A Bookish Hyggekrog
I have more children’s books in my house than some libraries I’ve been to. I think this stems from a few things. Firstly- I grew up in a house that was filled to the brim with books, not all of them were children’s books but none of them were off limits. It was a time when reference books were necessary for school and while we took countless trips to our library we also had a solid collection of them at home. Secondly- I dabbled in the Usborne Books and More business, which left me with a ton of books that I earned for free and a handful of personal book-dealers.
When I think to my kids futures I don’t hope for soccer stars or model UN (though that would be great too), I only hope that they will love to read. I imagine them tucked away in their respective hyggekrogs reading late into the nights and waking early to finish just one more chapter before school. Because that was my youth. Books may as well have been an extension of my arm. During the summer months we visited the library at least twice a week and I checked out the max (ten books) each time. I devoured books, and still do. Books are one of my basic needs. And I hope to instill this desire and need in my kids.
I have a small book corner for Vera in our living room, thanks to some picture shelves from Ikea and my husband’s handy work. Back in January I decided I wanted to create a new focus (or theme) each month. Vera had started playing a new zoo game she made up which inspired our theme for January. She would have everyone join her on the couch (which doubled as a bus to the zoo) and then she would give us a tour. She used several “guidebooks” to tell us about the different animals. None of these book were new to her but she was as excited about them as she was when she first got them! I also included some zoo themed toys, including the ever-classic barrel of monkeys and the Koala Capers game.
February’s theme is numbers.
While Vera is actually pretty good with her numbers it doesn’t hurt to drill them in a bit more. The books range from story books to a book about number facts (Octopuses have 8 legs, a ukulele has 4 strings, etc). She loves all kinds of wipe-clean books and has really enjoyed tracing her numbers in the 1 2 3 book. I also included some blocks to teach her some simple math, a number puzzle, some flash cards, a clock puzzle, and play money!
Incorporating books into play transforms them.
They’re not just pictures and words anymore.
They’re fun and captivating, immersive and educational.
And they’re just as fun for me as they are for her!
What we’re your favorite kind of books growing up? Tell us in the comments!