Children's Books, Fun Ideas

Children's books are magical! In fact, I don't think that I could ever have too many books in my house or classroom. I have a wide variety of them ranging from early readers to holiday selections. A great story is a great story, and when you take a great story and combine it with beautiful illustrations, it can be wonderful. I believe that great literature can be enjoyed by everyone from birth to 99. Big chilren's books are a great way to facilitate classroom instruction and introduce new themes and concepts. There are many timeless classic children's books that students adore and are fun classroom favorites. I am always thinking of ways to help young children develop a love and appreciation for great literature.

• Purpose - I often talk about how we read different children's books for different purposes. Some provide information, and some we read for enjoyment.
• Proper care - We have many children's books in our house and read at least four stories a day. From birth, I have encouraged my daughters to treat books with respect and care for them properly. We have several designated bookshelves for our books, and we make sure that we turn the pages carefully.
• Share and Enjoy - Good stories are meant to be enjoyed by others. We regularly loan good reads to our friends and family. I am involved in a reading club and plan to start a mom and daughter reading club soon. We are also looking to host our first annual children's book exchange with our friends from school.

By modeling these behaviors and participating in these activities, I will grow great readers. There are many ways to help your own little ones or students develop a strong literacy foundation, and there are many ways that you can help them develop an interest in great literature. Check out www.k12schoolsupplies for a great selection of children's books.