ReadSG’s 15 minutes and borrowing children’s books at NLB

ReadSG, the movement the National Library Board launched on 6 September 2026, sets a goal for Singaporeans generally: pick up a book for at least 15 minutes a day. Reading that as a caregiver of a baby, toddler or preschooler, the minutes on the page belong to whoever holds the book, so this guide treats the target as a reading habit for the adult rather than a scheme built around a child — our reading of the reporting, not a rule the report sets. ECDA, an early childhood partner, is reported as keen to help families make reading with their little ones a daily habit. ^[1]

This guide separates the two halves. First, what the 15-minute challenge actually involves: a general-population reading goal, with the minutes recorded by the person reading. Second, how a family borrows children's books today, using NLB's own instructions, plus two structured options that carry stated conditions. A worked example sits in the middle, showing one library visit for a two-year-old's caregiver. ^[1]

What ReadSG asks of an adult reader

According to The Straits Times, the ReadSG Challenge runs on the government citizen engagement platform CrowdTask SG and includes personal goal-setting, reading streaks, experience points and redeemable virtual coins. It is being piloted from 6 September to 31 December 2026, with new features and enhancements to be introduced based on feedback. The launch also marked the start of National Reading Month, held every September with reading-related activities for people of all ages at libraries islandwide. ^[1]

NLB said the movement aims to help Singaporeans develop sustainable reading habits through small and achievable steps, beginning with 15 minutes of reading each day. Its chief executive, Melissa Tam, gave the moments as on the bus, before bed or over lunch, and said habits are built through small, consistent actions. ReadSG is supported by more than 40 partners and advocates, including the Early Childhood Development Agency and the Ministry of Education. ^[1]

Getting the account and the books

Everything digital starts with a myLibrary ID. NLB's own user guide says that as long as you are a library member you can sign up, and that signing up takes less than five minutes. You can register online at account.nlb.gov.sg with your SingPass or NRIC/FIN number, from the NLB Mobile app, or at a library's Book Borrowing Stations with your physical NRIC or birth certificate. You key in an email address and mobile number and receive a one-time password. ^[2]

Once you have it, NLB's learning journey guide describes what the app does: browse and register for library programmes, borrow and reserve eBooks and audiobooks, search the catalogue, scan to borrow physical materials, use an electronic library card at borrowing stations, manage your account and renew loans. For collections, the Geylang East Library social story describes a Children's Section on level 1 with children's books in English, Malay, Chinese and Tamil, plus tables and chairs for sitting and reading. ^{[3] [4]}

A worked visit, and what makes it easier

Consider a caregiver of a two-year-old who can spare an hour on Saturday morning. Hypothetically, at Geylang East Library: sign up for a myLibrary ID on the phone at home, walk to the branch, reserve a title found in the catalogue, borrow a different one at a Book Borrowing Station on level 1, and collect the reservation from the lockers at level 1 outside the library on the next visit. Returns can go through the Book Drop inside the library, or the 24-hour Book Drop outside it when the library is closed. These arrangements come from that branch's social story, so check your own branch's layout. ^{[3] [4]}

That last detail matters more than it looks. In a study supported by NLB and reported by BiblioAsia, researchers from Nanyang Technological University's National Institute of Education ran a door-to-door reading survey with families with young children across two rental blocks in Punggol. Parents said reading was important, yet most families had fewer than 20 physical books at home. About half did not visit the library at all, partly because of work commitments, health issues or caring for several children, and some who visited preferred to read inside rather than borrow, worried about damage or fines. ^[5]

During visits to the mobile library, researchers gave families information about loan periods and showed them how to extend loans using the NLB app on their phones. The report says knowing these procedures and learning the technology helped parents feel at ease and more likely to borrow books for their children. NLB's mobile library, Molly, operates as a Big Molly bus and two Mini Mollys; the Mini Mollys were introduced in 2014 to serve preschools under two ECDA schemes as well as children from lower-income households. ^[5]

Two structured options, with their conditions

One structured route is kidsREAD, NLB's signature reading programme. Its Annual Report 2024/2025 records that the programme started in April 2004 for children aged four to eight from disadvantaged homes, and that beneficiaries have grown from 630 to nearly 80,000 across reading clubs set up in preschools, primary schools, community clubs, social service agencies and self-help groups. The same report describes kidsREAD@Home, introduced in the programme's twentieth year, which brings reading sessions directly to children living in public rental flats with personalised storytelling sessions, free books and S.T.E.A.M-themed activities. The sections of the report checked here do not state whether families pay to take part, so confirm current terms with NLB before assuming a cost. ^[6]

The Little Book Box is paid. NLB's current FAQ describes a subscription service for young readers aged 18 months to nine years, delivered as a monthly selection of eight children's books curated by NLB librarians, with the packages additional to members' current loan quota. Each subscription period runs three months at $32.70 including GST for home delivery or $26.16 for locker collection. Loan periods are fixed at 21 days with no renewals, overdue fines are $0.15 per book per day, and places are limited and offered first-come, first-served; the FAQ lists a registration window of 16 July to 15 October 2026 for the cycle running 1 October to 31 December 2026. ^[7]

The health booklet, and the decision to close on

A reading plan is not a health record, and it helps to keep the two apart. HealthHub says every Singapore child has a Child Health Booklet, provided at delivery in hospitals in Singapore since 1984, in which height, weight, development milestones and immunisation records are recorded at each well-baby visit. Its developmental checklists are grouped into personal-social, fine motor-adaptive, language and gross motor, and HealthHub lists seven recommended touchpoints for developmental screening: 4 weeks, 3 to 4 months, 6 months, 12 months, 18 months, 30 months and 48 months, with an age range noted for each. That is also where any developmental concern goes — HealthHub advises parents to raise concerns with the doctor. ^[8]

None of the HealthHub material checked for this guide gives guidance on reading aloud to a child of any age, so this article makes no claims about what shared reading does for a baby, toddler or preschooler. What follows are optional editorial suggestions rather than tested routines: keep one board book where your child already waits, carry a single book in a bag for outings, and stop when your child turns away. The aim is a slot that already exists, not minutes added. ^[8]

So the answer is a decision, not a programme. You do not need the ReadSG challenge to build the habit; you need one fixed slot in a day you already have and one book within reach. Set up a myLibrary ID, borrow or reserve through the NLB Mobile app, and use the reservation lockers and the 24-hour Book Drop when a visit is awkward. If your child is four to eight and your family is in the situation kidsREAD serves, ask NLB about the reading clubs or kidsREAD@Home; if getting to a library is not workable, weigh The Little Book Box's published three-month fee and 21-day loan period against what borrowing already gives you. ^{[2] [4] [6] [7]}

Sources

EduNanny Editorial · AI-assisted research and writing, reviewed by our automated editorial team. Sources checked 2026-10-09. Featured image: AI-generated editorial illustration.