Free Family-Friendly Fun Available at Libraries
Save Money on Activities with Your Library Card
Dec 28, 2008
It can be challenging to find inexpensive activities for children and families. Many frugal parents and caregivers are turning to their local public libraries for free children’s story hours, passes to museums and zoos, cultural events, internet access, and movies.
Story Hour and Children’s Activities at the Library
Reading to children is important for their intellectual and social development. To save money, many parents visit their public libraries to borrow children’s books, tape stories, and magazines.
But many libraries also offer children’s story hours, where a librarian or volunteer reads several stories for groups of children and parents. These story hours not only foster the development of important pre-reading skills in children, but also introduce families to libraries as sources of information and fun, provide a structured environment for group interaction among children, and give parents information on incorporating reading into their families’ everyday lives.
Libraries may also offer other children’s programming, including magic shows, craft projects, and homework help. Most libraries have age level requirements for story hours and activities and may require pre-registration.
Free Passes at the Library
Many libraries offer free passes to local family-friendly activities, including museums, zoos, aquariums, and exhibits. These are real money savers; reserving a pass for a visit to a children’s museum can save a family between $10 to $20 per visit.
These passes are generally in high demand and can only be checked out for one day, so families should plan ahead and reserve the free passes well ahead of time.
Cultural Events at the Library
Libraries host family-friendly cultural events, such author talks, instructional classes, book groups, and music or art programs. For instance, the Franklin, Massachusetts Public Library, the first public library in the United States, regularly offers free tours of the art and architecture of its historic building, and details the history of a set of books donated to the library by American patriot and namesake of the town, Benjamin Franklin.
Free Movies and Internet Access at the Library
In addition to borrowing books, many families are using public libraries to save money on entertainment and information gathering. Public libraries have a catalog of DVDs that can be checked out with a library card. If a local library doesn’t have a particular DVD, they can often request the movie from another library in the local library network.
Some libraries also offer free family movie nights during school vacations. The movies are newly-released features and are offered free or for a small fee.
Additionally, with the costs of internet access soaring, teens and adults can use the computers and world wide web access at the library for research, homework, and entertainment. Libraries also offer free access to subscription-only databases and resources.
While traffic may down at retailers, library visits are up all across the country. With all the resources available for free with just a library card, it makes sense for families to check out the local library as a way to save money on entertainment, culture, and information.
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