I love, love, love libraries! Growing up in St. Louis, I had access to one of the highest ranking library systems in the country. Fast forward a few years when I moved to a smaller community in Illinois and was shocked to discover that my community did not have a free public library! I was able to join a neighboring community library for a fee which I did because I just can’t imagine my kids not being able to check out books at a library!
If you are just starting out using the library with a toddler here are some tips that have worked for us.
5 Tips For a Stress-Free Trip
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1. Build Up the Experience
We did a lot of talking in the days prior to our first visit about how the library was full of books that we could borrow to bring home and read. For days my son went around our house gathering books that showed more books by that same author on the back cover. He would point out books from that grouping that he wanted to borrow from the library on our next visit.
To help build some prior knowledge for the visit, your child might enjoy Lola at the Library. The story tells of the library experience that Lola has each Tuesday with her mother. It’s a cute read and helps to introduce a library routine. I really like that it portrays a trip to the library as such a special part of the week.
2. Set Expected Behaviors
I explained my expectations for his behavior once we got there. These were discussed prior to going, once we got there and upon every return visit!
- We walk in the library.
- We take one book off the shelf at a time to look at.
- We talk in a soft voice.
- We listen to Mommy.
- We stand next to Mommy during checkout time.
3. Explore on Your First Visit
Simply let your toddler explore on the first visit. He or she will want to look at everything! My little one wanted to sit at every table, look at every display case and walk up and down every aisle. Most of all he wanted to play! Our library has a train table, stuffed animals, and puzzles for the children. This is where he wanted to spend most of his time.
On return visits, our time usually starts with playing and then we select books. We generally page through each one to see if he is interested in bringing it home. He usually knows before we get there what he is interested in getting. This week he wanted, “eek books”. Also known as books with mice in them!
4. Check out Books
Even though the first visit is mostly about exploring, it is important to bring some book home with you. You might draw their attention to some special display of books to pick from or pull a few on topics or authors that you know they will enjoy. I would recommend just sticking with books in the beginning. You can gradually start to check out different kinds of items from the library. When you are ready check out this post on all the offerings of the library.
Don’t forget to bring a “special” library bag with you to transport your books. I like to use canvas bags with strong handles. Lots of books can be heavy and when you may be holding a toddler and a stack of books, a strong carrying bag is a must!
5. Teach Book Care
Once you take your books home, you will want to find a special spot to store them. It may be a basket in their room or a shelf in the living room. It is helpful to keep them stored separately from your other books so that you can retrieve them easily when it’s time to return them.
Library books have some special features that books from your home library do not. It’s important to show toddlers the library pockets inside the books and stress that they are not to be pulled out. The little ones also have a fascination with the clear plastic book covers on many of the books. Again, a reminder that these are not to be taken off will save you some library fines. Here are some more tips for teaching kids how to treat books.
You are now set to head to the library with your toddler! What books will you get? If you are looking for some toddler book ideas, you may be interested in these posts: Favorite Books for 1-2 Year-Olds or Favorite Books for 2-3 Year-Olds.
*This post first appeared on Growing Book by Book on 3/4/13.
Hi, Jodie.
Thank you for such a practical list of ideas. I found your post while looking for more information about encouraging a love of reading as my baby grows up, and we’d recently took OUR FIRST VISIT TO THE LIBRARY. THESE TIPS FOR VISITS TO THE LIBRARY ARE very thoughtful and useful, and I’ll keep them in mind for the future!
I reserve the books I want to check out for myself online, and then my kids don’t have to browse the adult books with me! If there’s a specific book I want to check out for them, I reserve that too – then our time there is just for them 🙂
Oh yes, I do the same!
We LOVE going to the library! I remember, though, when my daughter was younger it could get kind of iffy at times. These tips are amazing!
Thanks for sharing with Everything Kids!
What great suggestions! You should create a pdf for librarians to print and post or hand out to patrons.
Great idea! I’m working on a librarian resource page so I will definitely add that to the list.
GREAT list!! I actually live in STL, but will be moving soon. Your introduction mentioning the library system only made me sad to know that I will be leaving it soon as well.
Good luck on your move. I hope you move to a community with a great library system.
Thank you for this! I don’t have kids yet, but when I was little my daddy used to take me to the library every Wednesday night. I knew all of the librarians by name before I was 3. I don’t have many explicit memories of it, but I know that he regarded it as a special time for us every week and I hope my husband and I can do something similar for our kids. Thanks for the great tips!
Thanks so much for sharing. I love that you have such a wonderful memory of visiting the library.
Thank you for your suggestions! As a children’s librarian for 24 years, I wish more moms had the foresight to talk about the experience and have boundaries for their kidlets!! As much as I love kids and desire them to have a wonderful experience with friendly librarians and wonderful books, sometimes it is difficult when you have kids running at top speed all around the stacks! (Not to mention the top of the lungs yelling for mom!) I don’t mind kids talking in what I call inside voices…please don’t whisper in my library…it’s the yelling and screeching that makes my spine cringe!!! Just give me a child who wants a good book and we can find lots to tickle their fancy and make them life-long readers!
What a great way to introduce the library to us, too! I particularly loved #2, setting the expectations before you get there. Instead of “inside voice” we’ve always used “library voice.” It is a place of reverence and exploration! Can’t wait to enjoy the library tomorrow. Thanks, Jodie!
I like the “library voice”. Thanks for the idea.
Great practical ideas! I especially like 5. Finding library books in a house full of books is not easy unless you have a special place for them. Even with plastic covers, those Eek books can kind of blend!!
Yes, I’ll be happy when the eek phase has passed. I’m not a huge fan of the little creatures! Thanks so much for leaving a comment.
We love the library! My son started going to story time when he was about 4 months old and we’ve been going ever since. Having a safe place where we can play and use books for free–what could be better?!
When we traveled to visit my mom we went to her library to borrow some books for our time there and had a fantastic surprise: we could also borrow puzzles AND they had a train table and other toys to play with while we were there. Now that’s a required stop when we visit, which makes our suitcases lighter!
What a great idea to visit libraries in other places when visiting family and friends!
I love your ideas for making trips to the library both special and part of a regular routine. As someone who has worked with struggling learning readers for years, I can tell you that the fact that you are introducing books as special, and fun, and meaningful to you and your family is perhaps the most important thing you can do to insure your child’s success in school and later study. Next to, of course, Family Read-Aloud Time!
I so agree! Thank you so much for sharing.
I think the library is such a great “safety valve got to get out of the house” place to take a toddler. Many children’s rooms will have toys too. It was my sanctuary when I lived in the city during the winter and needed a place to take the kids for a low stress and free activity. Thanks for such great ideas to make the trip successful!
Yes it is! I love that the children’s section is somewhat contained so that I can keep track of both of my little ones. They have so much fun and are learning at the same time. Thanks so much for sharing!