Early Bird Learning Activities

Miss Shelley shares books, activities, videos, and resources to help children on the path to reading.

Browse the latest activities for early learners

Illustration of animal families enjoying lemonade in the park in summer

44 things to do with your little ones this summer

There is so much to do and explore during the summer! Together with the Collaboration for Early Childhood, we’ve put together a collection of activities and free, fun, local community …
Collage of book covers on a rainbow watercolor background

Normalizing autistic acceptance: Videos & books for early learners & caregivers

Happy Autism Acceptance Month! In the past, we’ve shared information about: Celebrating autism pride. Neuro-affirming resources for autistic people and their caregivers. Why many autistic people prefer to celebrate autistic …
Illustration of animals working and playing in a community garden

33 things to do with little ones this spring

Longer, lighter days this season make it easier to fit more into each and every one. Your public library, in partnership with the Collaboration for Early Childhood, has put together …
Miss Eileen singing

Early Bird Learning videos: A virtual tutorial for babies, toddlers & preschoolers

Did you know that children’s staff have created more than 400 early learning videos since March 2020?! You can watch them all in a YouTube playlist and find them organized …
New! Hoopla BingePass with an icon featuring two tickets on a starbust background

BingePass gives you 7 days of unlimited streaming

With hoopla’s new BingePass and your Oak Park library card, you can get unlimited streaming for seven days with a single borrow! Let’s get started… How do I use hoopla’s …
An illustration of a lion pulling two cubs in a wagon while more illustrated animals play in a park in the fall

35 things to do with little ones this fall

Fall family fun is in full swing here in Oak Park! Explore free activities—curated by your public library and the Collaboration for Early Childhood—specially designed for families with young children …
Two cartoon ghosts surrounded by a colorful Halloween candy

Sharing scary & not-so-scary stories: Videos & books for early learners

By Children’s Librarian Shelley Harris The sun is setting earlier, and nights are lasting longer. This is the time of year when our “Chills and Thrills” bin of picture books …
A graphic featuring an illustration of a schoolhouse with children coming down a slide built on the front and the text Welcome Back to School

New year, new transitions! Videos & books for early learners

By Shelley Harris, Children’s Librarian Welcome to the -ber months: September, October, November, and December! Most people celebrate the start of a new year in January. Not me. I graduated …
Kids and pets reading under a blanket

Kids summer reading: Kids as young as 2 can join the fun!

By Shelley Harris, Children’s Librarian Most people look at summer as a time to relax and have fun. For Children’s Services Librarians, it’s our busy season! We’ve spent the past …
Autism Acceptance & Pride with a rainbow infinity symbol

Autism acceptance & pride: Videos & activities for early learners

By Shelley Harris, Children’s Librarian Happy Autism Acceptance Month! To understand why we’re celebrating… Let’s start at the beginning: What is autism & why acceptance? There are two brain types: …
Adult reading a picture book with a baby

9 ways to encourage spontaneous, meaningful language

Library staff love to talk about the importance of language and play for kids: It helps them explore their world, learn about themselves and the people around them, get ready …
Be Kind to Yourself text floating on a blue sky with clouds

Be kind to yourself: Videos & resources for grownups & early learners

By Shelley Harris, Children’s Librarian We often come back to the topic of emotions and social-emotional learning with our kids. Sometimes it may feel like we’re repeating ourselves! But we …
Shelley pointing to a visual aid featuring autumn animals

Celebrating AAC, ADHD & Down Syndrome Awareness Months: Activities for early learners & support for caregivers

October is a big month! Many kids are excited for Halloween, of course. We finally enter an autumn that will last a while; that’s usually pretty great. Sometimes we even …
Still, promotional image for Mister Rogers with Fred Rogers posing with the Neighborhood Trolley

‘Won’t you be my neighbor?’ Videos & activities for early learners

“You’ve made this day a special day, by just your being you. There’s no person in the whole world like you, and I like you just the way you are.” …
Emojis: shocked, smiling, confused, and sad

Talking about emotions: Activities for early learners

By Children’s Librarian Shelley Harris It’s never too early to talk about emotions with children, even babies and toddlers. The end of summer and start of new autumn routines is …
Disability Pride Flag

Disability Pride Month: Activities for early learners & caregivers

July is Disability Pride Month! It’s been celebrated since 1990, when President HW Bush signed the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) on July 26, though many non-disabled people have not …
Picture of the Main Library with a pink and purple overlay

Visiting the Main Library Children’s Services: A virtual tutorial for kids & families

By Children’s Librarian Shelley Harris Sometimes kids and adults get nervous about visiting a new place for the first time. We get it! It can be useful to know what to …
Embrace Differences

Happy Autism Acceptance Month! Videos & activities for early learners & caregivers

April can be a challenging month for many autistic people. Many organizations that aren’t run with or by autistic leaders have campaigns about “lighting it up blue”—furthering stereotypes that autism …
An illustration of children and adults standing in a line with letters of the alphabet in the background

Make practicing early literacy skills a habit: Videos & activities for early learners

By Shelley Harris, Children’s Librarian How are you doing? We’re a quarter of the way through the year. It’s a little warmer, a little sunnier. Sometimes things feel a little …
Illustration of children listening to a story with sound waves in the background

Share sounds: Videos & books for early learners

By Shelley Harris, Children’s Librarian The grasshopper chirpeth, the lamb bleateth, the owl hooteth. Animal sounds are found in so many books and songs for children, including the first-known picture …
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