Building your pre-school library

Before I write this post, I feel it is important for you all to know that I am a book junkie. No, REALLY, I have an addiction to children’s books. Well, books in general, but mostly children’s books. Beyond my Obnoxious  slight addiction to books, I believe children’s literature is an important part of early childhood development.

I once asked a mother if there child who was 1 had a certain book yet, because I was thinking of getting that book for the child. The mother promptly told me that their child wasn’t old enough for books yet, so don’t waste the money. This broke my heart. There are so many things that can be gained from the early introduction of books. Here are a few really great articles I think you should read about reading to children.

• 10 reasons why you should read to your kids
• Reading Books to Babies
• The Importance of Reading to your Children
• The Benefits of Reading to your Baby

Now that you know why you should read to your children, you may be thinking you need to improve your child’s at home library. There are many different book choices, and great book lists that you could choose from, and most children’s literature is written with the child’s development in mind, so you could teach them from most books. That said, I do believe that there are certain types of books that a child should have on there shelves. I usually get my books from Thrift Stores, or Yard Sales, and when I begin pre-school with a child, I gather a basket of book that teach a few particular things. Here is the list of book themes I make available each week to my preschooler.

Books that teach:

• Colors
• Shapes
• Counting
• Alphabet
• Animals
• Basic life Skills (like getting dressed, brushing teeth, cleaning up, using the potty, etc.)
• Manners
• Science (bugs, Body, weather, etc.)

Here are a few really great lists of preschool books.

• Get ready for school; Preschool reading list
• Best Books for Babies and Toddlers
• 100 Picture Books Everyone Should know
• Before Five in a Row Book List
• Book List, Board and Picture Books

I hope you found this helpful. Now get off the computer and go read to your kids.