Friends of Montclair Library

Kids participate in a scavenger hunt at the Franklin Park, IL library. Photo courtesy of FPPL via Flickr.

Here’s a fun activity you can do to help kids become more familiar with the different areas of the library and resources for finding items and information, based on an article from the “Reading Connection” newsletter published by Resources for Educators:

Before you head to the library, work with your child to make a list of items to find. Pick topics that interest your child, and try to include materials from different areas of the library (fiction, biography, magazines, etc.). For example, a story about the beach, a biography of a famous athlete, and a magazine article about an animal. For older kids, you might challenge them to find specific information, like the address where they can write to a favorite author, or a book published in the year they were born.

At the library, you can either play as a family or divide into teams. See how quickly you can find everything on the list. Players can use the computer catalog, ask the librarian, or just browse through the shelves.

When you find everything, take the materials to a table and enjoy reading them together.