I have an insane amount of children's books. I think most former teachers do. Until recently, they were boxed up because we really didn't have the room for them. When I was looking for a specific book to use with Jonah, I would have to go digging and end up frustrated. It just wasn't working for me, especially as I planned out "Mommy's Official Preschool" and worked to transition us into a more structured learning time. Plus, the kid LOVES books and it was past time to rotate our book basket.
So, thanks to Ikea and their great prices, my books finally came out of hiding! This organization project was no small feat. I knew that it would drive me crazy if they weren't organized into categories. In my Kindergarten classroom, that was the way they were organized, and my brain still works that way when I try to find a book. So, I purchased several sets of the Ikea Flyt Magazine Holders and put each of the categories in a separate holder.
So I sorted...
and sorted...
and sorted some more.
My books that had been hiding in the basement thanked me for letting them come out to play.
I found two tall bookcases at a consignment sale for a great deal and it was a match made in heaven!
Tammy Carpenter
Sunday 8th of August 2021
This is brilliant and I am going to use this for my in home preschool. Thank you for posting!! Question, how did you deal with the books that won't fit in the magazine holders? I have a few kids books that are unusual sizes. Any suggestions?
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Monday 7th of April 2014
[…] Organizing Children’s Books- Another look at how you can organize books for young children. […]
Crystal @ Serving Joyfully
Saturday 27th of July 2013
That's similar to what I do :) Except that I'm even too cheap for the bins right now, so I have mine on bookshelves with cardstock dividers. I did mine by category as well because I would get so frustrated when we were studying something and I just *knew* I had a book to go with it. Either that, or I'd forget about the book and stumble across it after the fact.
Our Curriculum 2012-2013 | Happy Brown House
Thursday 27th of September 2012
[...] have an extensive children’s library built up from my years as a public school teacher and we will also be utilizing our local library [...]
Kara @ The Chuppies
Saturday 16th of July 2011
Love LOVE love this! I got super excited FOR you even just looking at all those organized-by-theme containers. Three of ours are a bit older but we still use read-alouds all the time and I love having them organized by subjects. This is really fun... Hey--we need a baby update soon--you've got to be getting really close :)