Earlier this summer, a fellow mommy and teacher friend invited me to story book time at the local library. I thought, sure it’ll be fun! Although my son is too little to sit and listen to a story (he’s still working on sitting up without falling over), it would be a chance to get out of the house.
So, imagine my shock and delight when we walked into an interactive story time JUST FOR BABIES. Story time involved singing, individual baby sized books, and parachute time! As I researched my local library a bit further I discovered that story time, specific to age range, is offered multiple times per day during the week. After story time, which is approximately 20 minutes of action packed fun, several age appropriate toys are brought out for free play.
Here are 10 things you didn’t know about your local, free library services for children of ALL ages!
1. Homework Help – Dallas & Frisco residents, rejoice! Homework help for your school aged child is simply a mouse click away. Check it out here and here.
2. Baby Story Book Time – Just about every local library in Dallas and surrounding areas offers infant, crawlers and toddler story book time (where have I been?) with song, dance, and play. Richardson public libraries offer an evening time for mothers busy during the day time – BRAVO!
3. Yoga – There are a variety of active play programs that change throughout the year. Check out this yoga class put on by Dallas public library’s Bookmarks at Northpark Mall.
4. Story Time Backpacks – My teacher side LOVES this idea! A backpack filled with books, CD’s, DVD’s, puzzles, felt boards, and more! The backpacks are themed ranging from dinosaurs to learning to use the potty, most kits include 8-10 items. Check them out in McKinney or Frisco and take them home for some (educational) fun!
5. Science Kits – The perfect way to keep your little scientist busy! These kits cover a wide range of science content and can be checked out from Haggard Public Library in Plano.
6. Technology Guides – Each local library has their own list of interactive, educational websites for kids to explore. Bookmark these sites for your learner. I also loved this app guide for young children from Frisco public library. The digital resources shared by Dallas Moms Blog contributors here and here will also help you get the most out of your library experience.
7. Puppets – Who doesn’t love puppets?! Many local libraries offer puppet play. Richardson public libraries include puppet time in their evening family story book time. And Bookmarks at Northpark Mall will be putting on puppet shows through out the fall.
8. Newborn Honorarium – This may be the sweetest thing I’ve heard in a while! At Allen’s public library you can dedicate a children’s book to the library in honor of your newborn.
9. TumbleBooks – If you haven’t discovered TumbleBooks, your kiddos are really missing out! Click here to check out Allen’s access, since it’s an online resource you can use it from anywhere. It has picture books, chapter books, puzzles, videos, games and more for your little learner to explore online. And you can change the language setting to Spanish or French for your bilingual babes! Gold mine!
10. Crafts, Crafts & More Crafts! – I always loved seeing what my students created while in art class each week, especially since the actual glue/glitter/paint nightmare didn’t happen in MY ROOM! If you’re looking to avoid the mess in your home, but still enjoy all the fun of crafting head to the Dallas West Branch Library every Saturday from 2:00 p.m. – 4:00 p.m. for Krafty Kids! Or checkout Northpark Mall’s Bookmarks for various crafting events scheduled throughout the year.
Where is your favorite local library? Any free fun or tips that I might have missed?
Let us know in the comments below!
For more helpful tips on managing a library as a parent, check out these past posts from the archives:
- Kids Still Learning Library Appropriate Behavior? Try Online Book Requests from the Dallas Public Library!
- Secrets for Getting the Most out of the Public Library
- Dallas Fun: Bookmarks Library
