5 Ways to Create an Effective Home Library

With so many wonderful things for your child to read — whether in digital or print formats — it’s more important than ever to remind ourselves about the many benefits of a curated, at-home library that they can access and enjoy whenever they’d like. 

Whether it’s an opportunity to unwind after a long day or a chance to explore new titles that deal with relatable topics, having a library at home will have a positive impact on their reading skills and their social-emotional development as they grow. For example, the Scholastic Kids & Family Reading Report has found that kids having access to their own books or those of a community or school library greatly impacts their reading skills and overall love for reading. 

Choice also matters. In fact, 92 percent of kids say that they are more likely to finish a book they’ve chosen themselves, and another 93 percent of kids say that their favorite books tend to be those they’ve chosen as well. 

But what exactly makes an effective at-home library for growing kids? The answers may surprise you. 

Deimosa Webber-Bey, director of information services and cultural insight at Scholastic’s library and archive, suggests ways to not only build an engaging home library from scratch, but also how to maintain and  keep it growing right along with your reader through every age and stage. 

Plus, nurture your reader’s skills with this fun reading roadmap.

1. Ensure Durability

One important element to consider is how to make sure that the books you’re purchasing will last a while. 

“The first key factor that comes to mind when making an at-home library is durability and content,” says Webber-Bey, “It’s the quality of the content as well as the volume that carries it.” 

Take the time to note which books are the most popular with your family and invest in hardcover copies of those titles. After all, read-alouds and chapter books that make an appearance every night at bedtime can get a workout. “Whether it’s beloved picture books like Clifford the Big Red Dog or series for older kids like Harry Potter, investing in a hardcover copy will ensure it will last longer,” says Webber-Bey. 

Choosing to invest in hardcovers, from single titles to whole series, will ensure that the same books will entertain your child, their siblings, friends, and even the community at large should you choose to donate them later.

2. Share Old Favorites and Include Book Teaser

Incorporating your own favorite books into the mix to share with your child will enable you to be a good reading role model and encourage them to explore new genres and topics for themselves. One way to do this is to talk about those books with your child in advance. 

“Book talks are great for eliciting enthusiasm,” says Webber-Bey. “Talking about books they want to read is like a preview to a movie — you can give them just enough information for them to get excited about coming back to find out what happens.” 

Remember to talk about books that you yourself have read and loved in order to get your child curious about them.

“It’s important to share books that you were excited about yourself,” explains Webber-Bey. “For example, if you loved books like The Chronicles of Narnia, the Ramona Quimby series, Nancy Drew books, etc. as a kid, your enthusiasm and joy for them will translate to your own children when you read them out loud together.” 

Invest in newer copies of your favorite titles and read them together — it’s a great way to bond and include classics and newer titles in their repertoire. 

Rediscover old classics with timeless chapter books for kids.

3. Let Them Choose, Organize, and Update

Whether you’re refreshing your library or building from scratch, letting your child choose what they read as well as helping to organize them on the shelves and updating their collections  will give them a sense of accomplishment and instill a love and respect for their books. 

It’s also a great opportunity to gauge and level up on your child’s reading interests. Meet your child where they currently are and what they love to read, in addition to thinking two steps ahead at what they will want to read as they grow older.

“Kids tend to like to read about people who are slightly older than they are,” explains Webber-Bey. “Similar to looking up to an older sibling or relative that you admire, kids look for characters in books who experience a certain level of risk that they can then learn from. So if you have a child in fifth grade, they’ll want to read about kids in middle school. If you have a child in middle school, they’ll want to read about characters in early high school, and so on.”

The 7th edition of Scholastic Kids & Family Reading Report found that characters indeed play powerful roles in a child’s life, with 95 percent of parents agreeing that characters in books can help foster the qualities they value for their children. 

You can also include series that you enjoyed as a child — like The Baby-sitters Club, Goosebumps, and more — in new and different formats, like Graphix graphic novels and retellings. 

Plus, creating a system of organization that makes sense for your reader’s preferences will also have a huge impact in how they care for and curate their own books. Get creative and organize however you’d like: by genre, by topic, by age range, or even by color scheme to create a rainbow! You can even go through your books a few times a year to see which to keep, which to donate, and which to purchase for the season. 

Find high-interest books for all ages from this month’s new releases they’ll love.

4. Include Books for Important Life Moments and Social-Emotional Development

According to the seventh edition of the Scholastic Kids & Family Reading Report, parents have reported that they like to use books not only to help their children learn about the world around them, but to also approach difficult topics and conversations with more ease. 

“There are different conversations in which books can help,” says Webber-Bey. “Tougher topics such as death, divorce, puberty, and more are topics where it’s good to look ahead and research books that deal with them in ways kids can understand. You can find these resources in both fiction books, where the characters are dealing with similar circumstances, or in scientific reference books that explain things more matter-of-factly and in greater detail.” 

For example, if your child is getting ready for preschool or kindergarten, books about feelings are a great way to explain the range of emotions they will experience during this pivotal turning point in their social-emotional development, which will better prepare them for the actual event.

Learning to be away from home in a school environment will also be eased with titles like The Night Before Kindergarten, Sometimes I Kaploom, and Wemberly Worried, where kids will see characters who are also anxious and learn how to overcome their worries. 

If you have an older child who is a year or two away from middle school, include titles that deal with topics like friendship, fitting in, and finding their own voice before they begin this new phase of their lives.

Series like Raina Telgemeier’s Smile, Sisters, and Guts, Definitely Nat, and The Baby-sitters Club are perfect for navigating the ins and outs of middle school, responsibility, self-esteem, and more. 

5. Add Diversity and Representation

It is also incredibly important to add books wherein your child can see themselves as well as their neighbors and peers. Books celebrating uniqueness like You Are Enough, I Color Myself Different, and I Am Me will encourage a healthy self-esteem and boost confidence in your child.

Meanwhile, adding diverse voices to your child’s library will enable them to also build empathy and kindness, as well as an understanding of others’ circumstances and experiences that may vary from their own. 

“It’s good to be able to see others and walk a mile in their shoes,” says Webber-Bey. “There is the aspect of a child being able to see their own face in the characters of their books, as well as faces that are different at the same time.”

Integrate as many books about differences as possible, ranging from characters of various backgrounds, families, cultures, neurodiversities, and more to expand your child’s world view and broaden their horizons.

“Books about different types of families, books that include characters with glasses, a wheelchair, or anything in between will help kids understand that they aren’t alone in any experience they’re having,” explains Webber-Bey.

No matter how you build your library, keeping these tips in mind will make sure your books will grow with your child and keep them coming back, which will continue to nurture a love of reading for years to come. 

Shop books to build your perfect home library below! You can find all books and activities at The Scholastic Store.