First 5 Forever Online

Book Tickets Below:
Hello! Welcome to the Goondiwindi Regional Council’s First Five Forever page. First Five Forever connects parents and caregivers to a range of resources and ideas and to their local library for more ideas and information you can use anywhere, any time to assist with your child’s development.
We look forward to seeing you at your local library for a First 5 Forever session! So, when are these held?
The Inglewood First Five Forever is held on the 1st Wednesday of each month; and the Texas First Five Forever is held on the 3rd Thursday of each month. Have a look below for information about sessions in the Goondiwindi Library. They are held every 2nd and 4th Thursday of each month but there are a few changes coming this year.
Times for Goondiwindi First Five Forever:
*Sing & Story Time – 2nd Thursday of each month – 10:00am – 0-5 years combined
Rhyme Time sessions are fun, high-energy opportunities to brush up on your nursery rhymes and sing and dance with your child. Learn new songs to try at home and match actions with words to help your child learn. Enjoy this special time together, meet other parents and caregivers and learn something new! After this, kick back, listen to or interact with a couple of special stories. This is a great session to pick up some ways to introduce some early literacy skills to your child.
Activity Examples:
- Sing and dance to nursery rhymes
- Listen to some stories
- Learn tips and ideas to try at home
- Meet other parents and caregivers
- Welcoming, friendly atmosphere
- Free
*Play Time – 4th Thursday of each month – 10:00am – 0-5years combined
Come along to participate in a variety of simple activities that can provide interactions and experiences that assist your child’s development and inspire you to re-create some of the opportunities at home.
Some skills and benefits gained throughout activities:
- To learn new concepts based around the monthly theme in a fun and engaging way
- To encourage creative and critical thinking through role-play, crafts, puzzles and other games
- To improve language, early literacy and communication skills
- To support social and emotional development including working collaboratively, building resilience when ‘competing’ in games and taking turns
- To enhance physical development including gross and fine motor skills
- To enjoy some sensory experiences
- To spend some quality time with your little one
*Online Theme
New content will be updated on the website each month
First Five Forever sessions are running in all libraries across our region. You will need to BOOK your FREE TICKETS for each session. Please see the links above for the Goondiwindi Library or call Inglewood or Texas libraries to find out more details.
If you unfortunately miss out on a spot or are unable to make it, I have put together some books, rhymes and activities online for you to explore in the comfort of your own home. Everything that you will find below is what you and your child would normally take part in if you were to attend the face-to-face session in the library.
The theme of this session is ‘Merry Christmas’. The excitement and joy that children feel at this time of year can be infectious and is something to be treasured and celebrated. It is a time when, if you are lucky, your family comes together and spends some quality time with each other. This creates the perfect atmosphere for your toddler to develop their brains and skills. Remember, this does not mean separate learning opportunities need to be created but rather simply involving your toddler in the organisation of the festivities. Whether you are putting up the Christmas tree, wrapping some presents, cooking some special treats, or dancing to a favourite Christmas song – these are all fun, quality learning activities for your little one.
Christmas is also a great time to develop their empathy and kindness by thinking of others. Encourage them to choose a present they wish to give their day care teacher to say thank you, or a neighbour to cheer them up or nan/pop to say I love you and let them experience the happiness felt when giving to others. Don’t forget that the present does not have to be bought. Sometimes homemade presents from little ones are even more special and cherished by the receiver. E.g. A card, picture, photo, or collage.
Remember, taking any opportunity to tap into your child’s interest is always a must. This is because when they are interested in a topic, they will be engaged in any activity, interaction or experience you offer them. When your little one is engaged, it guarantees you are helping them learn, build connections, and develop their understanding of the world surrounding them. Any time you spend simply talking, reading, singing, or playing with your child is of benefit to their growth.
There are many books, rhymes, and activities that you can engage in with your child based on the theme that will support their growth and literacy development. Scroll down below to see some examples and inspire your imagination.
Call, Click and Collect Service: You can still ring the library and request for some books, audiobooks, DVDs or puzzles to be put aside for you.
