craigdailypress.com

Young children had their day to play Saturday during the sixth annual Children's Festival at the Centennial Mall.

The event was sponsored by the Children's Coalition, a group of child-care providers and teachers. The festival offered social and educational activities for young children.

Families meandered through booths at the mall playing games with their children or speaking with members of service agencies.

"We wanted to do this because there are not a lot of activities for children (younger than) 5 in Craig," said coordinator Sarah Hepworth. "Part of this is trying to increase awareness for young children. They are important parts of our lives."

Organizers planned the event to coincide with April's Month of the Young Child and its focus on child abuse prevention.

Preschool teacher Carol Taylor of the Early Childhood Education Center stressed the importance for families to expose young children to a variety of social situations in an effort to ready them for school life.

"For kids to have positive connections by the time they get to kindergarten, they need to be involved in social situations," she said. "I think it's a changing philosophy, but people are realizing now it's also important for children to acquire cognitive skills through play."

Taylor has worked with the Moffat County School District's Childhood Center for seven years. It is becoming more popular for parents to enroll children in preschool, she said.

One reason is because working parents see it as an alternative to hiring a babysitter while offering their child more educational stimulation, she said.

"People are more aware of the benefits of giving their children an early start," Taylor said.

Families spending time and interacting with their children is one of the best ways to stimulate young minds, Hepworth said. She was encouraged to see at least 100 families participate in the festival.

Emma Balstad, 4, and her mother, Lisa, made crafts and picked up stickers and balloons at some of the booths.

Emma attends St. Mark's preschool.

"I think she enjoyed it," Lisa Balstad said. "There are lots of activities here, and it's probably a good way for her to see other children."