reading for kids

The Gateway to Reading program is a parent-child workshop that focuses on strengthening reading skills while engaging in fun, literacy-based activities. Participants will receive a free toolkit of materials to help children in their reading journey.

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Clifford and Bluey Extravaganza

Spend time at the library with your favorite furry characters: Clifford the Big Red Dog and Bluey! Kids can enjoy stories, crafts and a scavenger hunt to find Clifford and Bluey in the stacks!

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Tale Waggers: Read to a Dog

Kids can increase their confidence and reading skills while reading to an adorable, attentive dog in this program sponsored by Love on a Leash.

Bring your own book or choose one at the library and read for 10 minutes to one of the dogs from Love on a Leash. Reading to dogs is a positive and non-threatening way to build confidence in reading. For ages 5-12.

6:30 to 7:30 p.m. at the McClay Branch of the St. Charles County Library. Free.

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Things to Do

Museum Babies Storytelling

Bring your babies and toddlers to this free story time at the Missouri History Museum.

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Storytelling in the Museum from the Missouri History Museum

Storytelling in the Museum is an in-person storytelling event happening at 10:30 a.m. at the Missouri History Museum. This event, perfect for the preschool set, features engaging stories with themes like Shapes, Black Music Month, STEAM, Juneteenth, The River, and more.

Storytelling in the Museum is free.

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Baby Art Crawl

Tuesday, August 25, 2026

Your baby can paint and scribble with other babies and create a big fun mess at the Baby Art Crawl. This free, one-hour event is sponsored by the St. Louis County Library.

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Music & Movement

Wednesday, August 26, 2026

Friday, August 28, 2026

Explore songs, finger plays, music and more during this free Music & Movement class for ages 0-6.

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Preschool Science Series at the Saint Louis Science Center

The Preschool Science Series is an open exploration learning lab for young scientists, ages 18 months to 5 years and their families. Activities are designed around research that shows children learn best through play, inquiry and shared experiences with their parents and caregivers.

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Popular Stories

Dinoroarus Comes Roaring Back at the Saint Louis Zoo

The Dinoroarus exhibit brings prehistoric fun back to the Saint Louis Zoo this summer with 20 lifelike dinosaur animatronics and sculptures on the Zoo's Historic Hill.

Get Ready to Climb and Explore at These Free Big Truck Days

If your kids love to explore big trucks and vehicles, these upcoming Big Truck Days are a perfect weekend or weeknight outing. They'll get to climb on and explore fire trucks, police vehicles, bulldozers, bucket trucks, ambulances and lots more.

Travel Back in Time Every Friday at the Missouri History Museum’s Free Summer Family Fun Series

There comes a point every summer when all that “free time” isn’t so fun anymore. Your kids are bouncing off the walls, it’s too hot to hit the playground, and every activity seems to come with a big price tag. That’s when the screens come out, and parents find themselves counting down the minutes to bedtime. Thankfully, when Friday rolls around each week, your family can experience a mini summer getaway through history – no travel required.

City Museum's Stuff the Bus Campaign Provides School Supplies for 160 St. Louis Schools

Visit City Museum August 3-31, bring school supplies to donate, and get discounted admission! That's the idea behind City Museum's Stuff the Bus campaign.

Your Guide to Free Outdoor Family Movies this Summer

Seeing a movie at the theater is a magical experience, but when summer rolls around, it’s time to get outside and enjoy free movies under the stars! Free family movie nights abound across the St. Louis area, so grab your kids, a blanket or lawn chairs, and get ready for some cinematic fun. Here's where to find them:

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Make the most of the rest of summer at Upper Limits Rock Climbing Summer Camp! Our 5-day camps run Monday through Friday and are packed with climbing, games, water days, challenges, and new friendships. Choose the schedule that works best for your family with half-day and full-day camp options available. We're conveniently located in Maryland Heights and Chesterfield, making it easy to find an adventure near you! Save $10 on camp registration with promo code CLIMBINGCAMP2026. Come spend the rest of your summer reaching new heights at Upper Limits! LEARN MORE

Great Rivers Greenway has teamed up with the Saint Louis Zoo for the fifth annual free greenway scavenger hunt. Community members are invited to look for the many varieties of native bees that you can see buzzing around greenways and search for special hidden souvenirs you can take home! Starting August 1, BEE on the lookout for hand-painted bee rocks along all 140+ miles of greenways. Saint Louis Zoo ALIVE (Active Leaders in Volunteer Education) teen volunteers hand-painted hundreds of rocks like three different species of bees found along the greenways: American bumblebee, brown-belted bumblebee and two-spotted bumblebee, plus a few of the endangered rusty patched bumblebee. If you find a painted rock, you can take it with you. Be sure to log your rock at www.GreenwayQuest.com for a chance to win prizes from both organizations, including Saint Louis Zoo Adventure Passes! Rocks are along edges of greenways or at trailheads, never far away from the path and never on private property. LEARN MORE AND GET STARTED!

See the Purina Incredible Dog Team perform extraordinary feats of athleticism and skill right here in St. Louis at Union Station this summer! Featuring some of the most talented canines in the country, the Purina Incredible Dog Team consists of more than 20 remarkably gifted dogs and two trainers who entertain audiences with extraordinary feats of athleticism and skill. Spectators can watch the team demonstrate a variety of canine sports while dogs of different breeds fly through the air to catch a flying disc, leap over a high jump, and maneuver through a series of obstacles in an agility course. Free performances are happening Thursdays through Sundays at 11 a.m. and 1 p.m. at Union Station's Performance Plaza in front of the St. Louis Wheel. Learn more at purina.com/purinafarms.

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