Libraries play a key role in providing access to information in many areas including the development of reading skills, language learning, and much more.
Branches of Vancouver Island Regional Library offer a wide variety of early childhood literacy programs that are free!
Early literacy is what children know about reading and writing before they can actually read and write.
Research shows that children get ready to read years before they start school.
At Vancouver Island Regional Library they offer a number of reading readiness programs for children beginning as early as babies.
We love to encourage children to use the library from an early age so they remain library users in the future.
You’ll find a wonderful selection of children’s books at your local library branch to stimulate your child’s imagination and desire to learn.
Pay a visit to your local branch to experience our fun, lively, and engaging programs offered by our wonderful librarians who love what they do!
- Babytime is for parents (or caregivers) and their children aged 0 to 18 months. Babytime is 30 minutes of stories, songs, finger-plays, bouncing games and rhymes for babies. Parents interact and read aloud with their baby.
- Toddlertime is for children aged 18 months to approximately 3 years and their parents (or caregivers). Toddler time is 30 minutes of stories, songs, stretches and finger-plays.
Children are encouraged to get up and move around and parents and caregivers are encouraged to participate in the activities with their children.
- Storytime is for preschool children, ages 3 to 5 years and their parents (or caregivers). Storytime is 30 minutes of stories, songs, stretches and finger-plays. Children are encouraged to practice their listening skills and parents and caregivers are encouraged to participate in the activities with their children.
- Family Storytime is for the whole family. Participants are a mixture of ages, ranging from newborn to school-aged children. Family Storytime encourages family literacy and the sharing of stories and finger-plays as a group.
Parents and caregivers are encouraged to participate in the storytime activities with their children.
- Summer Reading Club – Read to Me is for preschoolers across the province. This program is for children who do not read on their own. Parents and caregivers are involved right alongside the children who receive a theme-based reading record to keep track of their reading.
Pay a visit to your local library branch with your little one and find out what they have in store for you.