Episode 1: Today's toy library - more than just toys | The Toy Library Effect Podcast
- 5 hours ago
- 8 min read
What does a modern toy library look like? In the first episode of The Toy Library Effect Podcast, Louise Bell and Renae Barker share how toy libraries support children's development, strengthen communities and give families affordable access to quality toys, connection and play.
Listen now:
In this episode
What a modern toy library is and how it works
Why toy libraries are about much more than borrowing toys
How toy libraries support children's learning, development and family wellbeing
The benefits of borrowing toys for families, communities and the environment
How toy libraries create welcoming spaces where families can connect and belong
Episode overview
Many Australians have never heard of a toy library, despite them supporting families for more than 50 years. This opening episode introduces listeners to the modern toy library and explores how these community spaces provide affordable access to high-quality toys while helping families save money, reduce waste and connect with others.
Louise Bell and Rene Barker explain how toy libraries have evolved beyond simply lending toys to become welcoming community hubs that support children's development, encourage sustainable play and strengthen local communities.
The episode also highlights the growing opportunity for allied health professionals to work alongside toy libraries to better support families.
Meet our guests
Penny Johnston
Podcast host
Penny Johnston is an experienced Australian broadcaster and podcast host, best known for her work with ABC Radio and the Babytalk podcast. In The Toy Library Effect, she speaks with families, toy library leaders and child development professionals about the power of play, connection and community.
Louise Bell
National Development Manager,
Toy Libraries Australia
Louise Bell is National Development Manager at Toy Libraries Australia. She is passionate about play, families and strengthening communities by helping more people discover and access their local toy library.
Rene Barker
Chair, Toy Libraries Australia board
Renae Barker is Chair of the Toy Libraries Australia Board and President of Cockburn Toy Library in Western Australia. She is a passionate advocate for play, community and making toy libraries accessible to more families.
Transcript
Episode 1: Today's toy library - more than just toys
"Welcome to the Toy Library Effect podcast, brought to you by Toy Libraries Australia. My name is Penny Johnston and I'm your host for this series of five episodes. In this series, we're exploring how toy libraries support children's development, strengthen communities, and work alongside families and professionals to make play more accessible."
"When you hear the words toy library, what comes to mind?"
"For many people, the answer is simple they've never heard of one. Yet toy libraries have been quietly supporting families for decades. Today, we're exploring what a modern toy library actually is. What you'll find when you walk through the door, and why so many families say they're about much more than toys."
"In this episode, we'll meet two people from the world of toy libraries. "
"Louise Bell, a member of the Toy Libraries Australia leadership team, and Renae Barker, the current chair of the Toy Libraries Australia Board. I started by asking Louise what kinds of experiences or benefits might surprise people who haven't spent time in a toy library?"
“Our main issue in Toy Libraries Australia is actually people not even knowing the word toy library or that the concept exists. So, they have existed in Australia for over 50 years. So, we're definitely out there and have been just doing our thing quietly in the background in communities for a long time. A toy library is similar to a book library in that someone can borrow a resource, a toy, and take it home, use it at home, and then give it a wipe down, bring it back and repeat, borrow again and carry on. What the toy library itself is, is a grassroots community space, so it's a space that is welcoming and where you can belong as a community member. And where pretty typically there's a friendly face to greet you when you walk in.”
"The concept is simple borrow instead of buy. But Renae explains each toy library is unique to its local setting."
“Every toy library is different, and they really often reflect the community they serve. They can be a simple cupboard in a community hall with a small selection of toys, but they can also be entire rooms, like an Aladdin's cave, full of toys that range from everything from your Batman and your most popular character toys of the moment, through to open ended wooden, Steiner and Montessori inspired toys. It really runs the full gamut.”
"So, what actually happens when you walk into a toy library?"
“When someone walks into a toy library, they will find a range of resources that suit their children or children that are in their care. The toys, they have to be toy library tough. So that means that they’re quality, because the toys that a toy library purchases for loan, we need to select those toys so that they'll last for many borrowings. They can come and go from many, many homes. So, they are quality, what we are purchasing for our toy libraries. It's those beginner play resources that we love, the cause and effect, the ones that we can really use for early skills, really foundational skills. Many toy libraries will have a great collection of games and puzzles, which are also super important for like early games are really important for our early communication and social learning. Those are definitely available in most libraries. Trucks and vehicles, and lots of pretend and symbolic games and sets. So, what's the most popular toy in your toy library? It's often the ice cream cart, so super cute, lots of ice creams being doled out by little people to the big people in their lives across Australia, thanks to toy libraries.”
