5 REASONS WHY READING WITH OUR KIDS MATTERS

from our Modern Basement Playroom Project

If you’ve been following along for a while now, you’ll know that I am a huge believer in the importance of reading to and with kids when they are little. A book wall is included in nearly every room we’ve designed and lots of posts about great books have been written on this blog. I’ve even shown you how to create your own book wall (it’s super easy, tag me on Instagram with #WDstyle if you try it out)!

But why is it important?

Kids are exposed to more words:

A study released last year showed that parents who read on average of five books a day to their kids from birth to 5 years old, expose them to “over a million more words” than parents who don’t. A MILLION!!!

They don’t need to be complex books either…board books are a perfect place to start. I can’t help but think about how much better a toddler’s communication might be with more words at their disposal to explain their own emotions!

Reading together promotes closeness:

Whether it’s with their siblings or curled on your lap, reading in the early years promotes actually being close to someone else. In our newest playroom project, we worked with California Closets to design a custom book wall that houses 100s of books for our little clients and it was an absolute dream come true. It also provides the perfect spot to curl up on one of the giant floor cushions and look at books together.

Reading exposes kids to new topics and different ways of thinking

No parent can be an expert on all things and books are the perfect way to expose kids to topics that you may not know a lot about. Through books, kids can learn about people and places across the world or about the details of how to do something they know nothing about.

Reading can strengthen emotional intelligence

Books written from different characters perspectives allow children to learn how to think outside of themselves. Whether from the point of view of an ant or from a child in another country, reading books from a variety of perspectives allows kids the opportunity to think about life ‘in another pair of shoes’.

Reading together is fun!

Do your kids love reading as much as ours? “Mom, puh-lease can you read just one more book?” can be heard in our house nearly every night. Kids love the pictures and when presented in a positive and light way, even learning to read can be a lot of fun! As a parent of three kids in two years, I found reading books to offer a quick way to turn fussy little toddlers around too. A stack of books and a giant cuddle in a cozy corner of the couch has often helped transform three cranky kids into three quiet kids and a peaceful break for me (win-win I say!).

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HOW TO STYLE YOUR KIDS' SHELVES IN 4 EASY STEPS!

If you’ve been blessed with becoming a parent, surely you are realizing that all of the toys, books, photos, stuffed animals (aka stuff) needs to be stored somewhere. It is likely that a bookshelf of some sort has made its’ way into your child’s room and if not, now is the perfect time to get one!

Pretty (and functional!) shelves aren’t as simple as they look but with careful thought, everyone can turn a mediocre bookshelf into something you will proud to see and use everyday. We love this plain white bookshelf that goes from floor to ceiling.

SHOP THE LOOK…

Styling kids shelves starts with the most obvious step of all, but one that so many people often overlook.

STEP 1: CLEAR YOUR SHELVES

If you want to tackle the job of styling your shelves properly, start by taking everything off and giving them a good dust / clean. By starting with a clean blank slate, you will already be on your way to successful shelf styling!

STEP 2: ADD BOOKS

Now that your shelves are clear, take this chance to go through the books and donate any that your children have finished with. This may sound like a no-brainer, but trust me on this one! Kids interests change quickly and you will surely find at least a few that are no longer needed.

Once you have all the books that are going back on the shelf, break them up into sections, such as board books on one shelf or chapter book series grouped together. IF you are super particular with the way the shelves LOOK, you can also get as choosy as same size books or same colour spines together. You can also use special books, photos or actual art pieces and lean them against the back of the shelf or wall. By doing this, it adds an extra layer of depth making shelves appear deeper.

In the photo below, there are 57 books! If you have many more than this, fill up every second shelf leaving the bottom shelf empty for baskets or bins.

STEP 3: ADD STORAGE BASKETS AND SMALL CONTAINERS

Start with your biggest storage baskets or bins on the bottom shelf. We used metallic baskets for everyday items that get left on the floor. It keeps the floor tidy and the kids know where to find items that they have left around the house. As kids get older, I find the toys get smaller! This means that there are lots of little ‘treasures’ and it’s handy to have little boxes in their rooms for these items.

STEP 4: ADD ACCESSORIES (AKA THE FUN PART!)

This is where the true fun comes in! Keep in mind that empty or white space is just as important as the items you place on the shelves. Here’s your chance to add little vases, candles, wooden toys for younger kids, or in my twins’ case, the Maileg collection that has grown over the years. These are perfect for adding to the shelves along with their mini globe (similar), daily calendar, and letter bookends. If you aren’t sure where to place things, just try it and then stand back and see what you think. Try to add smaller items next to larger and mix it up between placing things right in the centre or 1/3 of the way in on either side.

If you have any questions about how to style a functional and pretty shelves for your kids, ask away in the comments below and if you redo the shelves at home, I’d love to see!

SHOP THIS POST…

8 SUMMER KIDS BOOKS THAT INSPIRE A LOVE OF NATURE

It's been too long since I've shared a post about kids books, but my feeling about the importance for early childhood literacy has certainly not dwindled. Summer is THE perfect time to get reading with kids and reading outdoors is one of our much-loved lazy summer day activities! So grab a blanket, a kid or two and head outside with some new books that are sure to become summer favourites.

Today's book selections are perfect for reading outside with the kids; they will even inspire a love of nature and teach you a thing or two as well!

01. // The Honeybee; 02. // Curious Kids Nature Guide; 03. // Seed School; 04. // Plants Feed Me; 05. // Up in the Garden Down in the Dirt; 06. // How Do Flowers Grow; 07. // Tap the Magic Tree; 08. // The Butterfly Dance.

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HOLIDAY BOOKS FOR KIDS

If you've been following along for a while, you will know that I LOVE children's books as much as book walls and try to encourage reading in every way I can in our household and in client spaces. 

Book walls provide an easy way to display different toys and of course, books! At this time of year, I switch up the every day books for books about winter, Christmas, Hanukkah, whatever else that feels like December and holidays for your family!

A few years ago, we wrapped up books for an all-book advent calendar and it was the perfect way to start a family collection of stories for this time of the year. The following years we have given the kids a new book on December 1st to launch the holiday fun. If introduced right from the start, books are loved by all. They will make the perfect gift for your own little ones but also make lovely gifts for cousins, nieces, nephews and any little friends.

Here are some of our tried and true favourite Christmas / holiday / December books!

01. // The Christmas Quiet Book; 02. // The Polar Express; 03. // Snowmen at Christmas; 04. // A Christmas for Bear; 05. // Christmas Wombat; 06. // Bear Stays Up For Christmas; 07. // Belle & Boo A Very Merry Christmas; 08. // Little Blue Truck's Christmas; 09. // Twas The Night Before Christmas; 10. // Hannukah Hop; 11. // The Jolly Christmas Postman; 12. // The Little Reindeer.

We also LOVE 'Little Robin's Christmas' but I couldn't find it in stock anywhere online. It is a lovely story so check your local bookstore to see if it is there.

Happy reading...

HAPPY THURSDAY + WHAT WE'RE READING

It's that time of year again where we are reading more books. We read books at bedtime every night all year but now they start to creep into our routine at other times too (waiting in the car, after school downtime, weekend mornings). It Starts with a Seed is a new favourite book in our house this Autumn that we are all in love with!

With both magical illustrations and lovely words, the book walks through the journey of how a tiny seed becomes a home to creatures, grows leaves and becomes a beautiful tree. The colours and stages scream Autumn but truly this book captures all of the seasons and lasts throughout the whole year. 

You can find this gorgeous book on Amazon in the US here or in Canada here. You can also find at your local neighbourhood bookstore. Happy Thursday friends!!