ADAMS — After trying a number of craft activities, something more engaging caught the eye of Oliver Brassard: a 14-month-old boy who looked like he wanted to play too.

Oliver began running to him, then making laps around tables set up in the Adams Free Library. He circled the room, dodging other children and their parents who were doing craft activities at a free sensory-based early literacy program.

Early childhood educator Emilee Reynolds, also known as Miss Emilee, said the boys’ unstructured play fit in with her plan.

“It’s all about connections in a fun, playful way, where you don’t even realize you’re learning,” Reynolds said. She hoped children would engage in storytelling, counting, sorting and develop gross and fine motor coordination through making crafts.

“They’re so capable of self-directing their own learning,” she said. “They’re probably in a structured setting. They’re probably being spoken to a lot. But when they come here, I’m not going to dive in and mess them all up.”

She took her cues from the children, asking them questions and engaging in parallel art or observing silently as they worked.

When Micaela Brassard arrived with an infant and Oliver, Reynolds noticed.

“How old’s the nugget?” she asked.

Amelia is just 5 weeks old, and her early arrival into the world prompted a change in the conversation. In a broad brush, the adults talked about other early arrivals.

This is exactly what Reynolds hoped for.

Harper Smith, 4, and her father, Aaron Smith, work on crafts at a free book-based sensory early learning program at the Adams Free Library on Thursday.

“I want them to talk to each other,” she said. “And I want them to get some good adult conversation, because when you have young children, it’s very hard.”

Prior to the start of the program — which is paid for by a grant from Northern Berkshire Cultural Council — Reynolds and children's librarian Emily Brannan set out a range of materials at two tables and on a mat on the floor: colored yellow rice and pasta, small flower pots, sieves, felt numbers, black paper, tempera paint sticks, spring-themed books and bottles of glue.

“Materials are meant to be used,” said Reynolds, who's marking her 20th year of being an early childhood educator. “They can squeeze that glue all they want.”

That motion will help children strengthen their hand muscles so they are ready to hold a pencil, she said.

“If you don’t have the strength, it’s really hard to write," Reynolds said. "They have to do so much in kindergarten, and if they don’t have the opportunities to explore when they’re young, school’s hard.”

Brannan spoke about the changing role of libraries and about how Reynolds' program fit in.

“Libraries have evolved to be a place to play,” she said. Still, a lot of library programming doesn’t allow for much social interaction. “This event is much more interactive for adults and kids.”

Harper Smith, 4, came to the program with her father, Aaaron Smith.

“Especially with COVID, we try to get kids out to socialize and try to get them to experience things,” he said. “A lot of fun things to do to just get out and socialize and meet people.”

Micah Pious, 6, and Oliver Brassard, 3, work with colored rice and pasta and sieves while their mothers look on at a free family program at Adams Free Library on Thursday.

Smith worked closely with Harper, often cradling her as she worked.

Emily Pious brought her 6-year-old son, Micah.

"It’s always fun to have creative things for kids to do that I don’t have to run or manage," Pious said. “Other people’s toys are always more fun than your own.”

And what did Oliver enjoy the most?

In his words, “Chasing the kid.”