Is It Possible to Organize Your Children's Books?

Yes, you can get organized.

If books are being read, you'll have to be flexible about your organization system. The picture you see above is a day of returning books to the basement. I'm organized but not too organized. Take what you can from how I try to stay organized. Everyone has to come up with a system that works for their own family.

There is a table in our livingroom for school library books and books I'm reading to my kids. When my children were younger I read three books a night, one for each child. We had a tub with books that were the right length for bedtime stories. The books in the tub were a combination of books I chose and books my children chose.

We keep a tub for public library books on the bottom shelf of a bookcase in our livingroom.







My children have a box of books next to their beds. We just went through the boxes a few days ago. They searched our collection of books in the basement and went through some books I purchased at a used book store to add new ones to their boxes. They kept some of their favorites for rereading. When they were younger most of the books were ones we read together once, and they reread for practice. They all seem to like reading new books now. Rereading books helped my children become fluent readers and improve decoding skills.

These are the books my children chose for their boxes recently.

It helps to have quick access to books a child has chosen and will enjoy reading. I make sure the books are at or below my children's reading level.


 

I organize some books in magazine boxes. I either write on the box or use a name tag for a label. The labels I have in use now are Eric Carle, Mercer Mayer, Berenstain Bears, Magic School Bus, Franklin, Clifford, Super Heros, Space, Sports, Halloween, Christmas, Snow, Colors, ABC's, Numbers, Animals Primary, Animals Intermediate, Bedtime Stories and Rhyming Books, USA Books, Jokes, Zoo Books, Fairy Tales and Folk Stories, Girl Books, Holidays and Songs, Maps and Travel, Poetry Books, Sea Creatures, Kid Magazines, Searching Books, Science, and Dinosaurs 

Here's the cupboard I keep the magazine boxes.

Each shelf fits two rows of boxes. If there are only four boxes in the front row, it's easy to slide the boxes around to see the labels of the boxes in the back.

Basement Book Shelves:

The top shelf has chapter books. The next shelf has a mix of informational books and biographies. The bottom middle two shelves have some of our favorite books, books that don't fit with a label, and some books that escaped their labeled box. (No problem. Maybe we'll return it to it's box someday.) The bottom shelf has two tubs with board books that can be pulled out for younger visitors. 

The shorter book shelf has two plastic boxes just the right size for chapter books at my children's reading levels grouped by author and a clear plastic tub with books for beginning readers. The bottom two shelves have three tubs for the students I tutor with reading and a tub for books my children have made themselves. (They've just started showing an interest in making their own books. I hope the box keeps them motivated.)

These next three pictures are the tubs of books I use for tutoring. I've given each book a colored circle, so it can be returned to the right box if my children want to read one of these books.

DRA levels 2 - 10 

Green Circle

DRA Levels 12 -20

Yellow Circle

DRA Levels 22 - 30

Red Circle

These are just some ideas. Feel free to share some of your own ideas in a comment.
I belong to a ning called WE TEACH. The subgroup "We Teach Reading" just had a great discussion on this topic.

My Favorite Phonics Books

Is It Possible to Organize Your Children's Books?

Use Magnetic Letters to Teach Blending the First Two Sounds in a Word

I have a student I'm tutoring who usually makes the first sound in a word and pauses. His eyes bounce all over the word or he looks away. He tries to guess at the word instead of using the letters to help him read the word. We've been working on blending the first two sounds in a word without pausing. The following videos show examples of what I've been trying with him.

This strategy is working for my student. He is in second grade and doesn't like me to show him how to do things. Usually I like to use my voice to show a student how to blend, but this particular student gets upset when I show him first. He wants to feel successful on his own. This activity forces him to make the first two sounds together. Then I sneak in the last sound.

I'm hoping to teach him to read a word fluently from left to right.

