Children
Mosman Library Service has a great range of resources for children of all ages and reading levels.
All Babytimes and Storytimes are held during School Terms Only
1000 Books Before School Program
The 1000 Books Before School program is an early literacy program designed to encourage parents and carers to read with their 0-5 year olds to help them prepare for school.
It’s as simple as it sounds – read 1000 books before they start school.
It’s achievable:
- If you read one book per day, you will finish in less than three years
- If you read three books a day, you will finish in less than one year
How the program works:
- To register for the program, a child’s library card is required
- You can register in person at Barry O’Keefe Library to receive printed material or online through Beanstack
- If using printed sheets mark, colour or place a sticker on your reading record each time you read together with your child
- If using Beanstack, log each book you read
Please note: once you have decided between printed sheets or online tracking, you must continue with this method for the entire duration of the project.
After reaching your first milestone of 100 books read, your child will be eligible to collect a “1000 Books Before School” reading bag. For every 100 books read after that, you can collect a merit patch to go on the bag. If you are using printed record sheets, after every 100 books read you will need to bring the sheet to Barry O’Keefe Library to collect your bag and patches. Beanstack users can also come in to the library and staff will look up your accomplishments online to receive your reward.
Every book that your child completes or listens to counts. This includes stories read at Storytime sessions, day care and playgroup.
We encourage you to use the children’s collections at your local libraries. However, you can read books from anywhere and read them as many times as you want.
The program finishes once your child reaches the goal of 1000 books, starts school or turns 6.
The 1000 Books Before School program is proudly supported by the following councils: Hornsby, Lane Cove, Ku-ring-gai, Mosman, North Sydney, Northern Beaches and Ryde.
For Babies – Babytime
A weekly Babytime program for 0 – 2 year olds on Wednesday mornings at 10.30am and 12pm during school terms.
For Toddlers and Pre-schoolers – Storytime
Encourage a love of stories, books and libraries!
A rhyme and story reading session for toddlers and preschool children aged 1-5 years on Tuesday and Thursday mornings at 10.30am during school terms.
For School Aged Children 5-12
Creative Kids
The Creative Kids program for children aged 9-12 provides a hands-on experience to develop digital literacy, STEAM and creative skills. During these workshops, children will get to experiment with the Library’s Creation Space kits and electronic devices. They will explore robotics, coding and design.
On the first Wednesday of the month from February 2023 4pm – 5pm
Wednesday 1 February 2023 - Wednesday 6 December 2023.
Thursday Kids
A program for school children aged 5–12 years old focusing on art and craft.
Thursday Kids runs from 4pm-4.45pm. Parents and carers, please enjoy your break while Children’s Library staff supervise your children.
School Holiday and Special Events
School Holidays
Head to the events website to book for some fabulous School Holidays events for children and teens. Find out more
Special Events
Online Resources for Children
Mosman Library Service has a great range of children’s eBooks, educational games and online encyclopaedias. You will need your library card to access these resources.
NSW Premier‘s Reading Challenge
The Premier‘s Reading Challenge is a special initiative of the Premier of NSW, presented by the NSW Department of Education and Training, to foster a love of literature and to encourage children to read widely for leisure and for pleasure.
For more information, visit the NSW Premier‘s Reading Challenge