Loading ...
« Into Their Hands at Any Cost | Home | Free Indeed! »
Your Family Library
By Mark Roth on October 21, 2009 at 8:05 am
I like books. And I like bookcases to put them in. 🙂
And I like to read to children. But our five range in age from mid-teens to mid-twenties, so they are quite disinclined to have Dad (or Mom) read stories and poetry to them. And our four grandchildren…well, we have to drive at least two-and-a-half hours to get to them.
So if you have young children, but you don’t enjoy reading aloud to them, read them a story for me.
But back to what this post is really about…
The benefits of creating a home library are immeasurable. I started our family library prior to our first child’s birth. While some moms-to-be were shopping for baby clothes, I was adding some of my favorite childhood books to our family library. Growing up, I had a variety of reading materials, such as magazines, a dictionary, encyclopedias, comic books, music books and maps readily accessible. I firmly believe that my home environment had an incredible impact on my love for the written word and boosted my imagination.
As we began our family, it was important to me to instill a love of reading in my children. I simply can’t imagine my children not enjoying an activity that was such a large part of my upbringing and continues to be a major source of both learning and entertainment. You can create a family library on a budget. Reading materials are available inexpensively and don’t need to be fancy for your family to enjoy a fulfilling experience. Visiting your local library is wonderful, but having a home library increases opportunities to connect with your children, and they are exposed to reading materials on a daily basis instead of relying solely on library trips and school reading.
BUILD IT, AND THEY WILL COME: Our main home library is located in our living room, which makes it a focal point in our home. We have built-in bookcases that house a variety of books. Our children also have their own bookcases in their bedrooms, and books can be found displayed in almost every room of our home. Reading materials are simply a part of everyday family life. For your primary library, find a spot that is comfortable and inviting, has good lighting, and allows your children to reach for materials at any time.
Selecting and purchasing materials is the fun part. One of our typical family activities includes visiting thrift stores, garage sales, dollar stores and used-book stores. We give our children their own spending money to encourage them to choose their own books, but we provide parental guidance on their selections. They observe us regularly purchasing reading materials and visiting the library and are always curious about what we’ve selected. It has become a way of life.
Source: Build a family library to encourage reading — be sure to read the full article.
Topics: Miscellaneous | No Comments »