Children and family activities
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.
School holiday events
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.
Borrowing from our toy library
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:
- looking at the toy catalogues in any of our library branches
- checking our online catalogue
Borrow toys by:
- picking them up from our Gosforth, Outer West and Kenton branches right away
- ordering the toys for pick up at your local library
Under 5 storytime
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 |
Lego club
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 |
Game changers
Read, play, craft and make friends at our Game Changers social clubs for children ages 7+. Under 8's must be accompanied by a grown up.
Whether you want to try a new board game, help create a book display, or have some company while you do your homework, you’ll find plenty to keep you busy.
| Day | Time | Library |
|---|---|---|
| Monday | 3:30pm to 4:30pm | Fenham |
| Tuesday | 3:30pm to 4:30pm | Outer West |
| Tuesday | 4pm to 4:45pm | Walker |
| Wednesday | 3:30pm to 4:30pm | Newburn |
| Thursday | 3:30pm to 4:30pm | High Heaton |
| Saturday | 11am to 12:30pm | Kenton |
| Saturday | 11am to midday | Denton Burn |
| Saturday | 10:45 to midday | West End |
| Saturday | 11am to midday | Cruddas Park |
Starting School Book Bags
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:
- has four books that explain what starting school is like
- can be borrowed just like a library book
- can be picked up from your local library
Note that we might not always have these bags in stock, but they can be ordered.
Baby weighing scales
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.
Sling library
Come along to the sling library sessions:
- for advice about your baby sling
- to hire a sling
- for a friendly chat
| Day | Time | Location |
|---|---|---|
| Second Monday of every month | 11am to 12pm | City |
| Third Tuesday of the month | 11.30am-12.30pm | Gosforth Library |
| First Thursday of every month | 11am to 12pm | High Heaton |
This service is run by Green by the Bay. You can learn more by visiting their Facebook page or emailing greenbythebay@gmail.com.
Summer Reading Challenge
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!
Schools Offer
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.