Library Visits & Reading
If you get tired of reading the same books at home to your kids over and over, don’t forget the free resource of the good old public library!
Every night at home, I read a book to my kids and in addition, they have to read about 15 - 30 minutes per day for homework and that totals up to a lot of books. More than what we own! And so we make it a monthly routine to go to the library for a fresh stack of stories & learning.
It’s interesting to watch how they choose the books they want to borrow. Even more interesting is letting them roam the non-fiction section where they can read about sports, jobs, cultures, food, etc and take note of the things that spark their interest.
If your kid doesn’t like reading, it could just be the wrong kind of books they’re getting or picking and with a little help or time to explore, they may be off and reading on their own!
Get the kiddos a library card. It was a joy to watch my 5 year old sign the application form and the back of his own card with such pride that this gave him “the power” or opportunity to borrow books that HE wanted to take home. It provided him a sense of ownership and responsibility since we had to discuss how he had to care for the books he chose. And it’s free!
And if you don’t remember where your library card is, reapplying takes 5 minutes and can be done in person or online. And the cost for a replacement card was I think was $5-10.
There’s no limit on the books you can borrow and you have 3 weeks until they’re due. Plus there’s always the possibility to extend your due date.
You could borrow 1 book per weekday or 15 books total for 3 weeks or if you’re afraid of coming to close to the due date, just go to the library every 1-2 weeks. For now, I allow the kids to borrow what they can carry themselves in a reusable bag, (about 10 books each). Having a consistent number makes it an easy routine to remember how many they can pick and how many they have to return.
Then I pick the remainder of the books so we have enough to read for 3 weeks. I also try to choose a variety of genres to expose them to and books they may not select themselves. These are the ones I read to them before bed.
Oh and don’t forget libraries have CD’s, DVD’s, magazines, newspapers, Internet access, books for sale for just $1 and free magazines (that are perfect for when you need to do school project posters or collages).
The library emails you the title of the books before they’re due as a courtesy reminder. Some of you just sighed because this is your greatest worry but this makes it very helpful!
The importance and benefits of reading are the same today for our kids as they were when we were kids. :)
AND don’t forget…YOU can borrow books too! My husband and I always pick up something for ourselves. The best thing to do is model for your kids and when they read, you read.
erin’s tip
We have a “library” basket at home where we keep our library books and reusable bags. That way, they don’t get mixed up with all of our other books and we don’t forget that we have options of new stories to go through.
