The library’s drop-in Winter Toddler Playgroups start Thursday, January 8 at the Rock Island Downtown Library Children’s Room, 401 19^th Street. The unstructured play time for toddlers and their parents or other caregivers is offered from 10 am to noon every Thursday through February. Besides offering free play time, it’s a great opportunity for parents and caregivers to get out of the house and meet others for mutual support.  

Drop-in storytimes for ages five and under are another opportunity. They’re offered next week on Tuesday, January 13 and Friday, January 16 at 10:30 am at the Watts-Midtown Branch, 2715 30^th Street. Each storytime offers a variety of stories for ages birth to five, songs, and activities to keep toddlers interested. For preschoolers who like to get their hands dirty, there’s Petite Picassos messy art, Wednesday, January 14 at 11 am at the Rock Island Southwest Branch, 9010 Ridgewood Road. 

For something else fun to do inside in winter, mark your calendars for a free Hug-A-Book Play program, Saturday, January 17 from 10 am to noon at the Rock Island Downtown Library. The free early learning event for ages 2 to 5 and their families offers a toddler/preschool friendly obstacle course and other activities to keep kids moving. Children attending also get a free book to take home and a Hug-A-Book bag, courtesy of the Merrill Harris Hug-A-Book memorial through the Rock Island Public Library Foundation. The event is free and open to anyone in the age range.  

For families with school age kids in grades kindergarten through sixth grades, Elementary After School Activities start up again next week. The free drop-in events are offered from 3:30 to 4:30 pm on Tuesdays, January 13, 20, and 27 at the Watts-Midtown Branch, and Thursdays, January 15, 22, and 29 at the Southwest Branch. Activities center around National Hat Day next week, National Penguin Day in the third week of January, and Pony Bead crafts in the last week of the month. 

Parents of school age and teenage kids might want to sign up for a free parent education workshop on “Raising Body Confident Kids.” The event on Thursday, January 15 from 6 pm to 7 pm at the Watts-Midtown Branch offers tools for parents and caregivers from the Be Real project of Robert Young Mental Health Center. The presenters note that social media can negatively affect body image perceptions in youth, and that research ties body image distress to low self-esteem, disordered eating, anxiety, and depression. To sign up for the free event, visit the library website. 

In another event for school ages in grades K-6, the library offers another MagiKids event on how to play the trading card game, Magic the Gathering, Kids can alsotake home their own trading cards to continue playing at home. The event is free and does not require registration. It’s set for Wednesday, January 28 from 3 pm to 4:30 pm at the Watts-Midtown Branch, 2715 30^th Street. 

For teens, there are still a few registration spots open for a Shark Dissection Lab, offered Tuesday, January 20 from 5 pm to 6 pm, now at the Watts-Midtown Branch. Ages 12 to 18 will be dissecting dogfish shark specimens under the direction of science educator Andrea Martinez. To sign up for the free event, visit the library website at www.rockislandlibrary.org. Teens can also join a Teen Advisory Group session from 4 pm to 4:30 pm, and the Teens After Hours gaming and pizza snacks event from 7 pm to 9 pm, both on Friday, January 16 at the Watts-Midtown Branch. Both events are offered on a drop-in basis. 

School ages, teens, and adults can also sign up for a few of the limited spots left in the library’s second “K-Pop Demon Hunters Cat Craft,” Tuesday, January 27, from 5 pm to 6 pm at the Downtown Library, 401 19^th Street. 

For more events at the Rock Island Public Library, including 2026 offerings, visit the library website, call 309-732-READ, or follow the library’s Facebook and Instagram accounts.