Discover Summer for Early Literacy
Discover Summer for Early Literacy
Children ages Birth - 5 are invited to go, find and explore with DC Public Library this summer!

Discover Summer Prizes | Be A Super Reader | Discover Summer Events | Complete Your Discover Summer Gameboard
This summer, DC Public Library invites your family to Discover Summer, a city-wide celebration of reading and learning at home, at the library and out in your community. Reading for 20 minutes a day is one of the best ways to set up your child for success. Discover Summer's Birth - 5 program is designed to build on your healthy reading habit to help support all of your child's early literacy skills by incorporating:
- Singing: Singing helps your child learn and sound out the small parts of words.
- Talking: Talking helps your child understand how a story is organized.
- Reading: Reading as a family is a healthy habit that gets your child excited to read on their own.
- Writing: Writing helps your child understand that printed letters stand for printed words.
- Playing: Incorporating play helps your child understand that reading and learning are fun!
Discover Summer Prizes
Bring your paper gameboard to your neighborhood library or ensure you have marked at least four activities complete in Beanstack by the last day of each month to be in the running for monthly prize drawings. This year's prizes for children ages Birth - 5 are:
- June: All Aboard Washington, D.C., Board Book by Kevin and Haily Meyers from Three Littles D.C.
- July: My First Safari Animal Set from Child's Play
- August:
- Tickets to a Washington Nationals Game
- Book set from YiniBini Baby
- A free book of your choice!
Click here to get started by registering for Discover Summer 2022!
Be A Super Reader
Children Birth - 5 who log reading for 20 minutes a day in the month of August for a 2-week streak will be entered into a raffle for a chance to win a large floor puzzle from Three Littles. The prize is sponsored by the DC Public Library Foundation. Visit your neighborhood library to learn more and pick up your Super Reader gameboard.
Discover Summer Events at Your Neighborhood Library
The Library is hosting events throughout the summer at your neighborhood library for your child and for you as a caregiver! Check out some of the highlighted events and check out the library's events calendar to find all upcoming events near you.
Complete Your Discover Summer Gameboard with the Library
Working on completing your Discover Summer Gameboard activities? The DC Public Library has everything you need to Discover Summer! Read on to learn about resources that will help you check off all of your Discover Summer activities and get you one step closer to completing your gameboard!
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Story Times at the Library Story times introduce young children to books, rhymes, music and other fun interactive activities! The library offers a variety of different story times that are matched to typical and different attention spans of young children from Baby Lap Times, Preschool Story Times, Family Story Times and more. Story times can also help you as a caregiver! They model how you can sing, talk, read, write and play with your child in order to develop early literacy skills like hearing different sounds, learning new vocabulary and how books work. These skills build the foundational knowledge to prepare your child to learn to read and help them succeed later in school. Click the link above to view upcoming story times in your neighborhood. |
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Virtual Story Times We know that summer days can get pretty hectic! When you can't make it to the library for story time you can enjoy it from the comfort of home. The library hosts both traditional story times and ASL story time on Facebook LIVE. |
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Virtual Story Time Join us online for stories, songs, rhymes, and more for ages birth to five and their grown-ups. Virtual Story Times are hosted each Tuesday and Thursday at 10:30 a.m. |
Virtual ASL Story Time Join Librarians from the Center for Accessibility for ASL Story Times! At each story time you will enjoy stories, learn new signs from the story and sing and sign "The More We Get Together." |
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Sensory Play at the Library Your child's senses are key to helping them explore and make sense of the world around them! Encouraging your child to actively use their senses through sensory play helps with cognitive growth, language development, gross motor skills, social interaction and problem-solving skills. It is also just plain fun! Libraries around the city host a variety of sensory play programs that your family can enjoy together. |
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Saturday, June 25, Noon | Ready for Pre-K Community Playdate DC Public Schools' Ready for Pre-K! initiative is sponsoring a community playdate for families with young children with DC Public Library at the Fort Stanton Recreation Center! Families will enjoy an afternoon of fun including: children's music and entertainment, face painting, snacks, information from community organizations, giveaways, and more. RSVP is required. Click on the link above to register! |
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Developmental Milestone Workshops for Caregivers
The DC Public Library works with partners across the city to provide interactive and informational workshops for caregivers so you can learn about the typical developmental milestones for your child's age range, pick up queues for how to spot them in your child's behavior and provide sample intervention strategies for your child as needed. In June, the Library is hosting three workshops for different age ranges with Strong Start and Early Stages. Click the links to learn more and register for these sessions.
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Working on completing your Discover Summer Gameboard activities? The DC Public Library has everything you need to Discover Summer! Read on to learn about resources that will help you check off all of your Discover Summer activities and get you one step closer to completing your gameboard!
Check Out And Read A Book About Animals From The Library