I recently read this great post about helping your toddler fall in love with reading, and I was inspired to share another tip of my own that’s helped my toddlers enjoy (and keep on enjoying) books…
The “library shopping spree.”
Every week or two–a bit less frequently now since they have preschool three days a week–we round up all of the library books in our house and return to our local library. Then, we spend an hour playing in the kids’ area there and compiling another huge stack of books to take home.
Luckily our library system lets you check out up to 50 books at a time… because at the moment I have 17 kids’ books, 3 Claire books and 2 Eric books checked out (as well as one kids’ book that says checked out but I have no idea where it is, sooo I’ll probably be footing the cost for that one).
One of my kids is a “sensory-seeker” which means that he craves “new” things often, whether that’s foods, books or experiences. The all-you-can-check-out library shopping spree is perfect for him. He always has ideas for new topics he wants to read about, so we can switch from a home library of dinosaur books to one full of construction books for $0.
My other child is more a creature of habit (takes after his mama!), and the library is great for him too. We can check out the same set of books over and over again, and when he finally loses interest–I don’t have to deal with storing or getting rid of twenty Pete the Cat picture books.
I don’t put any limits on what they can check out, except of course if a book is truly inappropriate for children (and there aren’t many of those in the kids’ section). I love when we find a gem that I never would have picked up if we had to pay for it!
So there you have it, the cheapest afternoon activity imaginable. I can’t say I don’t love the peace and quiet in the house when we get home, too! Everyone is engrossed in their new books, sometimes even the adults 😛
How do you encourage your kids to read? I love Kristy’s tip on reading “older” kids’ books to littles, because it’s so true–my 4-year-old is a huge fan of “Little House in the Big Woods,” and we even page through cookbooks together!
xx Claire