By Will Broaddus
Staff writer
---- — Tomorrow, the Swampscott Public Library will join more than 260 libraries nationwide in observing the second Take Your Child to the Library Day.
For families with young children who are new to the library, this is an opportunity to introduce them to all the books and programs in the children’s department and sign them up for their first card.
Parents can also join the “1,000 Books Before Kindergarten” program, which encourages them to read to very young children, who benefit from hearing words read aloud and seeing them printed on a page.
For families who already attend weekly reading groups — with Izzi Abrams on Mondays for ages 3 to 5 and Beth Coughlin on Wednesdays for children 1 to 3 — this is a chance to do something at the library on the weekend.
Where children’s hours normally address a single theme, Take Your Child to the Library Day will feature three craft programs between 11 a.m. and 1:30 p.m.
One will mark Groundhog Day, which also falls on Feb. 2, and a second will recognize Chinese New Year, which this year is observed on Feb. 10. With Valentine’s Day less than two weeks away, children will also be able to make cards.
“It’s open-ended, people can come and go if they want,” Coughlin said.
The library is open from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. tomorrow, and refreshments will be served all day, with coffee for adults and juice, doughnuts and cookies for kids.
These programs are fun, but they also prepare children for school, Coughlin said.
“Especially for real young ones, it gets them ready for preschool, to sit in a group and listen to a story,” she said.
