All Libraries will be closed Monday, May 29th in observance of Memorial day.

Kids

FUN AND LEARNING

An adventurous, knowledge seeking, wonderland designed to allow kids and teens to explore the outer reaches of their imaginations.

EventsStorytimesSchool ReadinessDiscover Parents & Caregivers Book Lists

Storytimes


Ripple the otter makes an appearance at a children's story time
Richmond Public Library strives to provide quality storytimes that stimulate a young child’s mind, promote brain development and to give kids the tools they need to succeed in school.

We use an overall brain development curriculum called The Basics that uses 5 simple principles:

  • Maximize Love, Manage Stress
  • Talk, Sing, and Point
  • Count, Group, and Compare
  • Explore Through Movement and Play
  • Read and Discuss Stories

These principles can be used at any age but studies show that the younger children are when they start learning the principles, the more prepared they are to start school. These basic principles will instill in your child a love of learning to last a lifetime.

You can learn more about The Basics at https://thebasics.org

School Readiness


Mother and Child at Richmond Public Library
Children are remarkable. Even before birth, the foundations for language, literacy, health, well-being and the ability to form positive relationships are being built.

Babies are born full of potential and the best opportunity to help them achieve life-long success is in the first years of life when more than 1 million new connections are formed each second. Because this trajectory to success begins well before school does, parents are children’s first and most important teachers.

The Richmond Public Library is free, trusted, and a welcoming hub of resources for families and children. We want to help nurture children’s early literacy skills and support families in preparing them for promising futures.

The time to start preparing your child for school is now and we can help!

Discover


Online Learning and Fun

Read eBooks, research a topic, learn new skills, play games, or watch educational videos.

RPL Presents

View our Storytime and Craft Videos on the RPL YouTube channel.

Summer Reading Program 2023

June 10th - August 5th

VACU Financial Success for Kids

VACU helps RPL with Kiosks of children’s books about money.

Young Writers Workshop

Do you have a great idea for a story, but not sure what to do next? We can help!

Parents & Caregivers


RVA Reads

We recruit volunteer readers to read to each preschool class at Richmond’s Five Regional Preschool Centers.

SOL Resources

Find links to videos, hands on activities and more to help your child understand concepts or enhance their knowledge with extension activities.

Latest from the Blog


May Book Chat with the Youth Services Team

childrens
families
reading-recommendations

Welcome to the another installment in our series of blog posts featuring children's books we're currently loving! "Book Chat with the Youth Services Team" features one book recommendation from each of our Youth Services team members. We cover a variety of books from fiction to non-fiction, picture books to chapter books, graphic novels and more! We hope that this month's reading recommendations get you excited about some awesome new books we've added to our collection as well as some oldies but goodies....

April Book Chat with the Youth Services Team

childrens
families
reading-recommendations

Welcome to the another installment in our series of blog posts featuring children's books we're currently loving! "Book Chat with the Youth Services Team" features one book recommendation from each of our Youth Services team members. We cover a variety of books from fiction to non-fiction, picture books to chapter books, graphic novels and more! We hope that this month's reading recommendations get you excited about some awesome new books we've added to our collection as well as some oldies but goodies....

April is National Poetry Month

Lisa Crisman
April 12, 2023
adult
childrens
for-teens
poetry
poetry
reading-recommendations
teens

National Poetry Month "Launched by the Academy of American Poets in April 1996, National Poetry Month is a special occasion that celebrates poets’ integral role in our culture and that poetry matters. Over the years, it has become the largest literary celebration in the world, with tens of millions of readers, students, K–12 teachers, librarians, booksellers, literary events curators, publishers, families, and—of course—poets, marking poetry’s important place in our lives." (from Poets.org) Did you know that RVA has a Poet...

Booklists for Kids