by Linda Haver

Created on: October 06, 2010

The public library can be a magical and exciting place to a child if it is presented in that way.   Sadly, in today’s society there are many children who have never been exposed to the public library.  Adults owe the library experience to the children in their family.  Taking advantage of the teachable moments available while surrounded by books can help youngsters build a lifelong love of reading and a thirst for knowledge. 

As a first step, explore programs offered by the local library’s staff.  Even small facilities usually have some type of programs for children ranging from story hour for preschoolers to book clubs for older students.  These programs are a great introduction to using the library and accepted library behavior.

Teach your children the difference between fiction and non-fiction by visiting the different sections of the library.  Choose a few age appropriate books from each section and compare how they are alike and different.  Discuss where different genres of books can be located.  Elementary school students can participate in a family scavenger hunt to find a biography or mystery story.  Even preschoolers can learn where to find the storybooks or the books with facts on their favorite subjects.

Do a family “research project”.  Have your child pick a topic of interest.   Use the library cataloguing system to look up appropriate books on the topic.  Don’t be afraid to ask for help from a librarian on duty.  Locate some of the suggested books on the shelves.  This is a wonderful opportunity to introduce the use of a table of contents, index, and glossary.  You can work together to find interesting facts to write down or pictures to copy.   Even primary school children will want to be a part of this learning experience. 

Show children ways to help them choose the books they want to borrow and take home until the next visit.  Look at the illustrations and see if it looks interesting.  If the child is choosing a book to read independently, have them do the five finger test.  They can pick a random page from the book and read it.  They should put up a finger each time they cannot read a word.  If there are more than five tricky words on the page, that book is too hard to read independently.   Of course pick some exciting books to read aloud to your child.  Even elementary students like being read to.

Demonstrating proper care of books can lead to teachable moments.  Borrowing books from a public library should be presented as a privilege.   Children who are taught to be loving and careful with library books will learn to respect the property of others. 

Public libraries are one of the few places left where you can take your children for free and get so much in return.  Take advantage of the teachable moments offered by this wonderful institution.

Learn more about this author, Linda Haver.
Click here to send this author comments or questions.