5 Practices of Early Literacy
Unlock your child's potential for learning & reading. From birth, your baby can start to learn about reading, like how to sound out words and what direction to hold a book.
- Ages 0-1: Choose a time when your baby is relaxed and happy. Read for as long as your baby is interested. Just a page or two is fine!
- Ages 1-2: Show your baby a board book. (A board book is made of thick cardboard pages.) Let them explore on their own, even if that means books get chewed on or thrown.
- Ages 2-3: Read the same books over and over again. Pause before a predictable word and ask your toddler to guess the next word. Or ask what happens next in their favorite story.
- Ages 3-5: When reading, hold a book upside down until your preschooler notices. Show them how to hold a book. Talk about the book’s parts, like the cover, pages, title, and author.
Library Gets LOUD!
Feb 17th | 9:30am - 7:30pm
Glide on over to the big musical bash of the year. Shimmy, hum, or strum your way through the library with family-friendly activities for…
Martin Luther King Jr. (Free Learning Activity for Pickup)
Jan 2nd - Jan 19th | All day
Learn about Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. with activities from Seeds of Caring. Read about the history of MLK Day & discover social action idea
Balloon Mystery Magic Show | Erica Carlson
Jan 4th | 10:00am - 10:45am
Solve the mystery of Erica's missing balloons with her pet hedgehog as the prime suspect at this family-friendly, interactive magic show!
States of Matter: Science Show
Jan 11th | 2:00pm - 3:00pm
Learn how atoms come together to form different states of matter in this highly interactive science show with Whiz Bang Science. About the…
Reading Challenge
1,000 Books Before Kindergarten
Unlock your child's potential with this reading challenge. For ages 0-5.
Suggested Websites
Literacy Tips for Parents
Share your childhood joy.
Tell stories about some of the favorite things you used to do as a child.
Concerned about your child’s speech development?
Get free advice from experts with Columbus Speech and Hearing.
Start a conversation at dinner time.
Dinner time is a great place to start a conversation with your kids. The Family Dinner Project has some fun suggestions.
Pick up a wordless picture book.
Encourage your child to become the storyteller with wordless picture books.
Kristen C.
When she’s not working with kids here at the library, you might find her on the bike trail or baking up a sweet treat.
Ashleigh M.
Ashleigh loves to see people grow and become their best selves here at the library.
Annamarie C
Annamarie loves all things Disney! When she's not planning her next storytime, she's likely traveling or volunteering at the Columbus Zoo.
Katie R.
Katie knows all of the tricks to start your baby on the path to lifelong reading.