How to build a baller library for your kids
I don’t know about you, but around here we get our read on. I’ve been an avid book pusher since before my little ones could hold their heads up and it seems to be paying off with our three year old (TBD with our six month old ;-)). He can read at a very basic level and knows a ton of sight words. More importantly though, he just absolutely loves his “bookies.” Although he no longer naps, he spends an hour and a half to two hours in his room, quietly looking at his books. A stack of books accompanies us on each road trip and he enthusiastically (but quietly – phew) makes his way through them. Talk about a super welcome break. I’ve found myself routinely going on car rides to nowhere more times than I can count just for some quiet time where I have no one touching me or pulling on me or calling out for me. Plus, the lure of a drive-through or curbside pickup doesn’t hurt. At home throughout the day, he pulls books off the shelf and melts into the floor wherever he happens to be to flip through them. Books seem to be his drug of choice when it comes to decompressing, chilling out or calming down.
It has always been important to me to encourage our kids to read and to hopefully build that lifelong interest in reading and learning. Once you get out in the real world, most of our continued education comes from reading. Countless articles and studies point to the benefits of reading early and often. There are just so many words that are used in books that don’t make their way into daily conversation very often. The more vocabulary a child knows, the less frustrated they will feel about being unable to express themselves. Books are also a great way to introduce relevant lessons that correlate with whatever a child happens to be going through in his or her life – potty training (check), a bully at school (check), new baby (check), big emotions (CHECK). etc.
That brings us to our topic of the day: Building an epic library that even Disney’s Belle would be jealous of. Check out the list below for a few ways to build or expand your collection.
1.) Request a book instead of a card at your baby shower
So, you’re pregnant – WAHOO! Creating a registry and planning a baby shower are arguably two of the most exciting things to do while pregnant. At my first baby shower, my sister included a cute card with the invitation that politely requested each guest bring a book, rather than a card, to help build our babe’s first library. I was totally fine with this. I’m not a super sentimental person, and honestly, who ever wants to pay $5 for a card? I would specify that the book could be new or something well-loved or passed on. Most of the guests wrote a little message inside the book as though it was a card anyway. Some even included a picture that they taped inside the book. This added about 20-30 books to our library right off the bat. BAM!
2.) Host an Usborne book party
If you have kids and haven’t heard of these books, drop everything right now and check them out. These books are super cute. The colors are vibrant; the pictures are wonderful and they offer a wide range of topics to fit children of all ages and interests. A friend of mine had an online party for her son’s birthday and I thought it was a wonderful idea. You can create a wish list for people to choose from if they’d like to send a book to your child. Also, any shopping your friends and family do for themselves helps the host earn a credit towards free or discounted books. I have family all over the country and they never have any idea what to send for birthdays or holidays, so this was great. I signed up to host a party as well – which got me some extra entries to win a free book (which I did – wahoo!). It helped that my son’s birthday is in early January. I hosted the party in early December so my son’s books would come in time for his birthday and because people were likely still shopping for Christmas gifts at that time. As a result of that party, I earned over $500 in free books which allowed me to buy lots of great titles that he could enjoy as a 1 year old and many he could grow into as he transitioned into a big kid.
3.) Sign up for Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library
Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library is a book gifting program that mails free, high-quality books to children from birth until the age of five regardless of their family’s income. Dolly Parton grew up in a very rural area in Tennessee where literacy rates were much lower than the national average. In fact, her own father never learned how to read which was part of Parton’s inspiration for this cause. In 1995, Parton started her Imagination Library with the goal to get more books into children’s homes and hands, especially in underserved communities. You will have to check to see if your area is eligible. This varies as the program is sponsored by different organizations in each area. My three year old is signed up and receives a new book in the mail each month. Getting mail might be his favorite thing in the world right now. Any time a new book comes, it’s immediately ripped open and devoured. Availability for the program seems to change over time. I tried to sign up my second born, but my county was not accepting any new applications at the time. If you are able to sign your little one up at birth, that’s 60 free books to add to their library by the time they turn five. Not a bad haul!
4.) Sign up for Dr. Seuss’s Early Moments Book Club
Dr. Seuss has been a hot topic as of late, but there is no denying that the overarching themes of his work are those of empowerment and caring for others as well as the Earth. The Early Moments book club often runs promotions (which you might see pop up on social media) like 3-5 books of your choice for $5 or less. I believe I got 4 books for $3 as well as a free gift, which was a Dr. Seuss backpack at the time – neato! It’s gotten a ton of use. My son packed that thing with his dinos and toys and carried it everywhere. He insisted on bringing it on every hike we took last summer for his snacks and water. This subscription can be cancelled at any time, but if you choose to keep it you’ll get three Dr. Seuss books of your choosing sent to you each month. Other subscriptions for Disney, Sesame street or Nat Geo are available as well.
5.) Facebook marketplace is the bomb
If you are OK with buying used books, Facebook marketplace is.the.best. I have expanded my library ten fold by buying cheap book lots from this ever-revolving cyber lawn sale. I often find people just looking to declutter and will have a large lot of books for free or cheap. My best haul was getting about 100 books for $5 – you just can’t beat it.
6.) Use Ebay to pick up large lots of books
While not as cheap as the right purchase from Facebook marketplace, you can still get a lot of bang for your buck on Ebay. My son is obsessed with cars, trucks, trains etc. so I’ve scooped up a vechicle lot for much less than it would have cost to buy all the books individually. For extra mileage, try buying Ebay gift cards from your grocery store and getting gas points or credit card points to boot.
7.) Check out Kellogg’s Feeding Reading Program in the summer
For the last few summers, Kellogg’s has sponsored a program called Feeding Reading, where certain products purchased (mostly cereals and select snacks) each earn you a credit that can be redeemed for one free book. Each registrant could buy up to 10 eligible items and in turn get 10 free books. All you needed to do was create and account and upload the receipt. After enlisting family members to create accounts for me, we ended up with roughly 50 free books, or in other words, “way too many” according to my husband. IIs there such a thing? There was an option to keep the book(s) or donate it to a local school – we did both. Some of these ended up being Christmas or birthday presents for other kiddos as well. There was a respectable selection of titles and reading levels to choose from. Keep an eye out this summer promotion next summer.
So, there you have it. Use this tips if you’re looking to fill a storage unit with books. Don’t forget the potential of garage sales, little lending libraries and of course your city library, many of which often have scheduled activities for kids. I look forward to attending some of those in the post-pandemic world. Happy reading.
