Children and Young Adults
Townsville Citylibraries hosts heaps of fun, free and low-cost activities for children and young adults including First 5 Forever, Storytime, Baby Rhyme Time, Children's Book Week celebrations, and a range of school holiday programs.
Parents and caregivers can sign children up for their very own library card.
What Does the Library Have for Children?
- picture books
- readers, chapter books, junior fiction, magazines, and graphic novels
- eBooks, eAudiobooks, DVDs, and music
- a collection of resources to support parents
- ParentTV and many more programs online
- games, puzzles and toys in the children's area of each library
- the Children's and Youth Services team (specialists in young people's programs and reading).
We also have a range of programs and activities for children, young adults and families.
Auslan Storytime
Townsville Citylibraries, in partnership with Deaf Connect, will deliver Auslan Storytimes for our local community. Auslan Storytimes are fun interactive storytelling sessions, aimed at supporting early literacy development in Auslan and written English.
The Storytime sessions will be presented by a Deaf storyteller in Auslan, with an Auslan interpreter who reads a story out loud in English.
Sessions:
- Citylibraries Flinders Street: 10 to 11am on the second Saturday of the month
No bookings required, visit What’s On Townsville for details.
Baby Rhyme Time (during school terms only)
Stimulate your child's brain development, speech and senses with nursery rhymes and fingerplays that you can enjoy at home. You will also meet other parents and caregivers.
Our 50-minute Baby Rhyme Time sessions begin with 30 minutes of play/chat time and StoryBox Library, followed by 20 minutes of songs, rhymes and a story.
Sessions:
- Citylibraries Riverway: 10:30 to 11:20am on Tuesdays
- Citylibraries Aitkenvale: 9 to 9:50am on Thursdays
- Citylibraries Flinders: 11 to 11:50am on Wednesdays
No bookings required, visit What's On Townsville for details.
Baby Stay and Play (during school terms only)
Baby Stay and Play is a drop-in, play based session for parents and carers with children aged from birth to 18 months. Come, meet and chat with other parents as your children learn about the world around them through play. Siblings welcome.
Sessions:
- Citylibraries Riverway: 9 to 10am on Fridays
No bookings required, visit What’s On Townsville for details.
Curious Kids
Start your child’s early learning journey at home with Curious Kids.
Encourage curiosity, discovery and creativity with this free series of online learning challenges suitable for children under 5 years.
Curious Kids introduces early science, technology, engineering and mathematics concepts through play-based learning.
Visit the Curious Kids page to view the challenges.
Family Drop-in Service (QLD Health)
Child Health Nurses are available to weigh, measure and answer any questions about children’s health, growth and development. Please bring your Medicare card for Queensland Health.
Sessions:
- Citylibraries Aitkenvale: 9am to 2pm on Tuesdays
- Citylibraries Aitkenvale: 9am to 12noon on Saturdays
- Citylibraries Riverway: 9am to 2pm on Fridays
No bookings required.
First 5 Forever
Did you know that up to 90% of a child’s brain development happens in the first five years of their life?
The experiences of those first five years stay with them forever and the more you read and talk with your child, the more connections you help them make in their brain.
First 5 Forever is a family literacy program aimed at supporting stronger language and literacy environments for children aged 0–5 years, and to help their families create this environment. First 5 Forever directly supports parents and primary caregivers with increased access to resources that helps them be confident as the child’s first and most important teacher.
Townsville Citylibraries has free First 5 Forever resources for you to use at home to help you support your child's brain development. It doesn’t cost anything to join. There are also lots of activities to try, including Baby Rhyme Time and Story Time sessions. The Townsville Citylibraries First 5 Forever team is also available for community outreach. Contact the library to find out more.
- Tips & Tricks – Sharing I'm a Dirty Dinosaur (PDF, 278.2 KB)
- First 5 Forever Brochure (PDF, 1.6 MB)
- 50 Books to Read Before You're 5 (PDF, 5.0 MB)
- Bathtime with Kangaroo – Bath Puppet Use Guide (PDF, 488.1 KB)
First 5 Forever in Townsville
First 5 Forever will connect with families through public libraries and community agencies. The program is generously supported by the State Government with the participation of Local Government Councils.
Townsville City Council is one of 320 public libraries that have received additional resources to deliver First 5 Forever. The First 5 Forever program includes:
- more opportunities for families to participate in public programs such as Baby Time, Story Time and Parent Information sessions
- information toolkits for parents and caregivers of young children (library Bag with picture book, bath puppet, nursery rhyme book and CD, and information and tips on how to support their child’s early language and literacy development)
- partnerships between Citylibraries and local early childhood organisations to deliver First 5 Forever key messages and programs in the community.
First 5 Forever is focused on improving the outcomes for all Queensland children 0-5 years by supporting confidence around communication and learning through everyday experiences.
You can find more information about First 5 Forever on the State Library of Queensland's First 5 Forever webpage.
Why is First 5 Forever important to Queensland?
The Australian Early Development Census data for 2012 shows that 26.2% of Queensland children are developmentally vulnerable or at risk on one or more developmental domains – including language and cognitive skills. Queensland ranks sixth behind the other states.
In Queensland approximately 36% of parents of 0–2-year-olds, and 52% of parents of 3–8-year-olds do not regularly read to their children, and current evidence suggests this role is not well understood by parents and caregivers of children.
