Kulthoughts
Have you ever given a thought, what would have happened if things like books never existed? What grandparents might have read and what they would have shown to make the child understand concepts and things? How they might have learnt things and how could they teach things? Books had been so much associated with our upbringing that life without them- beyond imagination!!
In educated families, the environment provides an aura of reading. When everyone reads, even the child cultivates the habit to read. They just imitate by observing elders and read and read and read. Reading is a part of the family culture and the child is born with love for books. But in a family where education is a newly acquired culture for some social or economical reasons, extra efforts are needed to develop the affinity for books.
- Library making starts with buying a small book shelf to keep all the books the children already has. Initially, as there are not many books, the empty shelves can be used to keep stuffed toys or something that can add décor to the room of the child. These books should be within the reach of the child so that it can be read anytime- free time, nap time or sleeping time.
- When the child can read on own, it is the time to teach the child how to look for new words, meanings or the unknown words by adding a dictionary. Slowly thesauruses can be added, followed by an atlas and the list of the must be books continue…..
- Some elder cousins can give their books to the younger ones if they do not need them any longer. This way books are added in library of the older cousin by adding more new books of the present interest and also of the younger cousin. This way the collection increases from picture story books to other books like “Tell me why”, Encyclopedias, etc. increasing the areas of interest of the child.
- During Vacation and holidays children can be taken to garage sales and books (in good condition) of liking can be picked up at a real reasonable price.
- Children can be bribed with books for specific required results in school or elsewhere or for some work done. This way with the required result and output, child gets the feel of earning a book with some extra efforts and so also learns to care for the books by keeping the library clean and tidy.
- The books received from friends and relatives on special occasions like birthdays or festivals also add to the making of the library of the child.
- The most important thing the child is to be taught is to keep a record of the books they lend to friends if they are into sharing of books. Sometimes they forget about the lent book and keeps on searching for the same at home which can decrease the number of books in the library instead of increasing it.
All things collectively results into a good library of the child!!