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By
Catherine M. Pruissen
All
children love books. Flipping through the pages, looking
at the colourful pictures, picking out different objects,
colours, shapes, animals, and words is just half the
fun. The reading or book centre is also a place where
a child can escape the hustle and bustle of the daycare
centre or home and enjoy a few minutes of quiet and
self-absorption.
A
good book centre contains an assortment of:
-
picture books
- nursery
rhyme books
- number
and counting books, and so on.
The
more you have to offer, the more you can pique a child's
interest in reading.
If
you are not sure what books to buy, take the children
on a trip to your local library and talk to the librarian.
He/she can tell you what types of books children prefer
at which age group. Your local or national library
association can give you information on purchasing
children's books as well. And don't forget to learn
from the children themselves. Watch which books they
choose from the shelves, which ones they linger over
and which ones get tossed aside quickly. Pay attention
to the expressions on their faces.
You
want books that will generate a lot of different feelings
as well as those that offer pure fun and entertainment.
Many books come with an audiocassette of the story.
Still others come to life on a computer screen and
allow children to participate in the story or create
their own story. If you have the finances, you might
consider setting up a tape recorder or computer (used
is fine) in your book centre to allow the children
to listen to or interact with their favorite story
over and over again. This area should not be used
as a substitute for a caregiver's reading of a story,
or for the cuddling on the caregiver's lap so many
children enjoy during story time. There is no substitution
for human interaction.
Children
learn a great many things in the book centre.
- Turning
pages of a book from beginning to end prepares for
reading and writing readiness (reading from left
to right.)
- Having
a supply of blank paper, pencils, crayons or felts
encourages communication (reading and writing).
- Listening
to a story and talking about the story enhances
listening skills and language development. It also
instills in children a love of books, helps them
remember details and express ideas.
A
good book centre contains the following items:
- board
books for the younger children
- nursery
rhymes
- poetry
books
- alphabet
and counting books
- picture
books
- fairy
tales
- animal
books, and
- books
with no text.
- Hardcover
books will outlast softcover books, particularly
in a daycare centre.
For
more information on setting up play centres in your
home or daycare centre, consult the wonderful book,
Start and Run a
Profitable Home Day Care, and check out these
other related articles:
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©
Catherine M. Pruissen
Catherine M. Pruissen is the CEO of About Child Care
Consumer Services and developer of child care online.
She has published numerous child care related literature,
including Start and
Run a Profitable Home Day Care, The
Daycare Alternative, How to Find Good Child Care,
Caregiver Aids: Business
Forms for Caregivers and Parents, Income
Tax & Record Keeping for Child Care Providers,
and a host of workshops and workbooks. She was the editor
and publisher of the bi-monthly newsletter, Parent Care,
Your Child Care News-line. Catherine was also the coordinator
and workshop facilitator for The Child Care Information
Centre in Calgary, Alberta, and ran a successful dayhome
for eight years. |
