Get Ready for Kindergarten

Believe it or not, the upcoming school year is right around the corner. For parents with children heading into kindergarten, it can be a scary transition. Since August is Get Ready for Kindergarten Month, we are sharing free tools, a curated collection of books and information about Storyville, our special village, to help make this important milestone a little easier for you and your child. 

Register for 1,000 Books Before Kindergarten

We’re proud to offer 1,000 Books Before Kindergarten—a fun and exciting way to build your little one’s literacy skills. Track on Beanstack or come into any of our branches to get a paper game board. Kids can receive a sticker for every 100 books read and a medal after collecting 10 stickers! To keep the celebration going, we are hosting more than a dozen 1,000 Books Before Kindergarten programs from Tuesday, September 1, to Saturday, November 14, where you and your child can register, decorate a tote, dance, and celebrate your child’s reading accomplishments.  

Visit Storyville

Tucked inside our Rosedale Branch is Storyville—a little child-sized village with books, toys and interactive activities to encourage learning through play. Geared specifically for those ages 5 and under, this village includes a simulated grocery store, post office and Toddler Bay where you can accompany your child to roleplay with others, read books, and learn social skills needed at a young age. For those with older siblings, they are welcome as “Storyville helpers” but may find more engaging, age-appropriate activities in the children or tween areas. Our Storyville at the Woodlawn Branch is currently closed for renovations.

Attend Story Times

Story times are a fun way to interact with others while encouraging early literacy to help your child develop listening, communication and reading skills. There are well over 100 story times offered each month, including some special themes—like pajama day, sensory and more. Find the full list of story times on the events page.

Learn With Little Pim

One of our newest resources is Little Pim—an online language learning tool specifically for children ages birth to 6. With a library card, your child can access more than a dozen language options, including English, Spanish, French, Russian and Chinese. Your child can learn through short, interactive videos and games while having fun! Since it is a digital resource, you can take it anywhere you go.

Borrow Early Learning Kits

Early Learning Kits help your child understand the world around them through books and hands-on activities. Whether your kid is interested in nature, animals, art or other fun topics, the kits provide a fun way to grow and learn together. These kits normally include:

• Four books
• Tote bag
• Activity sheet
• Items related to the theme of the kit

With your library card, you can borrow for 21 days, which is plenty of time to explore the topics time and time again.

Read Books About School

We have a large selection of books to navigate the transition into kindergarten. This includes picture books for your little one, workbooks and parent-help books, too. Scroll through the display and place a hold on your favorites.

Next Steps

The easiest way to get started using these tools is by getting a library card. Our B Adventurous library cards are for children 13 and under, where you can link your child's account to yours. You can borrow up to 100 items at a time—which puts you and your child well on the way to 1,000 books! Just bring a photo ID of yourself and get your child a library card. And remember, you got this, grownups!