“Core toy library business is sort of six-month-old babies through to three-year-olds, maybe up to five once the kids go to school. But actually, toy libraries serve both ends as well and even into teenage years and adult. For the little tiny babies, there are play mats, there are flashcards, there are little tiny grasping rattles, things like that. So, you can start to play with your baby while you're still getting to know them yourself and getting to know yourself as a parent. My boys are eight and ten, and they are still borrowing from the toy library every two weeks we are there. They love the puzzles, they love the games, they also actually still love the play character toys that you think about for five-year-olds. You can come in and if your little boy wants to borrow a doll and a truck and a Lego set, he can. And if your little girl wants to borrow a ball set and a kitchen set and a construction set, she can. And if you want to borrow a set of toys that represent your family, you can."
“The other thing I really find is most toy library communities are really responsive to their members. So, if you come in and say, look, you know, we'd love some dolls or some play toys that represent our family, talk to them about that.”
"For many families, the value goes far beyond borrowing toys. "
“Everyone at Toy Libraries Australia just want more people to be able to access a quality toy library. It's really simple. The reason for that is both personal, for all of us that have been involved in toy libraries, and also because we are consistently hearing from families who are members of toy libraries, the absolute benefits that it brings to them. That it is supporting them during these tough times in terms of cost of living, they are saving money from being part of a toy library. They are feeling more confident in their parenting. But also, we're really hearing that consistently through the surveys and the work that we're doing to understand the benefits for members nationally, the joy that happens at home because there's more play at home and there's more child parent interaction in the play at home. It also really supports the rights of the child, in that children can come in and select and choose the toys and their voice is heard.”
“So, a toy library provides those resources to support development. Really importantly, it supports the whole family system.”
“We're hearing that many families join for the toys, but they stay for the connections.”
“Borrowing is the obvious, but from a family joining the toy library, you come in and you get to interact with other families who are there at the same time. Many toy libraries offer things like play and stay sessions, where you come in and play with the toys alongside other families. Many toy libraries operate where members volunteer as part of their membership to keep the membership fees low and affordable for families. If you come in often, you can bring your kids and you're volunteering alongside other families.”
“Toy libraries also offer something increasingly important for families - a more sustainable way to play.”
“Rather than buying all the toys, you return them all the time. So, like a book library, that means that you are not buying one item and it's played with by one or two children. One toy might be played with by dozens and dozens of children in the one year. And so, in that way, they are part of that circular economy.”
“Toy libraries really attracts people that have got a bit of interest in reducing their environmental footprint. That environmental piece is really important for so many people in our toy library community.”
“And what about introducing allied health clinicians to the world of toy libraries?”
“We want every clinician across Australia to jump on our website and find their local toy library or just as importantly, if you're working across a metropolitan area, find the toy library that's closest to the families you're working with. Find their toy library and then just give them a call. Our toy libraries are really excited, typically to see allied health professionals. They might choose your ear off about what toys would you like us to collect? We've got a grant in, which ones would you like us to buy? Because our toy libraries, they want to do better…they really…they will probably pick your brain, and you'll probably actually get to choose the toys that go into the toy library next time they have a grant. So, we just really encourage allied health professionals, all people who are professionals, working with young children, to just reach out and say g’day to their local toy library.”
“We've heard that toy libraries are places where families can borrow toys, reduce waste, save money, meet other families, and support their children's learning through play. But perhaps most importantly, they’re places where people belong. We'll leave the final word to Louise."
“A toy library is a place where people can go and be themselves, and access resources that they need during this really, really super important period of our lives as parents and for our children and any other caring role. Whenever I talk to anyone about toy libraries, I've never had anyone go, that's a rubbish idea. Everyone I speak to goes, that's so great. That's an amazing idea. Yeah, it is. I want everyone to know about it.”
"To find your nearest toy library. Visit the Toy Libraries Australia website. This podcast series was made possible through funding from the Australian Government Department of Health, Disability and Aging."
