Little Makers Toolkit

Based on the successful Little Makers program at New Hampshire’s Keene Public Library, this toolkit offers insight into running both in-person and virtual maker programming for children, ages 2 to 6, in any library setting, with parents and caregivers playing a key role. We explore why making and tinkering are essential to early childhood development, approaches to program planning, facilitation techniques, and reflection tools.

Throughout, we focus on learning through a playful process, co-learning between adults and children, demystifying STEM, and recognizing parents and caregivers as key participants. Using these principles as a guide, this toolkit provides several models, tools, and lessons learned that you can draw from to develop a program that best fits the needs of your library and community. Rather than provide a step-by-step process, we offer knowledge and examples to help you shape your own custom programming. It’s the maker way!

We hope you find the information we share to be useful and that you have as much fun reading our toolkit as we had putting it together for you!