Kids stay smart with State Library Victoria's summer festival

Stop your kids from slipping down the 'Summer Slide’ and keep their literacy on-track over the holidays with State Library Victoria's Library on the Lawn Kids Festival this January.  

Held over two three-day bursts (6th–8th and 13th–15th January from 10am–1pm), on the Library's Swanston Street forecourt, the event will play host to stories, games and creative activities to bring out the bookworm in everyone.   

Highlights include books for free reading, bubble dance parties at 10:15am and 12pm, Storytime sessions at 10.30am and 11:30am and parachute play at 11am. There will be bean bags, sensory boxes, soft toys, jumbo puzzles and games, and the chance to create a take-home craft showbag. 

Families will also be invited to explore the Library's spaces through a scavenger hunt.   

While onsite, kids attending from 13th–15th January will encounter the Under the Love Umbrella installation featuring illustrations from the popular children's book by Davina Bell and Allison Colpoys in the Pauline Gandel Children's Quarter. Kids will be asked to respond to the question "Who is under your Love Umbrella?''  

These activities are designed to help keep kids engaged with reading over the summer break, and to stop them from losing literacy skills.  

Studies show children who do not engage in reading activities over the six to eight-week holidays can be set back when it comes to the new school year, and that reading just a few books over this period can help kids maintain their literacy skills. 

This data has informed Public Libraries Victoria's BIG Summer Read – an annual reading challenge that encourages readers aged up to 18 to read and engage with their local public libraries over the Australian summer holidays. 

With more than 4,000 books on offer for kids aged up to 12, there is no better place to share a story than at State Library Victoria - Australia's oldest public library. 

With its purpose-built Pauline Gandel Children's Quarter, the Library offers a central spot to stay cool and enjoy an array of family friendly activities that are free or low-cost and guaranteed to enchant.