For Parents

Spending quality time with our kids and teens is critical to their growth and development—and it fosters strong bonds and relationships. But, in our fast-paced lives, finding opportunities for quality time together can be a daily challenge.

We’re working and commuting longer hours. Our kids’ schedules are packed. Budgets are tight. And planning even small outings takes time and energy.

Fortunately, there are a variety of things to do, new adventures to begin, and amazing things to learn—right at your library.

Libraries are the place to connect with your kids.

School and public libraries open up new worlds, spark imagination, encourage reading, help develop critical thinking and prepare and support kids and teens in school and life.

And most of the materials and programs available at your library are free!

We hope you’ll use this online guide to help you connect with your kids and find ideas for activities you can do together—at the library, at home and in your community.

And let the quality time begin!

Read Together

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Reading together and being involved in what your kids are reading helps them in school while also reinforcing the joy of reading. And reading together doesn’t have to stop once your kids can read on their own. Reading anything—comics, poems, graphic novels, magazines or books—out loud together is a great way to spend time with older kids and teens.

A library card is your ticket to a world of resources for education and entertainment for the whole family: books, e-books and e-readers, digital audio books, movies, magazines, games, and many other traditional and digital resources.

Learn Together

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Homework is a fact of life for students. So before you find yourself “stuck” while helping with a science project or prepping for a math quiz, take time to learn about homework help and tutoring services at the school and public library.

Making good choices in managing your money is an important life skill. Teaching your children how to manage money and spend wisely can start at the library—where their first lesson is about taking advantage of the library’s free resources.

Cook with your kids! Visit the library to plan, prepare and enjoy a meal together. With cookbooks, culinary magazines and other media on cooking all available at your library, there are many ideas right at your fingertips.

Play Together

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Technology can help us be more productive, assist in learning, entertain and connect us to friends and family. But when we’re always plugged in, we can become disconnected from other people and activities. Arts and crafts provide alternative ways to help unplug, unwind and connect.

Ask your librarian about arts and crafts classes or classes on digital photography, video editing, social networking and on the hardware, software and online tools needed to create and share content.

As technology has evolved, so has the library. In addition to classic board games, “gaming” at the library means Wii™ for all ages and early literacy stations with computer games for young children. Playing together builds bonds, not to mention hours of fun.

Start Family Traditions

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Family doing genealogy research together

Whatever you like to do together as a family, your library can help support or build new family traditions.

Start a family tradition by making regular family dates at the library. Where else in the community can you spend time with the whole family in a place that has something for everyone...for free?

Tracing family roots? A librarian can demonstrate how to develop a search strategy for tracing your family tree and help navigate through census, church, cemetery and vital record

Show kids and teens about the value of giving back. Service projects strengthen your community and send a powerful message to kids and teens that they can make a difference to someone and something larger than themselves. And they can be fun! Check with your librarian for information about volunteering both close to home and away. Your teens may even decide to volunteer at the library!

The Schneider Family Book Award: A Legacy of Inspiration

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Seeking books about children who were blind or had other disabilities, a 9-year-old girl began borrowing books in braille from the National Library Service for the Blind.The girl, Katherine Schneider, went on to become the first blind student to graduate from the public school system in Kalamazoo, Michigan.A valedictorian and a National Merit Scholar, Schneider went on to obtain her doctorate from Purdue University and become a clinical psychologist and a university professor, teaching psychology courses at the University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire, as well as counseling, supervising and administering counseling services there. READ MORE

Books Your Kids Will LOVE this Valentine’s Day

Happy Valentine’s Day! When I was a classroom teacher, I did whatever I could not to make a big deal out of Valentine’s Day. I bought heart-covered pencils for my students, created a special morning message about Valentine’s Day, and I believe that was it. How boring of me!Truth be told, I didn’t want to lose a day of class time to special activities. However, there is a way to make Valentine’s Day fun and educational. For instance, one can take a day off from writing workshop (If you’re on-track with the unit you’re in and principal doesn’t mind!) to do some Valentine’s Day writing. You can do a read aloud or two to inspire your students to write poems, comic books, short stories, and artwork. Then your students can give share their pieces with their family or friends after school. READ MORE

Toy Libraries: A Place to Play

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Lois Eannel gets teary-eyed when she remembers that afternoon. She saw a mom bring her son into the early childhood section of the Palm Harbor (Fla.) Library and lay him down on the brightly colored rug. He must have been about 8 years old, she thought, but a physical disability left him unable to sit up.Eannel, then director of the children’s library, tapped the mom on the shoulder and told her she had something for her son. A short while later she brought out a Side-Lyer toy—a device made for children with special needs, with beads and lights that make sounds and vibrate when lightly touched. READ MORE