This is a simple, and hopefully free, step: GET A LIBRARY CARD! I honestly could not create and teach my daughter half of the things I have without my library card. I know that everyone is going paperless and turning to technology in many facets of life, but kids need to physically hold books in their cute little hands.
I probably check out over a hundred books a month for my daughter. Now I know some of you are cringing at the thought of searching through the library for specific books while your toddler is running up and down the aisles pulling out books and throwing them on the floor. This does not have to be the case! Truthfully, I VERY rarely look for the books myself. Most libraries have a system online where you can select the books you want on their website, the librarian pulls all of the books you choose, binds them with a rubber band and labels them with your name. MAGIC! Think of it like grocery pickup for books and it is FREE!
As I post more you will see how I structure my week with a theme, but it all starts with the books! I used to feel bad for the poor librarian that sees the 30+ books I have selected for the next week’s theme, but the guilt has gone away. I tried to imagine how I would feel if I was the librarian looking for all these books. Are there any other things she could be doing that are more important than finding books that will make a child learn to love reading? Now I may not be a librarian, but I was a teacher. One of my favorite things about teaching was seeing the joy that a good book brought to a student. So now, when I bring my jumbo reusable shopping bag into the library and load it with all the books that the librarian so kindly gathered, my only thought is of how much fun my daughter and I will have reading these books and doing activities to go along with them.
So, your first “homework assignment” is to get a library card. If you already have one, great! The next step is to check out your city’s library website. Look for their online catalog and search away!
Below I took some screenshots to show how easy it is to request books online. Some of you may have done this when requesting a book from another library through interlibrary loan. However, I have discovered that many people don’t know you can select all of your books this way to save yourself from hours of searching!
Here I selected my theme of butterflies and narrowed it to just juvenile picture books. When I see one I want, I simply click place hold.
Then you submit your request and can continue looking for more books to place on hold!
I hope this helps you find more books to read with your little and will be a very helpful skill if you choose to use some of the same books as me in the future!
Happy reading!