Create a Children’s Library in Your Own Home

Do you have piles and piles of children’s books around your house? Chances are your child knows exactly where the “favorites” are because he or she is asking you to read them each and every day. But, there may be tons of hidden treasure scattered about your house just waiting to be found, opened, read, and enjoyed. Organizing these treasures can be a simple way of inspiring your child to read and love it! Even if you don’t have a large collection of books for your child, finding a designated place for his or her books will help your child learn organizational skills. It will also demonstrate to your child the value that books should have and how we need to care for books in order to make them last. Below you’ll find some considerations that will help you to create your very own children’s library that works for your family and your needs.

Consider the Collection
If you are drowning in books, then you may need to “weed” your collection. That’s the librarian’s term for inspecting your books and taking out the ones that don’t fit anymore. It may be that they are badly damaged and unusable. They may be outdated, too hard for your child, or too easy for that matter. Don’t automatically discard books, however! Save easier books for a younger child or for your child to share with younger friends. Children benefit from reading easy books in that it improves their confidence as a reader as well as their expression as they read aloud. Save harder books for your child to read with you. You’ll be amazed at how quickly your child will “grow into” these books.

If you are starving for books, certainly check out bookstores and online retailers. Books can be expensive; if you’re looking to substantially add to your collection, this could be a large understaking financially. So, check out yard sales and used book sales in your area. You can usually find gently used books at great prices. Also, consider purchasing books for your child for every special occasion – birthdays, holidays, seasons, accomplishments. These will take on a special meaning in your collection. Before you know it, you’ll have a large variety of books on many topics. Another coft-efficient way to grow your collection is to start a book exchange with friends and family. Exchange books every so often, but be sure your child’s name is clearly marked inside the books from your own collection.

Consider Location
Where will you house your collection? If the library is intended for the whole family or all of your children, then a central location would be best. Perhaps a family room or play room would work efficiently. If you intend to have personal collections for each child, then their own bedrooms may be more appropriate. You can even have several “branches” for your children’s library. Keep baskets in different rooms to store books for different purposes. Bedtime books could be kept in a bin close to the bed, for example.

Consider Organization
How will you house your collection? Certainly, the tried-and-true bookshelf works for storing books. But, let’s consider a few points in this regard. A large bookshelf needs to be securely anchored to the wall if your child will be accessing books independently. Bookshelves on their own don’t offer much in the way of segmented spaces beyond each shelf. Your child can only see the spines of the books when the books are stored traditionally on a bookshelf. This can be really inefficient and discouraging.

In my classroom library for my second graders, I used my bookshelves in a different way that allowed my students to really see what was available and access it easily. Find several boxes or plastic storage bins that fit easily onto the bookshelves. Store the books inside the bins with their covers facing outward. This way your child will see titles and cover illustrations easily. Let’s face it – the spine of the book is not very inspiring! Attract your little reader with one of the most captivating parts of the book – the cover! Bins and boxes also allow your child to take an entire box off the shelf to enjoy a few books in one sitting. It will help your child keep his or her books better organized because it will be easy to do. Never again will you have the “waterfall” or “avalanche” of books or “domino effect” every time you take a book off the shelf. Large libraries can’t do this because it would take up too much space. You’re not housing a collection for a small community or college campus. You can use this strategy for your family of readers.

Consideration Categorization
How will you categorize your collection? Yes, I have a library background. No, I’m not advocating using the Dewey Decimal System in your children’s library. However, there is something to be said for categorizing your children’s collection of books. Have you ever tried to look for a specific book and, after many attempts to go through the whole collection, you still can’t find it? This can be frustrating and a real deterrent to using your collection.

So, since you are storing your books in those clever bins on the shelves, why not group books by topics or theme in those bins? Have your child help you with this part; it’s great practice for categorization and classification and also noting details (important reading comprehension skills). First, sort your collection into major categories. Here are some examples. Group all of the books in a series together – Magic Tree House, Arthur, Junie B. Jones, etc. Also, group books on certain topics – sports, crafts, holidays, jokes, science, people stories, animal stories, true history stories, and so on. Next, put these groups into the bins. Books that are too large can be shelved directly on the shelves. Then, use your computer to create labels or have your child decorate labels for each bin. Clearly mark the name of the group – “Holiday Books,” “Magic Tree House Books,” etc. Last, mark each book to show in which category it belongs. You can use stickers or labels or simply draw an icon inside the book’s cover to match an icon on the bin label. In this way, your child will develop his or her skills for categorizing and classifying items to go together.

Consider Maintenance
How will you keep your library in great condition? Just like every library needs a librarian, your children’s home library will need someone to maintain the collection. This can be a great chore for the children. Make it a point each week to designate one day as a “housekeeping day” in your library. Check each bin for books that have been misplaced. Straighten the books so that they are neatly housed in their bins. If, on a daily basis, your child puts books right back in their proper spaces, this shouldn’t be too daunting of a task. Don’t forget to rotate out any books that don’t fit in your collection anymore. Each time you add a new book to your library, decide where it belongs and mark it so your child will know where it goes.

So, there you have it. This should help you get started in creating a wonderful children’s library for your home. No more “books to the ceiling,” just logically organized groups of books that your child will want to read again and again.