Just as the well-known phrase says, “good habits start at home.” For children to grow interested in books and become adult readers, the development of this habit must start from an early age at home. If combined with family time, it will become even more significant.
Here on our blog, we’ve already provided several tips on how to encourage reading in childhood. Today, we will help you set up a library at home for your little one to have daily contact with reading in a simple yet stimulating way.
Tips for your little one’s library
It doesn’t matter if your little one already has many books or if you’re planning on starting the collection now – the tips below will help you stimulate the habit of reading by setting up a library at home that will make your little one fall in love with the magical world of books!
1. Several options for you to choose from
Having contact with different types of texts from an early age is good to pique the child’s interest, helping them to discover the world of reading. Often, when learning the first letters of the alphabet, little ones start reading from different sources: magazines, comics, newspapers, etc. In addition to children’s books, you can include this variety in the home library as well.
2. Literary genres
The variety of literary genres also plays a very important role in the development of a reader. You can fill the library with fiction and fantasy books, but also historical fiction, biographies, poetry, scientific books, and more! All of these genres can be found in children’s versions.
3. Reading levels
Knowing your little one’s reading level is essential in order to offer books that they can read alone without feeling frustrated about not being able to understand them. Here, we give further tips on how to choose age-appropriate books! However, it’s also good to have a variety in this sense in the home library; having more straightforward books for the child to read alone and more complex stories to read with the family, will serve as an incentive to develop their reading more and more.
4. Sharing the reading
Reading alone is nice, but making reading an activity that can be shared is also a plus. Invite your little one’s friends to explore their library together. Give the idea of exchanging books once a week so that the home libraries will always have something new. Donate books that your little one no longer reads to encourage reading in others while making room for new stories!
5. Access to books
One of the main goals of having a library space at home for your little one is to keep books always accessible so that they can pick them up at any time and immerse themselves in a story. Therefore, make sure that the shelves or cabinets are of a height that the child can reach and explore on their own. This is a great opportunity to teach them about independence.
Ideas for library decoration
Besides making books physically accessible and on display to encourage reading daily, it’s also important to create a comfortable environment – a place where the child will love to spend time. You can do this with shelves, reusable boxes, pillows, rugs, etc. Make it their own special place!
Here are some decoration ideas to set up your little one’s library:
