Show your baby love through reading

Reading to your baby is a great way to show your child love and attention. Even before your baby is talking, you can look at picture books together and talk about what you see. Songs and nursery rhymes are other ways babies learn words.

Connect reading with love: Set aside a quiet, cozy place to cuddle and spend a few minutes reading with your baby every day.

Don’t be afraid to repeat: Children often want to read the same book over and over. You may get sick of it, but children memorize words by their sounds even before they start reading by themselves.

Words are everywhere: On the bus, in your car, in a store. Teach your child to notice words wherever you find them. You can make anything you do with your child an opportunity to learn new words.

Focus on an interest: Does your child love airplanes? Animals? Flowers? Take them places that spark their interest and teach them the words for things they can find there. Then reinforce that learning with books about the same topic.

Visit the library: Don’t forget that local libraries offer free activities for all ages, such as play groups. Not sure where to start? Visit the Palm Beach County Library System website.

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7 smart tips for getting your teen to put down that phone and READ!

Struggling to get your phone-obsessed teen to read? These tips may help:

  1. Let your teen lead. Don’t push your ideas for what they ought to be reading. Let them read about what engages them.
  2. Respect pop culture. Movies and music are major driving forces in Young Adult lit. Popular movies are often popular books first, like "Harry Potter," "The Hunger Games," the "Divergent" series and the "Twilight" stories. 
  3. Relax the rules. Not every teen starts on Page 1 and reads to the end. They may start with the last chapter to see how it ends. Maybe they skim chapter titles quickly to see what sounds intriguing, and they start in the middle. It’s OK, they’re reading.
  4. Be free with format. A graphic novel is still a novel. Fiction from a favorite video game is still fiction. Even audio books can boost language and oral skills. 
  5. Leverage peer pressure. Teens want to read what other teens are reading. Check out the Young Adult Library Services Association’s new BookFinder site, with lists of the best fiction and non-fiction, great graphic novels and audio books. 
  6. Model what you want to see. Keep reading yourself, at the same time as your teen when possible. Let them recommend a book for you to read in exchange for them reading one you pick. Then talk about them.
  7. Connect community services hours to reading. Volunteering at the local library helps teens connect with books.

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Find a library near you

Palm Beach County is bursting with books. Did you know there are 27 public libraries in the county? That's not including libraries and media centers in schools, community centers and other locations.

Many of these libraries are free to county or city residents. And most have fun activities to engage residents, families and children — like yoga, health programs, art and music programs and more. Some also have helpful resources, like homework assistance and reading tutors.

The Palm Beach County Library System boasts 17 branches from West Boca to Belle Glade. And the following cities have their own libraries for residents: Boca Raton, Boynton Beach, Delray Beach, Lake Park, Lake Worth, Lantana, West Palm Beach, North Palm Beach, Palm Springs and Riviera Beach.

Explore your local library today!

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