Kids Clubs
Introduce your baby to the joy of books, rhymes, songs and the library!
Singing rhymes and songs together is a lovely way to bond with your child and will help them learn to talk. Sharing books, stories, songs and rhymes builds vocabulary and the language and listening skills which are essential in preparing children for school.
All members of the family can join in the fun, including dads! We’re sure they’ll get a kick out of it.
Stories, rhymes, crafts and lots of fun for parents and kids alike!
Storytime is a unique opportunity for both adults and children to focus on books, stories and rhymes. These free weekly sessions are held at all City of Swan Libraries for under fives. We look forward to sharing stories, rhymes and fun with you and your family.
The Kanga-Readers Club is a free, reader rewards club. It’s open to all children who are in year one, live in the City of Swan and are library members.
If your child is not already a member, simply complete a membership form to join them up and bring some proof of your current address with you. Membership of the Kanga-Readers Club lasts as long as your child is in year one at school.
With each visit to your local City of Swan library, your child will receive a stamp or sticker on their Kanga-Log. There are prizes to be earned with five and 10 visits to the library.
To find out more, please contact your local library.
The Platypus Club is a free, reader rewards club. It’s open to all children in years two to four, who live in the City of Swan and are library members.
With each visit to your local City of Swan library, your child will be asked to complete a task on their Platypus Card. Once completed, their card will go into a draw for some great prizes at the end of each school term. And, during school holidays, a special Platypus Club event will be held just for members.
If your child is not already a member, simply complete a membership form to join them up and bring some proof of your current address with you. Membership of the Platypus Club lasts as long as your child is in years two to four at school.
To find out more, please contact your local library.
Better Beginnings is a family literacy program aimed at children from birth to three years and their families. The Young People’s Services Coordinator and the librarians from the City of Swan libraries, promote this program through the Child Health nurses.
Each baby attending the Child Health nurse receives a bright yellow bag containing, amongst other things, an alphabet frieze, growth chart, information about the benefits of reading to babies and an attractive board book so they can start right away.
This is followed up with a session called Begin with Books for new mums and dads held at the Child Health Centre. Begin with Books sessions have been operating at the City of Swan since 2000. The Young People’s Services Librarian visits local Child Health Centres at the invitation of Child Health nurses and talks about the library service, the importance of reading to babies and shows a variety of books and resources on offer. It reinforces that libraries are fun and interesting places to visit.
Better Beginnings Discovery Backpacks
Better Beginnings Discovery Backpacks are available for loan from your local library. The backpack is linked to learning areas in the Curriculum Framework - English, Math and Science. Their contents include books, puppets, self-paced activities, an audiobook and literacy games. There are also some great reading tips and online activities for you and your child to complete together.
To view the available backpacks, visit our online catalogue.
Children’s Book Week
This national program runs during August each year. Local schools are invited to visit the library to see and listen to a variety of quality Western Australian authors, illustrators and storytellers. During this week, over 2,000 local school children will visit the six libraries.
For more information please visit www.cbca.org.au/bookweek.htm.
Family Learning Centre
The Family Learning Centre is a dedicated early learning area in Midland Public Library, Altone Park Public Library and Ellenbrook Community Library, which is designed to assist parents in their role as their child’s first teacher and to foster emergent literacy and learning skills in young children.
The Centre is aimed at children up to five years of age and contains resources such as books, hand and finger puppets, felt and magnetic stories, dress-up costumes and age-appropriate toys and puzzles. There is also a wide collection of parenting information.
Library Tours
Library staff can also arrange group visits for schools, day care centres, playgroups, pre-primary schools, child health centres, kindergartens and other interested organisations.