It's a Book Fair! How to Make the Most of Your School’s Book Fair
Aubrey De Jesus • February 10, 2024
Many of us have fond memories of our elementary school Book Fair. From the bright, colorful displays to the anticipation of reading a newly purchased book, everything about the book fair was magical. Most children love being able to choose their own books, and the Book Fair is a safe place for them to explore and find books both familiar and new.
As parents, we now have the opportunity to make the Book Fair as magical for our kids as it was for us at their age. Here are a few ways that you can make the most of your school’s book fair experience.
- Build excitement. Your child will undoubtedly see Book Fair posters along their school hallways announcing the coming Book Fair. Hype it up! Talk with them about the Book Fair. Get your kids excited about purchasing and reading new books through your excitement. This will set off the Book Fair on a high note.
- Leading up to the Book Fair, create ways for your kids to earn some extra book money. My kids love spending my money, but it’s a little sweeter for them to get to spend their own hard earned money. By giving your kids opportunities to earn some extra book money, they will have more ownership of the books they choose to purchase, and they can always remember that these are their books bought through their own hard work.
- Set some parameters on what they can, and cannot, get. If your kids are anything like mine, they go into the Book Fair with plans to only get books, but they end up wanting more of the flashier things by the register like scented erasers and fun bookmarks. To help curb this, set some parameters. For example, you can tell your child they need to pick 2 books, and if there is leftover money then they can spend it on those other things. If you don’t want your child to purchase anything but books, make it clear from the onset so they aren’t blindsided later (which can help eliminate meltdowns). