Bringing your children to the library is one of the greatest joys of parenting. There is always something to discover! Most libraries have dedicated children’s librarians who can help you choose appropriate books for your child.
A visit to the library can be made even more magical with the addition of thoughtfully curated and designed play spaces your children will love. Read on for information about libraries across the Denver area with indoor play spaces designed to delight, encourage imaginative play, and support early literacy.
Public Libraries with Fun Play Areas
Denver Public Library
Central Library Branch
Add a stop to your visit downtown to Denver Public Library’s Central Branch’s recently reimagined Children’s Library. The new 10,000 square foot space was designed to meet the developmental needs of children from birth through fifth grade. Highlights include a project room for hands on creating and low bookshelves with crawl spaces and nooks and crannies for kids to explore. The dedicated infant space creates a haven for younger children and their parents to play; there are rock climbing holds in the shape of alphabet letters and it’s stocked with developmentally appropriate toys.
Green Valley Ranch Library
This branch is known for its airplane cockpit located in the middle of the children’s area. Kids are can try on their wings and be a pilot for the day. The cockpit has real controls and buttons; kids will love the opportunity to simulate a flight between exploring the other features of this library’s play area, like dress up clothes, blocks, and other toys that stimulate the imagination.
Douglas County Public Library
At Douglas County Libraries, several branches feature themed “playscapes.” These interactive spaces offer children opportunities to step into imaginative worlds like a post office (Castle Pines), veterinary clinic (Highlands Ranch), a western-style ranch (Castle Rock), a mission control center (Roxborough), and a bank (Lone Tree). The Parker branch features a pollinator garden where kids can wear a beekeeper suit while they learn about their surrounding ecosystem. Designed primarily for kids ages 2–8, these environments encourage role-playing, exploration, and hands-on discovery.
Bemis Public Library (Littleton)
Located across the street from the Littleton Museum, Bemis Public Library offers a playful and welcoming children’s area centered around a charming indoor treehouse. The space includes a pretend kitchen, puppets, and an upstairs reading nook where kids can climb up and settle in with a book. Young visitors can also explore a magnetic light table, coloring station, puzzles, and games. Outside, families can follow a StoryWalk along the path leading toward the museum, turning a simple walk into an interactive reading adventure.
Jefferson County Public Library
The Edgewater, Belmar and Evergreen branches of Jefferson County Public Library are designated Family Place™ Libraries, specially designed library spaces where young children can learn through play. These play spaces include early-literacy toys, puzzles, building blocks, play kitchens, and other hands-on materials that encourage exploration and imaginative play. Designed for babies, toddlers, and preschoolers, Family Place areas invite kids to move, play, and interact while caregivers browse books and connect with other families. Each branch also hosts play-based programs and parent-child workshops that bring early learning and play together.
Aurora Public Library
All five Aurora Public Library locations have unique children’s play spaces. They offer a variety of play features including play kitchens, train tables, dollhouses, puppet theaters, blocks, magna-tiles, puzzles, and games. All of the play spaces include elements for imaginative play, constructive play, and social play. Toys are changed on a rotating basis, so each visit to the library is unique. In addition to toys and books, children’s areas are stocked with coloring pages, scavenger hunts, and interactive guessing games. Aurora Central Library offers a weekly play-based learning program called Discover Through Play every Friday morning from 10:45-11:30 a.m.
Arapaho Libraries
All branches of Arapahoe Libraries are also Family Place™ Libraries, meaning each location includes a dedicated play area designed for children ages 0–5 and their caregivers. These thoughtfully designed spaces feature developmentally appropriate toys that encourage hands-on learning through building, sensory exploration, imaginative play, and early writing. Kids can explore wooden blocks, puzzles, puppets, sorting toys, and scribble stations, while some branches also offer play kitchens, markets, train tables, and puppet theaters. A few locations include unique features like the sensory play space at Castlewood Library, the café and grocery store pretend-play area at Koelbel Library, and the outdoor play garden at Kelver Library. Many story times and early-learning programs also end with “Learning Through Play,” giving families time to explore these spaces together while building early literacy skills.
Anythink Libraries- Rangeview Library District
At the Anythink Perl Mack branch, the children’s area blends imaginative play with hands-on creativity. The space includes Waldorf-inspired play elements like simple wooden benches, colorful play scarves, child-sized seating, and a cozy dollhouse stocked with felt animals and dolls all encouraging open-ended storytelling and pretend play. Nearby, the library’s E Zone offers STEAM-focused activities where kids can build with oversized Kiva planks and explore rotating hands-on stations such as crafts, light tables, and other creative experiments. Together, these spaces invite children to move fluidly between imaginative play and creative problem-solving during their visit.
