Early Years settings caring for babies and young children aged from birth to 2-years in Wexford will this week receive the gift of an illustrated children’s book of lullabies in a variety of world languages as part of a new initiative called OWLET: Lullabies of the World.
The project is led by Early Childhood Ireland and delivered in collaboration with Mother Tongues. Early Childhood Ireland is proud and grateful to have been supported by the RTÉ Toy Show Appeal in association with the Community Foundation Ireland.
OWLET: Lullabies of the World responds to the needs of babies and young children in an ever-changing Ireland in which multilingualism is the norm. According to Census 2022, over 16,000 people in Wexford speak a language other than Irish or English at home.
The books form part of a trio of materials designed to foster inclusivity in Early Years, including an accompanying publicly available playlist and an interactive e-resource, which has been specifically tailored to empower Early Years educators across the country to deliver high-quality care for young children.
A shared experience
The beautifully designed board books feature 10 lullabies uniquely represented through illustrations in languages as diverse as Irish, Setswana, Hindi, Romanian, Creole, Polish, Latvian, Lithuanian, Brazilian Portuguese, and Spanish.
Parents and educators are encouraged to share the experience of listening to the lullabies – sung by professional singers in their native language – with young children at home or in Early Years settings by accessing the accompanying playlist available on Early Childhood Ireland’s website.
