10 Ways to Make the Most of the Library (And Your Library Card) During Kids' Winter Break
If you're looking to keep your kids active and engaged over the school winter break, look no further than The New York Public Library. Whether you come in for a visit or use your library card from home, we don't want you to miss out on all the Library has to offer beyond the wonderful books on our shelves. Get up to speed below with lots of ideas for winter break fun!
Need a library card? Apply for a library card at an NYPL location near you or apply online for a digital card.
Create Your Own Comics With Pixton
Pixton is a digital comics creation website for kids and teens. Build comic panels with preset (customizable) characters and backgrounds from a variety of themes including superheroes, fairy tales, Black history, Ancient Egypt, and many more. All comics are saved automatically to your NYPL Pixton account so you can return and keep working on them later or download and print them. Learn more about Pixton.
Read an E-Magazine
Explore magazines from around the world and in many languages from inside the Library or from the comfort of home. Hobbies, sports, fashion, history, news, animals, gaming—there's something for everyone from preschoolers to older teens. Learn more about NYPL's e-magazines.
Borrow a STEAM Discovery Kit
Available to borrow from 30 branches across the Bronx, Manhattan, and Staten Island, these kits enable kids and tweens to explore robotics, astronomy, engineering, coding, and more using exciting tools, toys, and books at home. Learn more about STEAM Discovery Kits and participating locations.
Join Us For Storytime: Virtual or Recorded
Storytime with our children’s librarians is a beloved NYPL tradition that helps bring the joy of books to our youngest readers. Register to attend an online storytime or explore hundreds of recorded storytimes online. Learn more about Storytime.
Listen to an Audiobook
Whether you're traveling or looking for an activity at home, audiobooks let kids sit back, relax, and enjoy a great book. They're especially good for exposing reluctant and struggling readers to wonderful stories, and for letting kids listen to books at reading levels a bit out of their reach. You can find audiobooks and e-audiobooks through our catalog or our free app SimplyE. And here's a quick link for kids e-audiobooks that are available right now without a wait.
Watch a Favorite Picture Book Come Alive on BookFlix
BookFlix is a Scholastic resource for grades Pre-K–3 that pairs picture book video stories with related nonfiction titles. Each video is under ten minutes long and include favorites like The Snowy Day, Click, Clack, Moo: Cows That Type, Goodnight Gorilla, How Do Dinosaurs Say Goodnight, Where the Wild Thing Are, Harold and the Purple Crayon. The nonfiction companion books have a read along mode. Get started with BookFlix.
Join a Virtual Program or Event
Attend a program or event online while staying warm and cozy at home. Explore our Events Calendar where you can filter by age, location, and dates. You'll find storytimes, book discussion groups for kids and teens, bullet journaling, virtual jigsaw puzzles, Arcade Creation with Microsoft MakeCode and more!
NYPL Digital Collections, Image ID: 107665
Research Your Family History
Researching your family tree is a fulfilling project and winter break is an opportunity to get older kids and teens involved. Not only will they learn about their roots, but they can make meaningful connections to the history they learn at school. Get started with Ancestry Library Edition which includes access to census and vital records, birth, marriage and death notices, the Social Security Death Index, passenger lists and naturalizations, military and Holocaust records, city directories, and African American and Native American Records. This blog post has helpful information: Genealogy Research Tips: Breaking Through Brick Walls and Getting Past Dead Ends
Memory game based on the book 'For Just One Day' by Laura Leuck, illustrated by Marc Boutavant.
Play a Game on TumbleBooks
In addition to animated talking-picture books, story books, and graphic novels, Tumblebooks has sentence games, memory matching games and moving image puzzles—all using illustrations from beautiful children's books.
Read!
We can't think of a more pleasurable way to spend some quiet time this winter break than curled up with a book. Read something together with your child or help them find their next great read. Browse at your local branch, use our Shelf Help service for customized recommendations, explore our Best Books for Kids 2021 list, or look through our many blog posts with book lists for kids and teens.
