Kids
School holiday activities
During the winter school holiday break our libraries are hosting some fun activities for kids to do! Take a look at the details below and get in touch with your local library for more information.
Taupō Library
Plunket craft activities for kids
The team at Taupō Plunket are running four craft activities sessions at Taupō Library over the school holidays.
Winter holiday craft activities poster (PDF, 3MB)
Go to the Taupō Plunket Facebook page for more event details and updates.
Donovan Bixley Marvellous Maui Day
Friday July 17, 10am – 11.30am
Maui Day poster (PDF, 3MB)
Turangi Library
Daily movies
Monday to Friday, starting at 11am
Hells Pizza Reading Challenge
Every day
Magic Show with Magician Magic Matt
Thursday July 16, 11am – 12pm
The libraries also have self-paced activities children can do including Matariki colouring in and more!
eBooks and eAudioBooks for kids
TumbleBooks for kids
The TumbleBook Library is a curated database of children’s e-books. It’s a great resource for tech-savvy kids and teaches them the joy of reading in a format they’ll love.
TumbleBookLibrary has over 1100 titles for kids, including our unique animated, talking picture books, read-along chapter books, National Geographic videos, non-fiction books, graphic novels, playlists, and books in Spanish and French.
TumbleMaths for kids
TumbleMath is your one stop destination for engaging and entertaining math stories. TumbleMath has the most comprehensive collection of math stories available anywhere - all in our world famous TumbleBook format which combines animation, narration, and sound to create a compelling and enticing story book for kids of all ages.
The books are all accompanied by supplementary materials such as lesson plans, educational games, plus quizzes in order to test and track progress.
More eBooks and eAudiobooks for kids
Wheelers ePlatform and AudioBookCloud also have eBooks and eAudiobooks for kids.
Visit our eBooks and eAudio page for more information.
Matariki resources and activities
Matariki is a star cluster which appears in the night sky during the middle of winter and signals the Māori New Year.
Take a look at some of our favourite Matariki resources here:
Te Papa Matariki activity book
Christchurch City Libraries Matariki resources
Summer reading programme
It is well recognised that children's reading levels can slip over the summer break. To help combat this, our libraries in Taupō, Turangi and Mangakino offer fun reading programmes over the summer holidays with great reading incentives and a fantastic finale.
This free, incentives-based programme is suitable for children 5-11 years of age.
Look out for more information closer to the summer holidays!
Toddler Time - Taupo Library
Stories, rhymes, crafts, songs and fun! Feel free to come along - share a story, get crafty and move those happy feet.
Where: Taupo Library
When: Every Wednesday at 10.30am (outside of summer school holidays)
Cost: Free
Tiny Toes - Turangi Library
Join us on Tuesday mornings at 11am for our toddler sessions, helping toddlers build literacy skills through song, stories, movement and games.
Where: Turangi Library
When: Every Tuesday at 11am (outside of school holidays only) - cancelled until further notice
Cost: Free
No bookings required. A parent or caregiver must stay with each child throughout the session.
Fun and games
There are some great e-resources for kids online. Have a look at some of the favourites below.
Friv - Games, games, games! So many to choose from and they are all free.
Poptropica - Interactive learning games, online books and comics.
Busterville - Created by the New Zealand Police, Buster is a police dog in Busterville, a safe and fun environment for kids. In Busterville you can do puzzles, colour in and answer questions about when to call 111 all in a fun, encouraging and interactive environment.
Dr Seuss - Jam packed with books, videos, games and activities Dr Seuss online is a fantastic resource for parents and children alike. Re-read your favourite stories learn more about the author or create your own Who!
Sesame Street - Fantastic list of activities and fun for kids from literacy and reading to numbers, thinking skills and science. Learn while having fun with your favourite Sesame Street characters.
Lego online - Who didn't grow up with Lego? Now you can play online, build and share your creations with others online, learn and explore creations made by other people.
Geronimo Stilton World - Explore New Mouse City and take part in an adventure with Geronimo, Thea, Trap and Benjamin.
BBC for Children - Create, watch or play, lots to do on the BBC page with a changing and dynamic focus each week. Learn about different animals or share your favourites. BBC Children's pages offer lots to keep kids learning.
ABC Ya! - ABC Ya! is a site that mixes education fun and technology part of a new movement towards making learning fun. With all sorts of fun games from making your own word search to typing games and treasure hunts.
Dyslexia-friendly books
Taupo Library has a collection of dyslexia-friendly books!
For those who struggle with words, reading is not always fun, and it's easy to lose heart and stop trying. These books are designed to appeal to young people who have dyslexia or are reluctant to read and help them develop a love of reading.
We encourage all kids to explore the collection and suggest dyslexia-friendly books for us to buy!
To find out more about the books see this information booklet from publisher Barrington-Stoke.
Kids Crazy Good Reads
We have counted the votes of hundreds of local children and created a list of the most popular and loved books across our district.
Taupo District Libraries presents to you the Top 50 Kids' Crazy Good Reads!
Thanks to everyone who voted for their favourite books. From cheese loving mice to smart sheep to wimpy kids there is something for everyone.
Homework help
Homework help websites
Any Questions - Any Questions is a site where you can ask a librarian any questions using online chat.
Te Ara - Encyclopedia of New Zealand - A comprehensive look at New Zealand people, history, cultures and environment.