Fast Facts
- The Australian Early Development Census data for 2012 shows that 26.2% of Queensland children are developmentally vulnerable or at risk on one or more developmental domains – including language and cognitive skills. Queensland ranks sixth behind the other states.
- Approximately 62,000 children were born in Queensland last year.
- 36% of Queensland parents of 0–2-year-olds do not regularly read to their children or participate in informal learning.
- 52% of Queensland parents of 3–8-year-olds do not regularly read to their children or participate in informal learning.
- Current research shows that the parents and caregivers’ role in supporting their child’s literacy and language development in their very early years is not well understood in Queensland.
- Vocabulary at age 4 is highly correlated to reading comprehension in year 4.
- Research shows that children surrounded by daily activities such as reading, storytelling, singing and sharing rhymes will experience more comprehensive vocabulary, language and cognitive development before they start formal kindergarten and school programs.
- The critical development window for early literacy development is 0-3 years.
- Queensland children need to start kindy and school stronger in their language and comprehension development and with more confidence in reading.
- $20 million in resources has been committed by the Queensland Government over 4 years to First 5 Forever.
- 72 local government regions will benefit.
Source: State Library of Queensland (2016). First 5 Forever: a family literacy initiative for Queensland.
Little Bang (during school terms only)
Little Bang puts little ones front and centre in their natural role of little scientists and builders, with parents and carers acting as their laboratory assistants. Little Bang is an experienced based STEAM session through our First 5 Forever programs.
For children aged 3 to 5 years.
Sessions:
- Citylibraries Riverway: 10:30 to 11:30am on Saturdays
No bookings required, visit What's On Townsville for details.
Messy Play in the Park
Unleash the mess! Increase your child’s confidence and develop their fine and gross motor skills by exploring fun, sensory and creative Messy Play.
Meet other families with children aged 0-5 years and enjoy a morning in the park talking, reading, singing, and playing.
Sessions:
- Various locations: 9 to 11am, once a month on a Monday (from March to November)
No bookings required, visit What's On Townsville for details.
Parent Information Session (QLD Health)
Join QLD Health as they discuss a different topic each month. Topics include 'Triple P (Positive Parenting Program) for Toddlers', 'Introducing Solids', and 'Sleep for Children Over 6 Months'. Please bring your Medicare card for QLD Health.
Sessions:
- Citylibraries Aitkenvale: 9:45 to 10:45am on the first Tuesday of the month
No bookings required, visit What's On Townsville for details.
Songtime in the Park
Sharing stories, singing, talking and playing with your child from birth builds a foundation for your child’s future development that can last a lifetime.
Join our 30-minute Songtime full of songs, rhymes and stories that will ignite your child's imagination and accelerate their language development:
- Stay and play in the park with the toys, games and playground.
- Sign up for a free library membership and borrow a mystery bag of children's picture books.
- Collect a First 5 Forever toolkit for your family, including a free book, puppet and DVD to kick start your child’s early literacy development.
- Meet other families with children aged 0 to 5 years and enjoy a morning in the park talking, reading, singing, and playing.
Sessions:
- Various locations: 8:30 to 11am, once a month on a Thursday (from March to November)
No bookings required, visit What's On Townsville for details.
StoryBox Library
StoryBox Library as an online ‘reading room’. It’s a place where the wonderful world of Australian Children’s Literature is on permanent exhibit and children can connect, engage and be inspired by a range of quality Australian stories read on film by some wonderfully engaging storytellers.
More information:
Storytime (during school terms only)
With a mix of stories, rhymes, and play response, Storytime sessions are designed for children from three to five years of age. Storytime helps parents and carers encourage a lifelong interest in books and libraries, stimulates imagination, develops language skills, and provides an opportunity for children to socialise with each other.
Our 60-minute Storytime sessions begin with 30 minutes of play/chat time and StoryBox Library, followed by 30 minutes of stories, songs and rhymes.
Sessions:
- Citylibraries Riverway: 8:30am to 9:30am on Saturdays
- Citylibraries Flinders: 9:40am to 10:30am on Wednesdays
No bookings required, visit What's On Townsville for details.
Toddler Time (during school terms only)
Ready to move on from Baby Rhyme Time? Not quite ready for Storytime? Come and join Toddler Time! Develop your toddler's concentration and early literacy skills with fun songs, dance and a story.
Our 50-minute Toddler Time sessions begin with 30 minutes of play and chat time with StoryBox Library, followed by 20 minutes of songs, rhymes and a story.
Sessions:
- Citylibraries Riverway: 9 to 9:50am on Tuesdays
- Citylibraries Aitkenvale: 10:30 to 11:20am on Thursdays
No bookings required, visit What's On Townsville for details.
Young Adults
Join your friends in the Loud Lounge at Citylibraries and enjoy console gaming, performances, workshops, music, retro games or just hang out with your friends.
For young adults, the library has:
- a Youth Space in each library
- graphic novels, fiction, magazines, DVDs, CDs
- eBooks, eAudiobooks
- non-fiction books, including titles on job applications, sports, etc
- Studiosity and other online resources for school work
- gaming consoles with Xbox
- the Children's and Youth Services team (specialists in young people's programs and reading)
For more information, please ask your friendly staff at Citylibraries.
