How do we encourage children to care for and appreciate books? I love to see kids excited about books! It’s always a thrill when a child runs in to tell me about a book they’ve just finished, a new book they can’t wait to read, or a new author or series they have discovered. It’s a joy to experience their enthusiasm and excitement. I think that’s my favourite thing about working in a school.
I am a book lover – there is something wonderful about a new book with fresh cover and crisp clean pages. Children too, love new books – they eagerly pounce on all the new books we put out on display and beg for more. I think it’s important to teach children about the value of books and how best to look after them. We have lessons about handling books – how we look at them, how we transport them, how we store them.
We encourage our students to care for books by having library bags to transport them and bookmarks to keep their place. We learn about how books are shelved and how we can help keep the library organised.
This year we decided to purchase relatively inexpensive library bags that the children could decorate themselves. The bags are made from calico and feature the school logo on one side with a flap at the top. We ordered them from Norquest Bags in India. They were inexpensive and Norquest were very efficient and pleasant to deal with.
The children enjoyed decorating them with fabric pens. Here’s some pictures of the children with their decorated bags:
The children also enjoy creating their own bookmarks as well as using the bookmarks I have designed for them. We laminate them so they last a little longer!
It can’t be overstated that children learn from adult behaviours, so remember next time you lazily turn the corner of a page down, spill food or drink on a book, or leave a book carelessly in an inappropriate place ……..little eyes are watching.
Please leave a comment and share how you help children, or adults, value and appreciate books!
Learning 2Learn 