Abbott Library offers free April vacation programs for children in Sunapee

Families looking to stretch April vacation without paying for camp, travel, or extra childcare will have three free options at Abbott Library in Sunapee. The library posted its youth schedule on April 24, with programs set for Monday, April 27, Tuesday, April 28, and Wednesday, April 29.

The week opens with Sensory Storytime on Monday at 10:30 a.m. in the Activities Room. Abbott Library describes it as a calm, yoga-based storytime for preschoolers to practice fine motor skills, and the event runs from 10:30 to 11:30 a.m. The program is also part of the library’s recurring calendar, which shows Sensory Storytime offered every other Monday.

On Tuesday at 2 p.m., the library will host Imagination Builders, a LEGO-based program designed to let children build whatever they can imagine. The library says children can create something and have it displayed in the building, giving the activity a built-in payoff beyond the hour spent at the table. Wednesday brings Storytime with Miss Molly at 10 a.m., a regular weekly program that includes books, songs and a craft.

The practical value is obvious for Sunapee and nearby Sullivan County families: the schedule offers a morning option, an afternoon option and another morning option, all in one place and all free. That matters during school vacation week, when parents often need structured plans that do not require driving out of town or paying for a full-day program. Abbott Library is at 11 Soonipi Circle in Sunapee, and its mission is to provide free and open access to materials, services and programming. The library’s listed phone number is 603-763-5513.

The vacation lineup also fits into a longer local story. Sunapee’s first public library dates to 1892, and the current Abbott Library opened on June 1, 1926. The building was funded in part by Martha H. Abbott, whose will directed 60% of her estate to build the library in memory of her husband, Almeron Abbott. What began as a $12,000 library with 6,500 volumes has grown into a much larger operation; LibraryTechnology.org lists the collection at 30,905 volumes and annual circulation at 53,603 items.

Jeff Cabral was announced as Abbott Library’s director in March 2025. With free vacation programming now built into the schedule, the library remains one of Sunapee’s most practical in-town resources for families trying to make school break work on a budget.