LA T3.02Choosing and Returning a Book
The child learns to choose a book from a low shelf, carry it with two hands, turn the pages, and put it back.
Safety
- Secure the bookshelf to the wall so it cannot tip if a child climbs on it or pulls it.
- Remove books with loose pieces or torn pages; paper scraps are a choking hazard for children who mouth objects.
Presentation
- 1
Walk with the child to the bookshelf. Say, "Let's choose a book." Look at the covers together.
- 2
Take the book with two hands, one on each side, and carry it to the rug.
- 3
Sit down, open the book from the front, and turn one page at a time by its top corner. Say, "I turn the page."
- 4
Hand the book to the child to turn the next page. This is the point of interest: the child turns one page.
- 5
Close the book, carry it with two hands back to the shelf, and put it in its place with the cover facing out.
- 6
If a book is thrown or torn, calmly put it away: "Books stay on the shelf or in our hands. I will put this one away now." Offer books again later.
Extensions, easiest to hardest
- The child chooses a book and brings it to an adult to read
- The child sits and looks at a book alone
- Paper-page books added once the child turns board-book pages one at a time
- Mending a torn page with the adult, using clear tape
Control of error
The shelf: each book has a place with room for its cover, so a book put back sideways or in a pile is easy to see. The adult shows again when a book is handled roughly.
Ready to move on when the child…
- Takes a book from the shelf and carries it with two hands
- Turns board-book pages one at a time
- Returns the book to the shelf without being asked
- Sits and looks through a book alone for a few minutes
Guide note
Keep only a few books out and rotate them according to what the children choose; a crowded shelf makes choosing and returning harder.