We have many fun activities for children and babies that help them learn and grow. They can listen to stories, join clubs, and go to social events.
At certain libraries, we also have useful tools like scales to weigh babies and a place to borrow baby carriers.
We run free events during school holidays to keep your children entertained. Past events include half term crafts and themed events like trick or treating at the library.
Keep an eye on social media or Eventbrite for more details.
We have lots of great toys and games you can borrow with an 18+ library card. You can take up to 4 toys home for 4 weeks.
Find a toy by:
Borrow toys by:
Join us at your library every week during school term for songs and stories. These drop-in sessions will get your child to love stories and improve their language skills.
You can also meet and talk with other parents in a friendly space.
| Day | Time | Library |
|---|---|---|
| Monday | 10:30am to 11am | City, Fenham, Outer West |
| Monday | 2pm to 2:30pm | West End |
| Tuesday | 11am to 11:30am | Gosforth |
| Wednesday | 10:30am to 11am | Blakelaw |
| Thursday | 10:30am to 11am | High Heaton, Outer West, Denton Burn, Kenton |
| Friday | 10:30am to 11am | Gosforth, Newburn |
| Friday | 11am to 11:30am | East End |
| Friday | 4pm to 4:30pm | Blakelaw |
| Saturday | 10:30am to 11am | Cruddas Park |
| Saturday | 11am to 11:30am | Walker |
Are you a creative builder? Join our free Lego Clubs at your local library.
This is a term time weekly drop-in and we provide all the materials. The clubs are for children aged 4 and up, and children must be with a parent or carer.
| Day | Time | Library |
|---|---|---|
| Monday | 3:30pm to 4:30pm | Kenton |
| Monday | 4pm to 5pm | West End |
| Tuesday | 3:30pm to 4:30pm | Gosforth |
| Thursday | 3:45 to 5pm | Walker |
| Thursday | 4pm to 6pm | City |
| Friday | 3:30pm to 4:30pm | Fenham |
| Saturday | 10:30am to 12:30am | Newburn |
| Saturday | 11am to 12pm | East End, High Heaton |
| Saturday | 11am to 12:30pm | Cruddas Park |
| Saturday | 11am to 1pm | Outer West |
| Saturday | 12pm to 1pm | Denton Burn |
Stories are a fun and safe way for children to learn about new things.
You can borrow one of our Starting School Book Bags to help you talk with your child about their school day and how they feel about this big change.
Each bag:
Note that we might not always have these bags in stock, but they can be ordered.
Join us for a parent and toddler group that provides a friendly space for adults like mums, dads, babysitters, or carers. We give these adults support and a break from their daily routines. Bring your children under 5 years old and let them play and make friends.
This is a free drop-in group that meets:
We have scales to weigh your baby that you can use in your own time. Just come in and weigh your baby during Kenton Library's opening hours.
Come to Level 3 at City Library on the second Monday of every month, from 11am to 12pm. Drop in:
This service is run by Green by the Bay. You can learn more by visiting their Facebook page or emailing greenbythebay@gmail.com.
The Summer Reading Challenge is the biggest event in the library calendar! It is open to all primary school aged children, with a new and exciting theme every year.
Children can join in the Summer Reading Challenge over the summer holidays by reading books, attending story times, and enjoying creative activities (in the library and at home), earning stickers as they go. We also host a program of special events – recent years have seen us host famous author visits, library planetariums, circus skills workshops, NERF battles and more – all free to families!
Challenge completers receive a certificate and a place in our exciting prize draw. Look out for information about this year’s challenge in the summer term!
We love hosting class visits in Newcastle Libraries. You can bring your class as a one-off or arrange a more regular visit schedule. Our library staff will offer your class an introduction to the library, a fun activity and a story time to share the joy of reading.
We can also arrange membership for your class so that you can take a selection of books back to school.
Our library staff love to share their passion for reading at school assemblies and visit classrooms for special story times. We can also attend parent engagement sessions, open evenings, parent evenings or school fairs to promote our services and encourage families to join their local library.