A Parent's Guide to Selecting Books for an At-Home Library
One of the most important things you can do for your child is build a
love of reading. By surrounding your child with books, you are planting a
love of reading in them and teaching them to turn to books for pleasure and knowledge. We want our kids to grow up with the idea that books are an integral part of their lives. With millions of books at a parent's fingertips, how's a parent to choose the right "investments" for their child's library? Below is a list of questions and suggestions to help you choose just the right books for your child.
Choosing Books
* Look for books based on your child's interests. What are your child's favorite things or activities? What does he/she talk about?
* Choose books that relate to what's happening in your family. Are you going to the beach this summer? Visiting the mountains? Visiting grandma?
* Use books to learn about and "celebrate" special events. Is it the first day of school? Are you having a new baby? Or celebrating a special holiday - Birthday, Easter, Passover, Christmas, Hanukkah, New Year's Day, or Fourth of July?
* Is the book appropriate to your child's physical development? Can he/she easily handle it, touch it, and mouth it? Are the pictures bright and attractive? Can he/she relate the "stories" to his/her own life?
* Look for books that initiate independent reading. Wordless picture books, where the child can "read" the pictures and follow the story. Also, simple stories, with engaging characters that they can memorize and then later "read" on their own.
* If your child is reading: Can they easily read the book by themselves? Is the book one that a sibling can read to a younger child? Look for series of books. Children love to read about favorite characters in new and exciting situations.
Every child's developmental time line is unique. As children grow, so do their attention spans and their bedtime reading ritual and reading habits need to grow with them. While you can't push a child to learn to read, you can help your children love what comes out of books and provide lots of opportunities for them to explore them.
*Taken from an article by the National Center for Family Literacy
"There is more treasure in books than in all the pirates's loot on Treasure Island....and best of all, you can enjoy these riches every day of your life." **Walt Disney
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