Search for Magnetic Letters HERE . Look for FREE SUPER SAVER SHIPPING
My Favorite Phonics Books

Use Magnetic Letters to Teach Blending the First Two Sounds in a Word

Reading Disabilities: Beating The Odds. The Latest Review

This book is worth checking out if you have a child or teach a child struggling with reading.
Reading Disabilities: Beating The Odds. The Latest Review

My Favorite Phonics Books

Reading Disabilities: Beating The Odds. The Latest Review

Children Love Books Even More When They Know the Author

You'll find over 70 video interviews with children's book authors here. Check out written interviews with authors and kid reviews of their books here. Check out a number of books from your library by an author that interests a child.  Don't limit yourself to these authors. If your child has a favorite book, look for more by the same author at your library.

My family's local library has children's books organized by the author's last name. Sometimes my children and I chose one or two author's per visit to the library and checked out as many as we could find from the authors. We kept the books for a month and read our favorites more than once. It was fun to see how many stories and themes were similar. I wish we had access to these interviews during that time.

I'm excited to see an interview with Judy Blume. My eight year old son loved her book, Tales of a Fourth Grade Nothing.

My family also likes Denise Fleming, Jon Scieszda, Bestsy Lewin, Bill Martin Jr., Semour Simon, Steven Kellogg, Rosemary Wells, Jane Yolen, Jack Prelutsky and Mary Pope Osborne from the interviews. We love Dav Pilkey minus his Captain Underpants series.

If you like to get to know authors, you should follow the blog Happy Birthday Author. This blog celebrates different children's book authors on their birthdays. You'll find a ton of information, videos, books, and links to resources about and by the celebrated author.

Have fun getting to know an author and enjoying reading with your children!

Children Love Books Even More When They Know the Author

Reading Rockets - Reading Tip of the Day

Reading Rockets - Reading Tip of the Day

Develop Vocabulary in Early Readers

Reading Rockets has a good article with advice to develop vocabulary. http://www.readingrockets.org/article/35980

I've found a series of books that have been a great resource to use with students I tutor. My own children enjoy reading about five pages per sitting. Each book is spiral bound and stands up on a table. The colorful illustrations help teach words and concepts.

Develop Vocabulary in Early Readers

Teach a Child to Read and Spell Early

A child can read and spell simple words with magnetic letters . I gave my own children access to magnetic letters before they could write letters. We had so much fun, and they felt so smart.

Start slow with fun words. We were able to connect sounds to letters. It is important for children to hear and make sounds for letters and groups of letters. It felt more like play than teaching and learning. We didn't have to use terms like short vowel and long vowel. My children started to see patterns of the English language in a natural way.

no, go
mom, dad
me, he, she
dog, cat
moo, boo
moo, moon
boo, boom

Play with these words. Model making the sounds for the letters as you make words. Have the child make the sounds for letters as he/she makes words.
After a child knows these words well. Try mixing up the letters for two or three words and have only those letters available on a table, floor, or magnetic surface. Example: n, g, o, o, e, m  Ask the child to make the words: no, go, and me.  Another example: n, g, d, o, o, o, g  Ask the child to make the words: no, go, and dog.

When working with a very young child explain rules only if the child asks. This allows children to discover patterns for themselves. If the child starts to ask he/she is ready for the information you will give.

Here are some of the rules and patterns a child may learn from these words:
A vowel at the end of a word will make a long sound or say its own name.
A vowel trapped between two consonants will make a special short sound.
Sometimes two letters work together to make a new sound. (sh and oo)

Click here to find magnetic letter work products. Look for FREE Super Saver Shipping.

Teach a Child to Read and Spell Early

Phonemic Awareness Games: Teach a child to hear the individual sounds in words.

Here are some games to help a child become aware of sounds in words.

Separating Sounds - Ask for things or say some words in everyday conversations with a pause between each sound. For example: “Can you get a (t)…(ow)…(el)? Did you remember your (l)…(u)…(n)…(ch)?”


Change Beginning Sounds - Be silly and make a different sound for the beginning sounds of some words while talking to a child. For example: “Let’s take the pog for a walk. Can you hand me that fencil, so I can make a grocery list? If the child doesn't notice, tell the child you said one word wrong. Repeat the sentence and see if the child can correct you.

Guessing Game - Choose a category: Farm Animals, Food, Pets, etc.
Examples- You say “I’m thinking of a farm animal.” Then separate the sounds. (c)…(ow) Leave some time between the sounds to make it more difficult.

