Early Literacy Tips: Building a Home Library

Creating a print rich environment in your home is one of many ways to get your young children ready to start reading. Research shows that children who live in an environment where print materials are easily accessible and celebrated are more motivated to learn to read. One way to make your home a print rich environment is to build a home library with books that you and your children love to read together.

Books can be expensive but building your home library does not have to be.

Here are a few ways you can add books to your collection at little to no cost:

• Come to the library for our Summer Reading Program and pick up a free book for any child 0-18 years old. 
• Enroll your 0-5 year old in the Imagination Library, opens a new window to receive a free high-quality book in the mail once a month. 
• Visit one of the library's Used Book Sales, opens a new window and take home some previously loved books for a fraction of the cost of new ones.
• Check the Little Free Libraries, opens a new window in your neighborhood for children's books.
• Plan a Book Swap, opens a new window with friends and neighbors to exchange reading materials.

Building your home library is just one way to make your home literacy rich!

Discover more ways to make your home a literacy rich environment: 

• Interact joyfully with children and books everyday.
• Include at least one rhyme book and at least one alphabet book.
• Have a variety of picture books.
• Provide access to crayons, pencils, markers and paper for writing and drawing.
• Write grocery lists and notes so that children can watch and talk about writing.
• Provide opportunities for music, rhymes, poems, singing and storytelling.
• Talk with children about pictures, signs and words in their environment.