School-Age Programming

School-Age Programs: The Why

You may notice some big changes between your early childhood and school-age patrons, especially as the older kids in this age group start to experience the beginning of puberty. As interests, behaviors, and perspectives may start to drastically change for kids in this age group, it is vital that the library pivots seamlessly to continue providing high-quality services and programs during this time. Not only can this help with children’s process of development and self-discovery, but it can also keep your patrons fully engaged as they move through different stages in life, thereby preventing those long gaps of time where people stop coming to the library.

Additionally, school-age children are in a wonderful time of exploration, curiosity, and learning, and as they are starting to mature emotionally and physically, you can take this time to experiment with your library programming and see what topics and activities excite them.

Creating and Implementing Programs

Here are some ideas for common types of school-age programming you can consider:

• Gaming groups (Dungeons and Dragons, board games, video games)
• LEGO clubs
• Coding groups
• Book clubs/discussion groups
• Art/creative writing groups
• HOMAGO: “Hanging Out, Messing Around, Geeking Out” spaces for intentional unstructured interaction for school-age youth.

While the programs above are fairly common in libraries around the country, you may find that your school-age patrons have different tastes, and want different kinds of programming. In some cases, you might find yourself trying many different ideas before you find something that really appeals and sticks. Try not to get too discouraged if something doesn’t work out, or if there doesn’t seem to be too much interest. This is a common part of the planning process, and will give you feedback on other directions to go in!

Please refer to the workbook for a reflection activity on programming.

Promoting Programs

Program promotion for this age group might be a little different compared to early childhood, as you can start directly appealing to the kids themselves to decide if they want to participate or not. Especially with the older kids in this age group, many are starting to make decisions on their schedules, and how they want to spend their time, so you can direct promotion at them and share information in places and locations where they are. However, it is still a good idea to promote to families and adults, as many of them might see a program, and suggest it to their kids. Some suggestions for program promotion:

• Posters/flyers in the library
• Posters/flyers in public places (grocery store, gym, community center, etc)
• Schools/after school programs