I hope you enjoy this month’s books, songs and activities and I would love to see you at a session soon.
Prompting Questions/Activities
- Can you point to where the title is?
- What does the title tell you?
- What can you see on the front cover?
- Predict/guess what the story might be about. What clues helped you come up with that idea?
- What do you think the problem may be?
- Where do you think the story will be set/will take place?
- What words might you find in the book?
- What are you wondering about the book?
- What can you see on this page?
- What do you think is going to happen next?
- How do you think that character is feeling right now?
- Why do you think the character did that?
- Would you have done the same thing?
- What questions do you have about the story?
- I wonder….?
- What if…..?
- What was your favourite character/part of the book and why?
- Create a story map for the book.
- Can you tell me what happened in the book? (Prompt your child so as not to miss any important parts at the beginning, middle or the end.)
- What could happen next after the story has finished?
- What is a different way the story could end?
- Why did the author write this book?
- See if they can find a letter/sound/word in the book. Eg. Can you find the word bear on this page? Can you find 9 letter a’s on this page?
- How do you relate to the book? eg. Have you ever been on a bear hunt before? What other texts eg. books/movies/tv shows have you read that has similar characters/plot in it?
Books to Enjoy
Click on the book/s to listen to the stories related to the theme. Some of these books can be accessed via the Story Box Library. If you are a library member, follow the How to Guide to assist you when logging in. You can then type in the book name in the search area. After this, sit back and enjoy the story. Others are linked to YouTube clips for educational purposes only and with the understanding that we are not the producers/authors/creators of the following clips.
All I want for Christmas is rain / by Cori Brooke |
Macca's Christmas Crakers by Matt Cosgrove |
Engaging Activities
There are many activities that link to the theme ‘Christmas’. Scroll below for some inspiration or visit your local library for some other ideas.
Click on the images or linked subject below to access a suggestion of activities catered to your child’s interest.
DIY Christmas Snow Globes
There are different variations of this activity easily found on the internet. Click on the image below to follow the directions of the snow globe made in our face-to-face session. You could even switch it up and put a photo of your child/family instead of Christmas ornament inside the globe.
Toddler Christmas Craft Ideas
Click on the image below for a Christmas craft ideas.
Craft Projects for Kids
Benefits of these activities:
- To encourage creative and critical thinking
- To create a Snow Globe that is a visual sensory toy that can be used as a calming tool.
- To improve language, early literacy, and communication skills. This can be done by building and introducing new context-relevant vocabulary, encouraging listening skills, introducing rhyming activities and having discussions whilst preparing for the festivities of Christmas. Some of these including wrapping presents, making a shopping list, cooking Christmas treats, making some Christmas craft and singing Christmas songs to set the mood.
- To support social and emotional development including working collaboratively and developing empathy by making gifts for others
- To enhance physical development including gross and fine motor skills when painting, drawing, dancing, and cooking
- To introduce Math, Reading and Scientific concepts
- To spend some quality time with your little one
Prefer hard copies or want more theme-related goodness? Don’t forget you can access or reserve these and more through Aurora or visiting your local library today!
Have a look through the below lists to find a book your child would enjoy and see if your local library has it or can order it in.
Hard Copy Resources
Bonus Info
2nd Thursday: Sing & Story Time at 10:00am (0-5yrs)
4th Thursday: Play Time at 10:00am (0-5yrs)
Book your FREE tickets to either Sing & Story Time (0-5yrs) or Play Time (0-5yrs) by clicking the link below and selecting the session and date you wish to attend.
1st Wednesday of every month @ 10:30am
Ring or email Inglewood Library today to book your spot
2023
1 November
6 December
3rd Thursday of every month @ 10:30am
Ring or email Texas Library today to book your spot
2023
16 November
21 December
Parent Tip: Make a comment about what you can see or ask a question when sharing stories eg. ‘What do you think will happen next?’, ‘That pig looks hungry!’ You don’t just have to read the words, have fun with the book! Children need exposure to the elements of emergent literacy before they start school to become better readers at school. One thing you can do is point out print in books and throughout the day such as in mail, signs, while shopping or in the car.