Libraries are Stockholm's most underrated activity for children: free, indoors, open six days a week and with something for every age. Rum för Barn at Kulturhuset by Sergels torg is the biggest, Stadsbiblioteket (the main city library) at Odenplan has its own children's section, and almost every district has a local branch with a play corner, story time and baby singing. Check the programme on the library's website, it changes every month.
It is a Wednesday in October, it has been raining since lunch, and a nanny in Farsta has picked up a two-year-old and a four-year-old from förskola (municipal preschool). The playground is a mud bath. She goes to the library. The two-year-old ends up in the play corner with a board book, the four-year-old hunts for the third book about the same tractor, and the nanny sits on the floor between them. After an hour they go home with six books in the bag. It costs nothing, and it is one of the activities our nannies use most.
What the libraries offer children
- Play corners with cushions, soft toys and boxes of board books, at most branches. For children from crawling age to three.
- Story time (sagostund), usually on a set day of the week for children from about three, half an hour with a librarian reading aloud.
- Baby singing and baby café for children under one and their parents, at many branches.
- Crafts, theatre and author visits during the school holidays, often with advance booking.
- Books in other languages. Stockholm's city library has children's books in many languages, and you can order books from other branches to your local one.
- A library card from babyhood. With an adult's signature. Having a card of their own means something to a five-year-old.
- Homework help for school children at some branches, run by volunteers. More in Homework help at home.
Which library for which child?
| Library | Where | Best for |
|---|---|---|
| Rum för Barn, Kulturhuset | Sergels torg | The biggest children's library, play, books and a workshop for children up to ten, often full at weekends |
| TioTretton, Kulturhuset | Sergels torg | Only for children aged ten to thirteen, no adults, a world of their own |
| Stadsbiblioteket | Odenplan | Children's section inside the building, worth a visit for the building alone |
| Kungsholmens bibliotek | Kungsholmen | Children's section and programme, home to Internationella biblioteket (the international library) |
| Medborgarplatsens bibliotek | Södermalm | Large, central, children's section |
| The local district branches | Across the city | The one nearby, the one you go to every week. This is where the habit is built |
What suits which age
With a baby under one, baby singing is the point, and the play corner where your child can crawl on a rug that is not yours. A child between one and three wants the play corner and the board books in the boxes on the floor: let them pull them out and choose, that is the whole experience. From three, story time becomes fun, and the child can start looking for books about whatever they love right now: fire engines, dinosaurs, a particular character. From five the child chooses and borrows on their own card. School children need a library they can go to alone, and TioTretton at Kulturhuset is built for exactly that. More on what suits which age in Swedish children's books by age.
What a library visit looks like
- Leave the pram and the coats where the library tells you. A two-year-old in a snowsuit indoors is a two-year-old who is screaming within ten minutes.
- The play corner first. The child lands, you sit on the floor.
- Story time if it is on. Sit at the back with children under three, so you can slip out without disturbing anyone.
- Choose books. Three to five per child. The child chooses two, you choose the rest. At least one the child would not have picked themselves.
- Borrow on the child's card. Let the child press the buttons on the self-service machine. It takes twice as long and is worth it.
- Go home and read one straight away. Otherwise the books sit in the bag until they are due back.
School holidays, when the library is at its best
During höstlov (the autumn break), sportlov (the February school break) and the summer holidays, the libraries fill the programme with things that otherwise cost money: crafts, theatre, film screenings, workshops, sometimes authors reading aloud. Most of it is free but needs booking, and the places run out. Look at the programme a week before the break and sign up for the days you can make. For a family with a nanny during the holidays it is a way to fill two mornings a week without planning anything yourselves. In summer many branches also run reading challenges for school children, where the child gets something for every book read. More on the holidays in Sportlov in Stockholm with kids and Autumn break in Stockholm with kids.
Making reading stick
Children who get to go to the library every week read more, not because the library is magic but because there are always new books at home. A fixed day, the same branch, the same nanny: it is the habit that makes the difference. Keep the books where the child can reach them, read one at bedtime and return them on time so it never becomes a chore. More on how to read with children of different ages in Reading to children.
When it does not work
A child who runs and shouts in the library is not a bad child, it is a child who is in the wrong gear for the moment. Go out, walk round the block, go back in. If it is not working that day, borrow one book and go home. The librarians have seen it all. What does not work, on the other hand, is sitting on your phone while the child is in the play corner: children at the library need an adult who reads with them, otherwise it is just a room with cushions.
How it works with our families
Sanna has a four-year-old in Hägersten on Mondays and Thursdays, and Thursday is library day. They go straight from förskola, leave the pram by the entrance and sit in the play corner for a quarter of an hour before the boy heads for the shelf with the animal books. He gets to choose three, Sanna chooses one she thinks he will like but would not have picked himself. They borrow on his own card, he presses the buttons. On the way home they talk about which one to read first. On the note to the parents: four books borrowed, due back in four weeks, receipt in the bag, the one about the whale is the favourite.
Our nannies are out and about with the children in Stockholm every week: parks, libraries, swimming pools and playgrounds. Would you like someone to take the afternoons? Book a free first meeting with the nanny in your home.
Read more: Reading to children · Swedish children's books by age · Rainy days in Stockholm with kids · FAQ
Frequently asked questions
Are the children's library activities free?
Yes, practically everything at Stockholm city library's branches is free: story time, baby singing, play corners, holiday crafts and the library card. Some popular activities need advance booking or a ticket collected beforehand. Check the library's programme on their website, as it changes every month.
From what age can you take a child to the library?
From a few months old. Many branches have baby singing or a baby café for children under one, and the play corners suit crawling babies. Picture books with thick pages are in boxes on the floor. A child can get a library card as a baby, with an adult's signature.
How long can a child manage at the library?
An hour is about right for preschool children: half an hour in the play corner or at story time, half an hour choosing books and borrowing. Children under two often only manage half an hour. School children can stay longer if they get to choose for themselves, and the library is a good place for homework from around age ten.
What happens if my child damages a book?
Talk to the staff, they are used to it. Often there is a small charge or nothing at all. It is no reason not to borrow. Children's books are made to be worn out, and a baby chewing on a board book is exactly what the libraries expect.