Book Lovers

I started reading for my daughter when she was just a newborn. Then, when she turned one-year-old, I started taking her to our local library for their Story Time. We would never leave the library without checking out quite a few books. We would sit down, browse and read before making choices. The library was certainly her favorite place to be, even more than playgrounds. This certainly created a healthy habit of having a number of books available in our home.

After a while,  we started noticing some ‘favorites’  and we would purchase them as they were not always available for checking out at the library.

Our own book collection grew bigger and bigger as the years passed. Now, my younger daughter enjoys the books her sister once loved (but never wanted to let them go!).

Another interesting fact is that, although they keep adding to their reading marathon, both of them like to re-read the same books over and over. This was one of the reasons we started buying their favorites.

Books over toys?

I remember my oldest opening her presents after her 3rd birthday party. She was so happy unwrapping each of them! She cheered at each gift until … well, until she found a box with a set of 12 Magic School Bus Phonics Books! On that very second, she was done with all her presents! She was mesmerized and wouldn’t do anything else until we finished reading ALL 12 books! Oh, did I mention she had just turned 3! Her love for books never ended. To this day, she, and now my youngest too, always have a book in their hands.

Love for books

Having two book lovers in the house is certainly a blessing! And it makes the learning process a much smoother experience for sure. I now have an eighth-grader and have been homeschooling her since first grade. My goal is to homeschool the youngest as well. However, I am a true believer that we need to respect each child’s individuality. Homeschooling is certainly not for every child. I am truly blessed to have had the opportunity to be part of my first child’s education and hope to be able to do the same for my second child.

How we organize our books

Anyway, although we have designated reading areas, I find books nearly everywhere in my house. I slowed down in buying books just because I don’t have space to add another bookshelf. So, we had to create a system to keep the books somewhat organized and accessible while also out of the way.

I am not a librarian nor I have any professional technique or experience in organizing books. However, I was in desperate need of developing a system that worked for our family. It became increasingly hard for me to deal with so many books and to find the ones that were on ‘demand’ for our reading time.

We sat together and discussed what would be the best way to organize our book collection. Since we have so many series, it was decided that using this method would be the most efficient way to organize the books. 

I also found a great way to keep my younger daughter engaged in drama play. I set up a smaller bookshelf where I keep a certain book series along with toys related to those books. This keeps her interest and encourages engagement as well. Every so often I ‘rotate’ books and toys, so the interest is kept bright and alive.

Let’s not forget about academic books! We keep them separate from recreational books, and we categorized them by topic. This way it’s easier and faster to use them as resources for any academic research.

There is no limit to imagination

I am deeply thankful to have two daughters who are so passionate about books, learning, and creating! I look forward to seeing them grow to their full potential.

I’m sharing my personal experience but I know there are so many amazing young beings out there who can do so much for our future but don’t have as many opportunities to go about it.

It would be great if we all could give our children space and opportunity to explore options and find their passion so they can grow to be fulfilled and happy human beings.