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Children’s Dept.

Booklists

Show Me, Building Blocks, and Mark Twain Reader Awards

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Ongoing Events

From Storytimes to LEGO Club.

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e-Content

Kid-Friendly Search Engines and Online Reading

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Schooling at Home

Homeschooling and Beyond

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Welcome to the Children’s Department

1000 Books Before Kindergarten  is a nationwide reading challenge designed to encourage parents and caregivers to read aloud with their children. At JPL, participants can log their reading on paper, through the Beanstack reading challenge site/or app, or in whichever way they choose. For every 200 books you read with your child, they will receive a free book to add to their home library. They can earn up to five books total. When they reach 1000 books read, they will also receive a certificate of completion. While participants can use any book they choose for this challenge, JPL offers 1000 Books Before Kindergarten bags for checkout . Each bag includes five unique books geared toward readers five and under.

Visit www.joplinpubliclibrary.beanstack.org and register for the “1000 Books Before Kindergarten” challenge or download your paper log sheets here!

Family Place Libraries/Parent-Child Workshop

Twice a year, the Joplin Public Library Youth Services Department hosts a parent-child workshop called 123 Play with Me. This five-week workshop focuses on child-led play and parent-child interactions. The storytime room is set up with toys focused on different areas of learning: gross motor, fine motor, dramatic play, music, transportation, block play, and more. Each week, the library invites an early childhood professional in the following areas: speech, occupational therapy or movement, nutrition, and general development/early intervention. Parents and caregivers can have informal conversations with these professionals in which they can raise concerns, have questions answered, and make connections for further resources.

Registration is required and attendance is limited to facilitate family connections amongst one another, with the early childhood professional, and between parent and child.

The Children’s Department is for Everyone!

The Youth Services staff working in the Children’s Department understand that everyone who walks into the department is unique. Every child and family has varying needs, and we will work our hardest to meet those needs. Whether your child has a reading disability, loves reading but struggles to find the right book, has sensory concerns, is just beginning their homeschool journey, has been homeschooled for several years, or has another specific need, everyone is welcome! Staff will work to connect every patron with the library resources that best meet their needs and interests.

Award Winning Children’s Books

Digital Library for Kids & Parents

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