When you give your child the gift of books, you give your child a world of imagination. You not only introduce your child to a world that is growing as they are but also equip them with the emotional strength to deal with a world that is constantly evolving.
Needless to say, it is crucial to introduce your child to books and a variety of them from a young age, variety being the operative word. So introduce your child to a variety of colors, a variety of voices, a variety of authors, and a variety of places. Stories from here, there, and everywhere will shape your child's world as well as their own character.
If you’re a parent intent on passing books and stories to your baby, a book nook can be a very important part of this endeavor. Your child’s small little library consists of bookish friends of all shapes and sizes. A space that is colorful, inviting, and feels like a little home for your child.And a book nook can be as simple as just a Montessori book shelf for front-face display. A small book shelf that allows reachability for a toddler while also allowing them the power of choice.
The House of Zizi Montessori bookshelf is the perfect height and size for your toddler.
Here are some benefits of a front-facing book display for your toddler:
Reachability and access:
When your toddler can reach their books, books become a choice that they make, not a choice that is made for them. This also allows them to reach out for the books that catch their eye or interest and explore them in their own time and in their own way.
Agency:
Furthermore, since a reachable book display allows a child more choice, it also strengthens their ability to make decisions, making them more confident decision-makers.
Book rotation:
A Montessori book shelf also leaves space for book rotation, giving the parent a chance to influence the child’s reading choices while also ensuring their every interest is answered and they always have access to all kinds of stories.
But what is book rotation?
Book rotation is when you display a certain number of books for your child to explore for a set time, say a fortnight or a month, only to exchange the set with another set when the period is over.A child goes through many phases and interests. In fact, every month could open the doors to a new interest and book rotation are great way to feed all your child’s interest and curiosities.
Book rotation is also a great way to encourage independence, increase concentration and attention span, and avoid overstimulating children. But there’s more to book rotation than just that. Yes, it’s a great way to influence your child’s reading choices, sneaking in a new read along with four comfort reads, but it's also a great way to manage the mess at the end of the day. A controlled book display means shorter tidying routines for you and your baby, and who doesn’t love that at the end of the day?
Book rotation also means that you display 10 to 12 books at a time and prevent overlapping and crammed displays that usually result in some books getting ignored and can be a discouraging experience overall. A limited-book display ensures that every read gets a chance and some attention. Of course, some will end up being comfort reads, but at least your children get exposed to the entire variety to form an opinion.
It also ensures that a set of books is repeated over a period of time, and we know that children learn best through repetition. When a book is repeated for a month, your child is not only more likely to pick up the words and start using them in their everyday lives; they also pick up the feelings in the book and the emotional experience that comes with the story. This emotional experience goes a very long way and can help them deal with many situations in life. Here are some more things to remember when trying book rotation: Make sure that you have the right book display for your child—something that is their height and hence easy to access for them. The whole idea of book rotation is that the child gets used tobooks and can reach out for them whenever they feel like it. This also helps them become more independent.
Select only so many books for your shelf that they fit the shelf without becoming overwhelming for your child. Again, you can even elicit your toddlers help when selecting books. Keep the rotation cycle consistent. You can rotate books in a week, a fortnight, a month, or even three months if your baby is really young. Consistency is key when rotating because, with repetition, an idea becomes a habit and a ritual. As your baby grows, you’ll find them really looking forward to setting their new set at the end of every cycle. Encourage your toddler to help set the shelf during every rotation so they can feel more involved.
When rotating books, you can even set a theme for each cycle. These themes could keep in mind your baby’s current interests, like jungle, water animals, space, etc., or any concern you may have, like hitting, temper tantrums, eating habits, etc., or a combination of both. Book rotation can be a great way to address challenging behavior as well as as start specific conversations.It is okay to repeat books if your child is not ready to part with them after a cycle. Children findcomfort in familiarity, let them keep some books that become their safety blanket until they are ready to give them up. Also, you can bring favorite books back after a few cycles. A book doesn't need to be locked away forever if it’s been read through one cycle. It can be brought back after some time.
Give it some time. If you choose to give book rotation a try, try it for a few months before giving up. Give yourself and your baby some time to get into the habit.