Children and Young People’s Library
Our libraries are vibrant spaces designed to inspire curiosity, creativity, and a love of reading among children and young people. Whether you’re looking for exciting books, fun activities, or a safe place to learn and explore, we have something for everyone.
From storytimes and homework help to digital resources and creative workshops, our services are tailored to support learning and development at every stage. We aim to make the library a welcoming environment where young minds can grow, friendships can flourish, and imaginations can run free.
Discover our dedicated spaces for children and teens, packed with books, games, and interactive experiences. Join us for events that celebrate reading, creativity, and community - and let the library be your gateway to endless possibilities.
eBooks and Audiobooks
Listening to audiobooks brings stories to life for children, helping them experience how words on a page can sound and feel. It encourages focused listening, provides a clear model of fluent reading, and supports the development of strong listening skills without interruptions.
When reading eBooks, the “Define Vocabulary” feature is a fantastic tool for building understanding. If you come across a word you’re unsure about, simply use this option to learn its meaning instantly - making reading both fun and educational.
All you need is your Barking and Dagenham Libraries membership to start reading or listening today!
Supporting Parents, Carers and Families
At Barking and Dagenham Libraries, we’re passionate about helping parents, carers, and families share the joy of reading with children from the very earliest days. Reading together regularly - starting in the early years and continuing as they grow - has powerful, life-changing benefits. It builds language skills, sparks imagination, and strengthens bonds that last a lifetime.
BookTrust
BookTrust is the UK’s largest children’s reading charity, dedicated to making reading a part of every childhood. Through a wide range of programmes and support, they help children and families start and continue sharing stories together. Working with thousands of local partners, BookTrust reaches communities across England, Wales, and Northern Ireland to inspire a lifelong love of reading.
BookTrust Additional Needs Packs
BookTrust offers free packs to help families with children aged 0–5 who have additional needs. Alongside the standard Bookstart Baby, Toddler, and Pre-schooler packs, these specialist packs are available:
- Bookstart Shine -for children who are deaf
- Bookstart Touch - for children with a visual impairment
- Bookstart Star - for children with conditions affecting fine motor skills
Please speak to your midwife, health visitor, healthcare professional, or a member of our library staff to find out more about these BookTrust packs.
Learn more about BookTrust and its programmes: https://www.booktrust.org.uk
Oxford Owl eBooks – Free Learning Support
Oxford Owl is a free service designed to support parents and carers with learning at home. Created by the team at Oxford University Press, it offers a wide range of eBooks, activities, and resources for every stage of your child’s learning journey. Whether at home, in the classroom, or beyond, Oxford Owl provides inspiration and practical tools to help children learn, grow, and flourish.
Explore by subject or browse by age group to find the perfect resources for your child.
Visit Oxford Owl: https://www.oxfordowl.co.uk
Cerebra Library
Cerebra offers a specialist postal library with a wide range of books for both adults and children, along with a selection of toys specially chosen for children with brain conditions. This free service is available to anyone in the UK caring for a child with a brain condition and is simple and easy to use.
Find out more and access the service here: https://www.cerebra.org.uk
Online Resources - School Subjects
The resources below have been sourced from Camden Libraries and are not affiliated with Barking and Dagenham Libraries.
BBC Bitesize provides interactive activities mapped against the national curriculum for England, Northern Ireland, Scotland and Wales. Covers early years, primary, secondary and 16+.
During term-time, the BBC is also showing Bitesize and other educational programmes on CBBC (for primary level) and BBC 2 (secondary level).
Seneca has a huge range of online courses and resources covering primary school to 16+.
Learning by Questions is a wide-ranging resource covering English, Maths and Science at primary and secondary levels, plus Geography and History at primary. Designed to be an in-class teaching and learning tool but can be used to deliver question sets to pupils at home.
Children's University of Manchester - a suite of activities and resources covering history, languages, science, art and design and student life.
Quizlet is a website and app that provides learning tools, games and interactive flashcards covering topics on a wide range of subjects and difficulty levels, including GCSE resources for every subject.
BrainPOP - US website, with lots of resources on a range of subjects, both traditional school-based and topical subjects.
Memrise - an interactive programme to learn languages.
Kiddle - kids encyclopaedia to search for facts about homework topics, for homeschooling.
Books and writing stories
Bookfinder - Search thousands of hand-picked book recommendations to find a child’s next favourite read – from astonishing adventures to fantastic facts, our Bookfinder tool will help you discover the very best kids’ books.
Young writers - regular writing competitions for primary and secondary age children.
Art and Crafts
Tate Kids - the Tate Gallery website has quizzes about:
- art
- an online painting programme
- art and craft activities for kids
12 Museums - the Travel and Leisure website links you to virtual tours of 12 museums around the world, including the British Museum and Van Gogh Museum in Amsterdam.
BBC - 50 easy craft ideas for you and the kids under 6
STEM
NASA-JPL – science, engineering, math, technology and much more.
Essential skills, movement and mindfulness
SkillBuilder - home learning - their Home Learning Hub has resources on:
- listening
- speaking
- problem solving
- creativity
- staying positive
- aiming high
- leadership and teamwork.
GoNoodle - movement and mindfulness exercises for kids.