Vicki Loughner started reading to her three granddaughters when they were toddlers. Loughner, 58, a resident of Due West, S.C., also took the girls to the library in nearby Laurens as soon as they were old enough to sit still for story hour. "I've had a library card all my life," she says. "I think starting kids young at the library gets them excited about reading. They have their very own card, so they feel special."
While reading is at the heart of every library visit, there’s so much more you can do with your grandchild than check out books. Here's a look at eight fun activities waiting for you at your local library. While not every library offers all eight, the scope of children’s programs available at your local library will surprise you.
1. Surf the 'net. Besides the fun of poking around the internet together, some libraries have their own specially designed intranet search engines, with eye-popping graphics and easy to navigate content, even for little ones. One good example is the kids catalog designed for the Harris County Public Library in Texas. Click "Explore the Library" and you’ll be able to browse books categorized by everything from history and holidays to kids' concerns, animals, and fairy tales. Surfing together will give you plenty to talk about later at home.
2. Check out a bear. At the Waukesha Public Library in Wisconsin, kids can check out Tripper, Paddy, Carlos, and Elvis — all stuffed bears that come with their own travel backpacks. Designed to go on the road with you and your grandchildren, these cuddly pals have their own journal for you to record your excursions and the books to read along the way. Take a bear on a trip, or just keep him close by during your everyday time with yor grandchildren. Read what other library visitors have written, then record your own adventures. The journal is then returned to the library with the bear for the next visitor. As an added incentive, the bear comes with a real postage stamp, so, during your travels, you can send a postcard to the library which is put on display.
3. Play video games. Don't have a Wii yet? Not to worry. Some libraries, including 18 branches of the New York Public Library, see gaming as a way to bridge the gap between children, teens, and adults. Age-appropriate Nintendo Wii and Playstation 3 game programs are available for families to use in the library together, and in some cases, to check out to use at home.
4. Watch a movie together. While most libraries offer videos and DVDs for home viewing, some even let you use your library card to download a movie on your home computer. New York City's My Library DV gives you hundreds of hours of DVD-quality programs, some 1,200 titles in all, available 24/7 online. Accessed through nypl.org and under the category Books and Materials, just download the software onto your computer. Up to 10 titles can be downloaded at once, available for viewing for seven days. Kid-friendly titles include: The Jungle Book, Robin Hood: Quest for the Crown, and Ghostbusters.
5. Meet your favorite author. Avid readers can turn into prolific writers, so why not introduce your grandchildren to one of their favorite authors? At the Harford County Public Library in Maryland, for instance, kids had the chance to meet Bruce Coville, an award-winning author of tween sci-fi, including My Teacher Is an Alien (Aladdin, 1989) and The Unicorn Chronicles (Scholastic, 2005).
6. Enter a poetry contest. At the Belmont Hills Library in Pennsylvania, an annual poetry contest is open to budding rhymers as young as five. The community library, which circulates about 5,000 items a month, throws a party to celebrate the winners and lets them read their verses aloud for friends and family. For its annual poetry contest, the Wilmington Memorial Library in Massachusetts features a single theme (it was apples in 2008), with winners chosen in specific categories for children, and one for adults — so Grandma and Grandpa can get in on the action.
7. Listen to a story. Geared to even the smallest tots, lap-sitting story hours, like the one librarian Rachel MacNeilly runs at the Mission Branch of the San Francisco Public Library, are designed to bring you closer to your little ones, and to your neighbors in the community. Each lap-sit is designed to include both English and Spanish songs and rhymes, with interactive movement that incorporates scarves, cluster bells, egg shakers, and rhythm sticks. Don’t worry about disturbing other library visitors. Most libraries keep noise-making activities far removed from the quiet reading areas.
8. Catch a show. A library's music-and-movement program ties together literacy and familiar songs. At the Bronx's Soundview Branch of the New York Public Library, The Industrious Mr. Franklin show, which introduced the famed inventor Benjamin Franklin in a one-man performance, delivered live, family-oriented edutainment. And even more enticing, it was free.
From storytelling and musicals to magic and live animal shows, there’s plenty going on at your local library. Plan a visit together for an adventure in reading, and beyond.
If you enjoyed this article, you might also enjoy Poems to Share With Your Grandchildren. Also, see our complete guide to what your grandchildren are learning in school.
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