Wednesday, May 26, 2010

A Little TLC

Teach your preschooler to care for her books and treat them with respect. Model how to take care of books by closing them properly--not open and face-down. Show your child how easy it is to mark your place with a bookmark, and how to carefully turn a page. That being said . . . many well-loved books will show signs of wear. If your child has tugged too enthusiastically at a pop-up tab or ripped a page in the act of turning it to find out what happens on the next page, don't worry. Mend the book and move on. That’s why clear tape was invented. In years to come, when you and your child revisit her favorite childhood books, the mended pages will be a sweet reminder of time spent reading together.
Posted by madforreading at Wednesday, May 26, 2010

4 comments:

  1. Parent and Child Reading AssistanceMay 26, 2010 at 9:42 PM

    We have many mended books. I use clear packing tape. My kids are older now and treat their books much better.
    The wear and tear came from my children loving their books and turning pages themselves. Some of the books are out of print. I keep the torn and taped books. These were my children's favorites. If the books don't go back into print again, my children will have these books for their children. I wish I would've taught more TLC, but we were having too much fun.

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  2. Donna PeruginiJune 1, 2010 at 9:15 PM

    I love your posting. It reminds me of all the heavily tugged pull tabs, etc. of our children's books.

    You've given good advice for the parents in modeling care for books. I'm glad you're 'aware' of the books, but also 'lenient'. Kudos!

    PS I came over from Michelle's Beginning Reading blog to visit your link! I'm glad I looked :) If you haven't already, please stop by my blog and download some free coloring pages.

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  3. BookChookJune 2, 2010 at 1:23 AM

    I love your balance and calm good sense here. If books are precious, and some are, I think they can go on a high shelf for a while. But books in our house make tunnels for trains, pillows for dolls, tall towers and occasionally, (gulp) castle walls for missiles.

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  4. BrandiJune 2, 2010 at 10:03 PM

    Hi, I noticed you just became my blog frog friend. :) I absolutely love reading to my children!! I home school, too, so books are just a way of life over here. I also noticed you have written children's books? What are their titles? I have actually written a few manuscripts and am doing research on getting published. Lots of work!! Any advice would be wonderful. Seems like you definitely know alot about books!!

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What I think . . .

There are all kinds of readers. Some—like my daughter and me—are never without a book to read for pleasure. Others—like my son—are careful, analytical, and curious readers who read primarily to seek information from the page.


No matter what kind of reader your child becomes, you can help him or her get started. After all, you are your child’s first teacher. And, best of all, you can have some fun in the process.


Please feel free to share your own ideas. Tell me about ways you've enjoyed reading with your child.


Madeline Boskey, Ph.D.