Sunny Play - Meet & Play

Sunny Play is back at the Martindale-Brightwood Branch on Wednesday, November 11, from 11 AM to 11:45 AM. It follows Sunshine Storytime, so if you're already there for the stories, you can just roll right into this. It's a program for young children, and the whole thing is built around open-ended sensory play—the kind where kids just get to dive in and figure things out on their own.

Inside, you'll find loose parts, nature materials, and heuristic play, which is a fancy way of saying kids get to explore natural objects and open-ended materials rather than toys with one set way to play. They can work with those natural materials, play with the loose parts, make some art, and lean into make-believe. It's a busy, moderately noisy room, and the library describes it as leaning on the early literacy habits of play, read, talk, sing, and write—the same five habits identified by the American Library Association's Every Child Ready to Read program.

And it's not just for the kids. Caregivers get their own table with a calming activity and a chance to mingle with other parents while the little ones are occupied. It's one of those rare setups where you can actually chat with other adults in the room instead of just hovering.

The session runs from 11 AM to 11:45 AM at the Martindale-Brightwood Branch, 2434 North Sherman Drive, Indianapolis, IN 46218. If you're coming from Sunshine Storytime, you're already in the right spot.