Play & Learn

Play & Learn

Our Youth Services staff is thrilled to welcome you to our department.

 

What You'll Find Here:

 

Play Area

Reading Zoo

Join the fun with toy trucks, blocks, a magnetic board and lots of other toys along with our Reading Zoo, a special kid-sized room.

 

 

Games & Puzzles

game boxes

Play board and card games or put together puzzles for toddlers, preschoolers and elementary-aged children. 

Computers

Kid at Computer

We offer internet computers for children aged 5-12 and their parents along with our Early Learning Stations loaded with games for the younger children.

 

 

 

 

Sensory Station

Kid Reading

Find weighted lap pads, noise-cancelling earmuffs, fidgets and other sensory tools.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Virtual Tour

Take a trip through our department with our Visual Guide to TCPL.

 

Upcoming Events

Sit! Stay! Read!

3:00pm - 4:00pm
Library Branch: Tompkins County Public Library
Room: Thaler/Howell Programming Room
Age Group: Kids
Program Type: Classes and Workshops, Other
About this event::
Children are invited to practice their reading skills by sharing a story with a truly non-judgmental listener -- a dog! Reading sessions will be held Mondays from 3-4 p.m. Children who attend 6 sessions will earn a FREE book of their choice! Co-sp...

Playtime with the Finger Lakes Toy Library

11:00am - 12:00pm
Library Branch: Tompkins County Public Library
Room: Thaler/Howell Programming Room
Age Group: Babies, Toddlers, & Preschoolers
Program Type: Classes and Workshops
About this event::
Build literacy through play!  Families with young children are invited to come play with an assortment of toys appropriate for infants and toddlers. The Finger Lakes Toy Library is a nonprofit organization dedicated to increasing access to toys ...

TCPL Robotics Club: Time Attack Racing

4:00pm - 5:00pm
Library Branch: Tompkins County Public Library
Room: Makerspace
Age Group: Families, Kids, Teens
Program Type: STEAM
About this event::
TCPL is inviting families and youth ages 8 - 19 to weekly autonomous robot time attack racing! Every Tuesday TCPL will have new track where participants will be challenged to set the best lap time. The are three categories of robot cars to choose ...

LEGO Build Night for Families

5:30pm - 6:30pm
Library Branch: Tompkins County Public Library
Room: Thaler/Howell Programming Room
Age Group: Families, Kids
Program Type: STEAM, Other
About this event::
TCPL invites families to a weekly LEGO build night! Buckets of LEGO will be provided for participants to borrow for their builds. Participants will also have the opportunity to display their creations in the Youth Services section for one week. ...

Award Winners Book Club

1:30pm - 2:30pm
Open
Registration
Library Branch: Tompkins County Public Library
Room: Thaler/Howell Programming Room
Age Group: Kids, Teens
Program Type: Arts & Crafts, Book Clubs, Classes and Workshops, STEAM
Registration Required
Seats Remaining: 12
About this event::
Kids ages 9-13 are welcome to join this bi-monthly, in person book club that focuses on award winning books and authors! Each participant will receive a copy of the selected award winning book to keep and read in advance of our meeting. We will then ...

Autumn Baby Storytime

10:30am - 11:00am
Open
Registration
Library Branch: Tompkins County Public Library
Room: Thaler/Howell Programming Room
Age Group: Babies, Toddlers, & Preschoolers
Program Type: Storytimes
Registration Required
Seats Remaining: 57
About this event::
Caregivers and their babies are invited to join Cassie for music, rhymes, movement and books.  After storytime, we'll bring out toys for a playtime.  To receive a weekly email with the songs & rhymes each week, contact Cassie at cs...

Fall Family Storytime

11:00am - 11:30am
Open
Registration
Library Branch: Tompkins County Public Library
Room: Thaler/Howell Programming Room
Age Group: Families, Babies, Toddlers, & Preschoolers, Kids
Program Type: Storytimes
Registration Required
Seats Remaining: 57
About this event::
Children and their caregivers are invited for stories, songs, rhymes, and play to help build early literacy skills, on Saturdays at 11:00, 10/7 through 12/16 except 11/25 in the Thaler/Howell Room Registration is not required. If yo...

Families Learning Science Together

2:00pm - 3:00pm
Library Branch: Tompkins County Public Library
Room: Thaler/Howell Programming Room
Age Group: Families, Kids
Program Type: STEAM
About this event::
Children ages 5 and up and their families are invited to a free science program co-hosted by Chemists for Outreach and Graduate Inclusion (CoRGi) at Cornell University.  Please reserve your spot by contacting Julianna Koehl by email at ...