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Day 18 of our 30 Days to Transform Your Play series and we’re talking about all those wonderful books which fill our kids’ bookshelves.
There is so much to discover in those books but I think much like our children’s toys, when they are arranged in a book shelf, their covers hidden, it can be a case of out of sight, out of mind.
But when we put books out on the shelf with different toys and materials we bring attention to those books and offer an opportunity for our children to learn more about their interests; encouraging new vocabulary and ways of playing.
I’ve written a post about this previously:
“An understanding of how different animals behave; where they live, what they eat, how they live in relation to other animals and the environment, can be played out in elaborate imaginary play scenes. Or their understanding of how a rainbow appears, how a volcano erupts, why the sun sets, or why trees move on a windy day, can all be represented creatively in increasing complexity.”
A book about Australian animals can be placed on the shelf next to a basket of animal figurines and some small world materials. A book about how roads are built or buildings of the world can be placed next to a basket of blocks; inspiring different ways of building.
As they read, they will learn new vocabulary, new ideas and spark new questions. Their understandings will be represented in their play; deepening their play.
Jack and Sarah will often simply look through the books, other times they will ask me to read with them. The pictures and stories inspire their play; the more they read and come to know the pictures and information in the books, the more they use this in their play; learning, unfolding naturally.
- sort through your books
- select any that will be of interest to your child at the moment
- place them on the shelf with some toys and materials
- when you next rotate the toys, create an exploration or an art experience, add a book for further exploration
Some books you might like:
- Children of the World: How We Live, Learn, and Play in Poems, Drawings, and Photographs – This book is exquisite!
- Barefoot Book of Knights
- Barefoot Book of Faeries
- Australian Geographic books – we have a few of these (volcanoes, Australian animals, reptiles, how the brain works..) and at only A$4.95 they are great value
- DK Eyewitness books – we have a whole bunch of these books and they are wonderful! We use these books the most. I pick them up at the $5 book shop when I see them. Aldi has also had them on sale at times. I highly recommend them.
- Usborne First Encyclopedia of Science – This is a great book. It has information on the human body, weather, plants, electricity, magnets… usually one page per topic. We use this book a lot of explorations
- First Thousand Words in Japanese – A picture dictionary of everyday Japanese words. Jack and Sarah really love looking through this book and using different words in their play
What are some of your favourite books which can be used to enhance toys, explorations and art experiences?