Children

Children

Oakland History is Black History at Children's Fairyland

Hands-On with Children's Books

Pop-up, lift-the-flap, and other interactive books get kids involved in the reading experience!

Kids' Reading Lists

Wondering what books to choose for your kids? Try these OPL staff picks!

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Kids' Reads

Sharon Recommends

Books & resources that Sharon recommended for young people on KPFA's Education Today show & some bonus ones that she didn't share on air.

Garden Books for Kids

Did you know that many OPL branches have gardens? Check out these books & get inspired to visit our gardens and maybe start your own!

Programs for Children

Hey Families

Science in September

Various locations, dates, and times
Explore science in action with hands-on bubble experiments!

MOCHA At The Library!

Various locations, dates, and times
FREE weekly Art Workshops for children and families led by teachers from the Museum of Children's Art (MOCHA).

Paws to Read, part of a series

Practice reading to very special visitors in the library - Banni the dog, and her handler Janet!

Eastmont Anime Club, part of a series

Teens -Watch Anime! Eat Snacks! Make Friends! Every Tuesday at 3:30pm, join us at the Eastmont Teen Zone to watch and discuss anime.

Ideas for Family Fun

Read ideas for engaging activities your whole family can do together.

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See All Family Activities

Family Activities

Sunday Summer Jazz at Golden Gate Branch

Jul 6 - Aug 24
Various locations, dates, and times
Friends of the Golden Gate Library presents Jazz on Sunday, a series of free summer concerts at the library

July 2025

The Oakland History Center collects local news dioramas, you're invited to our annual summer parties, and three new art exhibits open.

Summer at the Library: Animation Madness

Develop your storytelling and technical skills at the library.

Watch OPL Storytime Online.Watch OPL Storytime Online.

Anytime is storytime with these songs, rhymes, and books from OPL children's librarians.
Anytime is storytime with these songs, rhymes, and books from OPL children's librarians.

New Children's Books

Got Homework?Got Homework?

Visit OPL's K-8 Students page for more resources like these.
Visit OPL's K-8 Students page for more resources like these.

Homework Help

OPL's online resources for kids will get you through any report.

Tutor.com

Free online tutoring for students K - 12th grade, college students, and adult learners as well as job search, interview & resume assistance.

World Book Online

eBooks and encyclopedia for grades K-12.

TeachingBooks

TeachingBooks provides multimedia content to complement more than 40,000 children's and young adult books in English and Spanish.

Storytime at OPL

Baby Bounce

Baby Bounce

This storytime is designed for the littlest of library visitors and is very interactive. After storytime, it's playtime!

Toddler Storytime

Toddler Storytime

At toddler storytime you'll find songs, active rhymes, and stories especially for kids 18 months to 3 years-old.

Preschool Storytime

Preschool Storytime

Our preschool storytimes are perfect for children who are 3 to 5. We'll read books, sing songs, and play together. Expect lots of smiles!

Family Storytime

Family Storytime

Have children of different ages? Bring them all! These stories and activities are for everyone.

Play Cafe

Play Cafe

Come and play! Kids under five will hear stories and crawl around with toys.

Developing your child's literacy skills

Talk

  • Respond to what your child says. If your toddler says “truck,” you can say, “We saw a truck today.” You can respond to babbling or even silence.
  • Talk in the language most comfortable for you. Babies’ growing brains can easily learn more than one language.

Play

  • If you read books about animals, make the animal sounds.
  • Let your child play with books. Try making a tower and knocking it down.

Sing

  • Sing the A-B-C song, nursery rhymes, funny songs or any songs you like.
  • Clap to the rhythm.
  • Sing songs in any language.

Read

  • It’s okay to read just a little bit of a book.
  • Try board books. They have hard pages your baby can throw, bite, and hit.
  • Your toddler can flip the pages and play with the book.

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Subscribe to get updates on what’s going on for kids at OPL.

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