All Libraries will be closed on Tuesday, October 9 in observance of Indigenous Peoples' Day. We will reopen on Tuesday 10/10 at 10am.

Kids

FUN AND LEARNING

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

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Storytimes


Ripple the otter makes an appearance at a children's story timeRichmond Public Library strives to provide quality storytimes that stimulate children’s minds, promote brain development, and give children 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 basics 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.

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


September 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....

Hispanic Heritage month 9/15-10/15

adult
book-reviews
books-in-translation
celebrations
childrens
events
families
hispanic-heritage-month
holidays
holidays-celebrations
inform-enrich-empower
reading-recommendations
september

National Hispanic Heritage Month was established in 1968 as “Hispanic Heritage Week” under President Lyndon Johnson and was expanded by President Ronald Reagan in in 1988 to cover a 30-day period starting on September 15 and ending on October 15.  It was enacted into law on August 17, 1988, on the approval of Public Law 100-402.  Visit the official National Hispanic Heritage Month website to find out more information, including why the commemorative “month” starts on September 15th. The mission of the Richmond Public Library is to...

August 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....

Booklists for Kids