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Front-facing bookshelves seem to be a feature of every Montessori-inspired home. But why are they so important?
Children care more about the cover of a book than the spine. Think about it: young children who haven't learned how to read yet will like the colours and pictures more than the words.
This is true even for us adults. When we visit a bookshop, we naturally gravitate towards the beautiful display or maybe search for a particular title on the bookshelves.
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What to look for when choosing a children's bookshelf:
- its a front-facing bookshelf - this allows your child to see the selection of books more easily
- it promotes independence: choose a bookshelf which enables your child to reach all the books
- it's neutral in decoration so the bookshelf doesn't distract them from the actual books
- it allows you to display books of different sizes
Furthermore, you may want to consider the material of the bookshelf (do you prefer wood or are you OK with a plastic/fabric one?). Do you want the shelf being a permanent fixture in a room or one that you can move from one room to another?
You may also want to take into account that a front-facing system is meant to present a small selection of books, not to store your child's entire collection. With toys, activities and books, less is more. It's important not to overwhelm your child. With a limited number of books on display, your child can focus on each book more. You can always rotate the books according to your child's interests, the seasons or a specific topic that you want your child to discover.
Without further ado, here are some Montessori aligned bookshelves:
Tidy Books bookshelf:
This is a well-established company. The bookshelf is cleverly-designed and extremely easy to assemble. You can choose whether you want to personalise it, to sort the letters in alphabetical order or even have a Montessori-inspired alphabet on it.
At home, we have their Montessori bookshelf:
I like this model; it is well suited for toddlers and preschoolers. I like the Montessori- inspired alphabet although I would love a cursive option. We use this bookshelf in our living room to display our topic books. You should secure it to a wall.
The one downside is that the two middle shelves can only accommodate small books.
Tidy Books has some other options such as a wall shelf unit:
Enjoy 10% off on your Tidy Books purchase with this code AMBCR10
WAMMcosyroom
This is a new shop on Etsy.
The design is not as wide as the Tidy Books bookshelf (it's 20 cm less in width), but the 2 middle shelves can accommodate taller books. It is considerably cheaper than some other brands (not including shipping costs).
The company also has this kind of book display:
Sprout bookshelf
If you live in the United States, you may want to consider the Sprout brand. Sprout offers a collection of furniture - based on the Montessori principles - made in the US. There is a 5 year guarantee on each piece. They are sent as ready-to-assemble furniture, I wish they would easily deliver to the UK!
DIY ideas:
In our house, we used to have a basket with a few books.We also had 2 IKEA shelf options:
The Spice racks:
Are you based in the UK?
Discover our handmade range of Montessori toys and materials
We make safe, natural wooden toys and educational material for Montessori parents.
These picture ledges:
IKEA FLISAT
The shelf is below and the storage box is here.
Great Little Trading company:
This UK-based online shop has some great options.
On a budget:
For a cheaper option, check Dunelm:
And Argos for another cheap option.
Check it out here.
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