story events in order, and making up their own stories in a familiar setting are all great ways for kids to practice narrative skills. At the library, we love to use Legos as a tool for developing narrative skills because they are such an intuitive tool for narrative engagement that kids don’t even realize they are developing skills while they play!

Lego Club is a weekly program open to anyone ages 4+ to get creative with Legos. Everyone who attends Lego Club is invited to put their build in the Lego display case in the library lobby, which is updated with new creations every week. Next time you’re at the library, check out all of the creativity on display! In addition to Lego Club, CPLD also runs a FIRST Lego League (FLL) team for middle school students. FIRST is a global nonprofit dedicated to engaging students in robotics-based STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts, and Math) activities. This season marks CPLD’s second year participating in FLL, and our team, the Chilli Bots, will be competing at a qualifier tournament in Peoria on December 13.

Like everything we do at the library, we would not be able to provide these programs without support from our community. CPLD recently received a generous donation from Chillicothe’s Circle of Service to go towards supporting literacy through Lego programs. Our entire Lego collection has been developed through donations, large and small, from community members. We’re so grateful for the generosity of the community we serve, and look forward to continuing to provide access to play-based STEAM education through Lego programs!

For more information, please call 309-274-2719 or visit chillicothepubliclibrary.org/library-blog, or drop by at 430 N. Bradley Ave., Chillicothe, IL.