Guest Author - Jeanette Norman

Read to children at least once a day. The more enthusiastic you can tell the story, the more children will learn to love books. My own children love for me to read books that have a tongue twister in them or silly rhyming patterns. I read Captain Pajamas to them because they like the dramatic tone I take. Or when we read Where the Wild Things Are, I will dance along with Max and his monsters.

Children will of course develop favorites that they will want us to read over and over again. While this may become annoying to many adults, don’t forget the children learn well through repetition.

Engage the children about the book. Ask questions about what is going on or what will happen. Again, many skills will develop quickly. If you have parents who want to volunteer in the classroom, this would be a good center to include them in.

Some children may need to learn how to handle books properly. Do this by setting a good example and correcting behavior when you see a child doing something inappropriate with a book. It seems that books become Frisbees at the beginning of the school year until proper handling techniques are learned. Mend pages as they are brought to you and once in awhile, flip through books to make sure the books are in good condition to leave in the center.