Take Your Child to the Library Day takes place throughout libraries in the United States and Canada annually on the first Saturday of February, falling on February 1 this year. Dates may vary, however, depending on the library. Taking your child to the library is almost a rite of passage. Read on for activity ideas on maximizing your and your child’s visit to the library.
History of Take Your Child To The Library Day
We all remember the warm welcome and exhilarating feeling of going to the library as kids. Growing up, the excitement of going through bookshelves and finding our next adventure in the book we checked out was unparalleled. The dusty smell of the library and the pages of books invoke nostalgia. It is through those visits that most of us learned the Dewey Decimal System.
Now that almost everything is available on the internet, many children are being deprived of making these fond memories. We celebrate Take Your Child to the Library Day to promote the building of better reading habits, teach children about responsibility, and engage and make memories with them.
Nadine Lipman and Caitlin Augusta are initiators of Take Your Child to the Library Day. The idea was created by Lipman as a fun way to stimulate interest in local libraries and drive children to the events and resources available there throughout the year. The holiday was first celebrated in 2011, and today countless libraries around the country participate.
Take Your Child To The Library Day timeline
The Read Across America initiative is established by the National Education Association (N.E.A.).
Nadine Lipman and Caitlin Augusta initiate Take Your Child to the Library Day.
120 libraries from 17 states participate in the holiday, with 15,000 visitors.
More than 723 libraries from 46 states participate, with the holiday also being observed in other countries.
Take Your Child To The Library Day FAQs
When is Library month?
April is marked National School Library Month. The holiday seeks to emphasize the essential role that strong school library programs play in the education of school children.
Why are libraries dying?
With pirated material available online, the conversion from hard copy to digital ebook formats, and budget cuts, libraries are in danger of going extinct.
Are libraries still useful?
Libraries hold different importance to different people and serve as more than just a resource for books. They are still important and offer a quiet place amidst an increasingly noise-polluted world.
Take Your Child To The Library Day Activities
Head to the library
Celebrations don’t get simpler and better than this. Take your child or the whole family to your local library and spend the day immersed in literature.
Join a reading club
Sign up your kid for a reading club to keep the celebrations going long-term. They’ll love this!
Read a story to your child
Read along, or out loud, the stories your child selects from the library. This will become a special tradition for your child and will encourage better reading habits.
5 Facts About Reading That Will Make You Pick A Book
Reading relieves stress
Studies have proved that reading cuts down stress by 68%.
Reading is a skill
Reading is a skill that takes time to develop, with 40% of all students estimated to be poor readers.
It all adds up
Reading just 20 minutes a day adds up to reading about 1.8 million words per year.
Reading builds vocabulary
Children learn between 4,000 to 12,000 words each year just by reading.
Classroom libraries are essential
Students without library corners in their classrooms read 50% less than kids with library corners.
Why We Love Take Your Child To The Library Day
Building reading as a habit
Children are so immersed in watching videos and playing video games these days. Children’s reading culture is declining. Taking your kids to the library can cultivate an interest in literature and reading.
Libraries have evolved
To make the experience interactive for children, libraries have updated their catalogs, and now have digital offerings of books as well. There are also resources to supplement reading, which are worth checking out.
Libraries are a tradition
The popularity of libraries has dwindled in recent years, but they are a tradition, and even a sanctuary, to many people. Preserving libraries is part of the goals of Take Your Child to the Library Day.
Take Your Child To The Library Day dates
| Year | Date | Day |
|---|---|---|
| 2022 | February 5 | Saturday |
| 2023 | February 4 | Saturday |
| 2024 | February 3 | Saturday |
| 2025 | February 1 | Saturday |
| 2026 | February 7 | Saturday |
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