February 4th is Take Your Child to the Library Day!
Most of us will have warm, nostalgic feelings when we think back on the trips we made to our local library as kids – going through what seemed like an infinite number of shelves to find the next adventure to take home was unparalleled.
With the digital age rising and commandeering a lot of early childhood engagement and entertainment, it is important more than ever to celebrate Take Your Child to the Library Day, in order to help establish good reading habits, teach children about responsibility, and of course make lovely memories with them!
Take Your Child to the Library Day is all about exploring the amazing events and resources that your local library has to offer, to stimulate interest and engagement for libraries with your whole family.
Getting involved on this National Take Your Child to the Library Day is as easy as:
1. Heading to the Library: It doesn’t get simpler than this. Head into your local library with your child or the whole family to spend some time reading, at an event, or just sitting back and relaxing in the beautiful spaces our YPRL branches have to offer!
2. Sign your child up with their own membership: Allowing your own child to have their own membership and card is rite of passage! The excitement and sense of responsibility that comes with having their own library card also helps to set kids up to be eager to keep borrowing long-term.
3. Read a story to your child: Read along, or out loud the stories your child selects at the library. This will encourage a special tradition and routine, as well as being incredibly beneficial to their literacy levels, and will encourage good reading habits.
Why Take you Child to the Library Day is important:
A. Building reading as a habit
Taking your kids to the library can cultivate an interest in literature and reading. We highly recommend taking your children to our Storytime sessions that we run across all our branches every weekday – these are an amazing way to help encourage your child's engagement with reading as giving them an opportunity to socialise with other children! This “How to Read to your Child” blog is an excellent step-by-step resource to help anyone unsure how to approach reading with their child.
B. Libraries have evolved
To make the experience interactive for children, libraries have updated their catalogues, and now have digital offerings of books as well – at YPRL you can gain easy access to both Libby and Borrow Box. There are also resources to supplement reading, such as our Story Box and the Tumble Book library available through our eLibrary. But more importantly, libraries have evolved past the typical stereotype of rigid silence and overdue fines – they are an excellent space to socialise, create, and borrow in abundance without fear of reprimand!
C. Libraries are a tradition
The popularity of libraries has dwindled in recent years, but they are a tradition, and even a sanctuary, to many people. Preserving libraries is part of the goals of Take Your Child to the Library Day. By getting your children involved and excited about the importance of their local public library, you can help to pass on the tradition and importance of the space that libraries have to offer.
