Children and Family Programs Popular at West Valley Library

West Valley - The West Valley Library offers several different programs for families and children of all ages. These programs are free and open to the public.

At 10:15 a.m. every Tuesday is toddler time. Specific for children ages one to three with an accompanied adult, the half-hour program includes stories, songs and small dances. 

“It’s primarily learning the alphabet and different sounds,” Cindy Smiley, the library manager at West Valley Library, said. 

Toddler time also focuses on movement with small dances and steps to try and develop coordination among the small children. 

From 10:15 to 10:45 a.m. every Wednesday is preschool storytime. Geared toward children ages three to five years old, the program offers 30 minutes of songs, finger plays, stories, and fun-filled activities. 

“This is more into letters and numbers that help support early literacy,” Smiley said. 

Children make a small craft that they can take home. Children must be accompanied by an adult and siblings are also welcome to attend. 

Starting at 10:15 a.m. every Friday, children of any age can participate in music and movement. For 30 minutes, kids can dance and sing along to familiar songs such as “Head, Shoulders, Knees and Toes” and “The Itsy-Bitsy Spider.” Smiley explained the purpose of the program is to teach the kids movement and coordination in a fun and safe environment.

While those activities are weekly, there are also monthly activities for young kids. Two books clubs are available for kids ages seven to 12 years old. While the books clubs are divided between girls and boys, either gender can join either group.

The first book club is Hero Adventure and meets at 7 p.m. on the second Thursday of every month. This group is geared toward young boys and is centered on books written for young boys. The group reads the book and after a brief discussion the group has an activity based on the book. For the month of February, the group is reading “A World Without Heroes” by Brandon Mull. It is the first of the fantasy trilogy Beyonders.

The second book club is called Great Read of Girls. Geared toward girls and their moms or another female caring adult, the book club functions similarly to the Hero Adventure group. The girls and their accompanying adult read a book and then after a brief discussion, the group does an activity based around the book. The book list can be picked up at the library. Younger siblings are discouraged from attending. 

On the fourth Monday every month is a special storytime in English and Spanish. This program is geared toward bilingual families. 

“They sing songs in Spanish and read a story in Spanish,” Smiley said. 

There is also an activity all family members can participate in. On the second Monday of every month, families can get crafty during family craft night. According to Smiley, the craft is tailored to the season or holiday of the month. For instance, in January, families made snowmen out of marshmallows. In February, families can make Valentines for each other. Supplies will be provided by the library. 

Finally, the last Friday of every month is Flashback Friday where a movie from the recent past is shown. If the movie is rated PG-13, any child under the age of eight must be accompanied by an adult. Anyone between the ages of nine and 12 years old must have parental permission. 

For more information about library events, visit http://www.slcolibrary.org/