Farm Animals- (h)…(or)…(se), (d)…(u)…(ck), (sh)…(ee)…(p), (ch)…(i)…(ck)…(e)…(n)

Food- (c)…(or)…(n), (p)…(i)…(ck)…(le), (h)…(a)…(m)

Pets- (d)…(o)…(g), (b)…(ir)…(d), (p)…(ar)…(o)…(t), (f)...(r)…(o)…(g)

If this is difficult, have the child stretch sounds with you. Say, “Let’s make the sounds together.” Stretch the sounds without leaving space between the sounds. hhhhh-orrrrr-sssssse, d-uuuuuuu-ck, ssshhhh-eeeeeeee-p, ch-iiiiiiii-ck-eeeee-nnnnn, c-orrrrrrrr-nnnnnnn, p-iiiiiiiii-ck-lllllllle, hhhhhhhhaaaaaaammmmmm, d-ooooooooo-g, b-irrrrrr-d, p-arrrrrrrr-ooooo-t, fffff-rrrrr-ooooo-g

Some sounds are fast sounds and will not be stretched. (t,d,b,k,g,p)

Let the child separate sounds and make you guess. When a child can guess words with the sounds separated and can separate individual sounds in words and make you guess, the child has developed a sense of phonemic awareness.

Phonemic Awareness Games: Teach a child to hear the individual sounds in words.

Children's Books for Beginning Readers

Carefully selected books for beginning readers can increase confidence and produce success.

Some type of phonic based books should be read in the early stages of reading. My favorite phonic based books are in a series written by Nora Gaydos called Now I'm Reading! Each set has short books that stay neatly organized in the plastic sleeves of a hardcover with a magnetic closure. Books can be removed and replaced easily.
Now I'm Reading! Playful Pals, Level 1 Short Vowels
Now I'm Reading! Animal Antics Level 1 Short Vowels
Now I'm Reading! Amazing Animals Level 2 Long Vowels
Now I'm Reading! Clever Critters Level 1 Mixed Short Vowels
Now I'm Reading! On the Go Level 3 New Sounds and Blends
Now I'm Reading! Let's Play Level 4 More Word Skills

Here's a video of my daughter reading a book from Now I'm Reading! On the Go Level 3





Children will love to practice their phonics knowledge, learn new sight words, and use picture clues in these fun books with repeated language.
Brand New Readers Blue Set
Brand New Readers Purple Set
Brand New Readers Red Set

I've collected a few favorite Scholastic Level 1 Books here. Once you find my selection of Scholastic Level 1 books, you can search for more with the similar items section. You'll be sure to find some that will interest the beginning reader in your life. Scholastic leveled books meet the needs of beginning readers. There are strong picture clues and many contain rhyme and similar spelling patterns.
Check out my Amazon Store for other recommended beginning reader books.

Starfall has free phonics books online with animation if you click on some of the pictures. You can buy these phonics more and another phonics books set at their online store.

Go to your local library and ask a librarian for help choosing books.

Find the level of books you own or check out at the library.

Match books to your child's reading level. Even if your child has not been tested for a reading level. Try out a level. One in ten difficult words will be a book a child can read with support. One in twenty difficult words will be a book a child can read independently.

  

Children's Books for Beginning Readers

Don't Buy Expensive Reading Programs to Teach Your Child To Read!

Through my teaching experience and experience with my own children I've learned that children do not learn the same. Therefore no reading program will meet the needs of all children.

A parent with a little knowledge, time, and resources will be able to teach a child to read much better than any reading program.

I think the best way to teach a child to read is to have a child read good books at the child's level with a supportive adult. Create a collection of these books and have the child reread them many times. The child will become more fluent and enjoy the books more each time the books are read.

Reading is a complicated process. Some children make it look easy and some children struggle. Children who struggle have not learned all the skills necessary to read.

Please follow this blog and join the Beginning Reading google group to ask questions and have access to more reading resources.

Don't Buy Expensive Reading Programs to Teach Your Child To Read!