Displaying Books for Preschoolers

"So please, oh PLEASE, we beg, we pray, Go throw your TV set away, And in its place you can install, A lovely bookshelf on the wall."

                                                                                           — Roald Dahl, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory

You may not throw the TV away, but there's no reason you shouldn't have a book display. One of the easiest ways to get your preschooler interested in books and reading is to create a display for books. This is an essential in any preschool classroom but takes a little effort  in your home or home day care.

1. Find a some-what secluded area. 
2. Gather as many different kinds of books as you can.
3. Store them on a small shelf, shoe rack, or crate facing forward. 
   If you have to use a crate leave enough space so the fronts of the books are visible. 
4. Provide books related to the season, theme or event in the child(ren)s life. 
5. Change out books accordingly, leave the favorite books to be read again and again.

      
After I wrote this post one of my Anonymous readers suggested I check out book slings.
If you're feeling pretty crafty you should check out "book slings" too. They seem fairly easy, fun and you can customize them too.

Head over to Penny Carnival to get instructions on making a book sling.

I also found some great display ideas at

  Chic & Cheap Nursery. 

Preschool Children and Chores

Each child in my class has a daily chore. We keep a chore chart and it tells us what our job for the day is. We rotate the names each day so every person has a chance to do every job. The chores give the children a sense of responsibility and ownership of our class. It's a fabulous sight for everyone to be working together simultaneously for the same purpose. I usually praise their efforts and tell them how wonderful the classroom looks after we've all clean up. The children take their chores seriously and will remind me if we have not changed our chart first thing in the morning. You can purchase basic chore charts or make your own customized one. I have used both with great results.

Just like at school my children at home have their own list of daily chores. My daughter had a friend visiting our house. My girls were all in the kitchen doing dishes. Their friend asked surprisingly, "You do dishes?" My daughter asked, "Don't you have chores at home?" The little girl unsure of what to say clearly watching my daughters expression sheepishly said, "No". My daughter then asked, "Then how will you ever learn how to clean your house?!"

My Sad Class

Take a journey with me in setting up my classroom. Fortunately, I have almost everything I need to be successful. However, it's clearly not all in place. The person who set up this classroom was clearly not an Early Childhood Educator. I was told they did just enough to satisfy the Department of Children and Families. Here's what my new classroom looks like. Can you tell what's wrong with this picture? I'll be making the necessary improvements over the next few weeks, with your help of course:) I'll keep you posted on the results.