Barnes and Noble locations offer a free, weekly story time. Many of the events include a craft that coordinates with the weekly story. Enter your zip code in the store locator to find your nearest store and story times.
Over the summer, kids can also earn a free book when they read 8 books and record them on their Barnes and Noble Reading Log.
Visit your local Jacksonville Public Library for weekly story time events as well as plenty of fun and resources for the entire family.
The Pottery Barn Kids store, located at the St. Johns Town Center offers a story time on Tuesdays from 11-11:30am.
UNF offers a five week reading enrichment programs for all age groups starting at 4 years old through high school/adults. Each session is customized for age-appropriate learning and is taught by teachers from the Institute of Reading Development, a recognized leader in reading curriculum design and instruction since 1970. The Institute provides reading development programs for more than 125 colleges and universities around the country.
Institute teachers are lifelong readers, dedicated to sharing the academic and personal rewards of reading. They are selected from a large pool of qualified applicants, and complete an intensive training program that takes more than 150 hours. Click on the website for details on the individual programs.
Involved parents, properly equipped, can provide a bright start for their child. Nemours BrightStart! offers tools, resources, services and training that aim to do just that. Our goals include helping parents understand early literacy development and offering support to parents as they help their child build the necessary skills for reading success.
Preparing your child for future reading success is less about giant leaps and more about the simple things you can do every day — such as fostering a positive learning environment at home, taking time out to read with your child, and keeping an eye out for the warning signs of reading failure.
The Duval County Library offers Traveling Tales Kits available for check out from the Main Library in downtown Jacksonville for free. The kits include books, puppets, songs, craft ideas, snack recipes, a music CD, a DVD, and a flannel board story all related to a theme. This is the perfect way to have story time in your own home, or with your playgroup. You must visit the Main Library to check out the kits, but they can be returned to any Duval County Library.
Time for Tots
Special Story time for your infants and toddlers birth to 4 yrs. of age.
Time for Tots is a special interactive story time designed for children Infant to 4 yrs. of age and their families/caregivers to enhance emergent literacy skills and instill a lifelong love of reading and learning.
This is an interactive program encouraging parent/caregiver participation with child.
Check website for branch locations, dates, & times.
Visit one of the multiple library locations in Clay County for story time.
Green Cove Springs, Fleming Island, Keystone Heights, Middleburg, & Orange Park
Please check website for times & locations
Mermaid Kelly travels around Duval and Nassau County for Birthday Parties, Events or Festivals, Story Times, and more! She has two tail options and two character options, Mermaid Kelly with a red tail, Mermaid Kelly with a Green tail, Princess Ariel, and Princess Melody. If you need extra information or have any questions, feel free to contact her and visit her Facebook page!
North Florida Speech & Reading Specialists offers evaluations and treatments for a variety of speech and language impairments, including dyslexia.
We have specialized training in the diagnosis and treatment of reading disorders. We offer 1:1 individualized sessions, using a multi sensory approach, provided by our speech-language pathologists. We teach pre-reading skills, phonological awareness, phonemic awareness, reading, spelling, and comprehension.
Get in touch with us to set up a free phone consultation, or use the contact form at the bottom of this page to inquire whether our services are right for you.
In order to join the Pawsitive Reading program, children AND at least one parent/guardian must first attend a one-time Pawsitive Reading orientation. We offer several orientations each month. Upcoming orientation dates and sign-up links are below. Advance registration is required.
Please note: We are unable to offer Pawsitive Reading orientations in June and July due to JHS Summer Camp.
Orientations will take place in either the JHS Education Center or Conference Room (both are located upstairs, above the Adoption Center). Our address is 8464 Beach Blvd. Please arrive on time. The orientation will be around 40 minutes in length.
After attending an orientation, children and an adult chaperone may come to JHS to read to the animals anytime our Adoption Center is open (12pm-7pm on weekdays, 10am-5pm on weekends). Participants must sign in and out at the front desk when visiting JHS to read.
To ensure that our animals benefit from the program, we ask that readers spend at least 30 minutes reading – there is no maximum time limit.
Children may read to either dogs or cats and may bring their reading materials or borrow books from our Pawsitive Reading library.
Participants will receive a free book courtesy of The Jim Moran Foundation while supplies are available.
Anchored Reading focuses on developing pre-literacy skills, supporting students with learning disabilities, and improving literacy skills for all young readers through individualized, virtual instruction and intervention with a licensed reading specialist.