Why are libraries good for kids?
Visiting a public library with your child is a great way to encourage a love of books and reading.
You can borrow great children’s books for free from your local library. Libraries often have audio books, dual-language books, ebooks and magazines too. This means you can have plenty of books and things for your child to read – and it won’t cost you anything.
Your child will have fun choosing books from the library. Library staff can recommend books for you and your child to enjoy too.
Libraries also offer story times, activities and school holiday programs for children.
What you need to visit the library
You just need to find out where your local library is! Phone your local council or look at its website.
If you live in a regional, rural or remote part of Australia, you can check whether your council offers a mobile or remote library lending service.
If you have access to more than one local library, you could ask around to find out which library has a good selection of children’s books. Some libraries might be more child friendly than others.
When you join a library, the library staff will tell you how many books your child can borrow and when you have to return them.
How to make the most of library activities and visits
- Talk to your child about the library before you go. For example, ‘It’s a place where we can choose some books to borrow for a while. We take the books back when we’ve finished so someone else can read them. Libraries are quiet places. We can’t run around or shout’.
- Practise using quiet ‘library voices’ at home.
- At the library, go to the children’s section and encourage your child to browse the books. Give your child quiet time to look through the books.
- Notice what books your child is interested in, and talk about the books that your child looks at. For example, ‘That looks like an interesting book – what do you think it might be about?’
- Sit with your child and read books together. Decide together which ones to borrow and which ones you’ll put back on the shelf.
Trying different books is all part of learning. It doesn’t matter if some of the books your child chooses are too hard for child to read or aren’t as interesting as your child thought they would be. You can just return them and get something else next time.
How to adapt library activities for children of different ages
Younger children
Most libraries run story times where a staff member or volunteer chooses a book and reads to a group of younger children. A little bit of noise and talk is usually OK at story time, so these sessions can be good if your child is still young.
Older children
If your child is older, they might enjoy looking for books in their areas of interest – for example, puppies, ballet or volcanoes. You could show your child how to use the catalogue to search for a topic area or a favourite author.
How to adapt library activities for children with diverse abilities
Autistic children
If you think your child might enjoy visiting and using the library, you could use a social story to help them know what to expect. You could use pictures, words or both to describe leaving the house, arriving at the library, looking for books and having books scanned at the borrowing counter.
Children with sensory sensitivities
Libraries are usually quiet, so they might be a good place if your child is sensitive to noise. You could reduce other sensory stimulation by encouraging your child to wear headphones or sunglasses while you’re in the library. You could also check whether your local library has sensory-friendly visiting hours.
Children with a lot of energy
Try giving your child some exercises to do before you go into the library – for example, star jumps or running on the spot. Your child could also try some calming stretches during the library visit.
Children with low vision or blindness
Look for books that suit your child’s vision. Many children’s storybooks use large text, tactile pages and pictures. You could also ask a librarian about whether your library has children’s audiobooks that your child could borrow.
You can get more ideas for adapting this activity from our articles on play and autistic children and play and children with disability. You might also like to explore our other activity guides. They can all be adapted to suit children with diverse strengths and abilities.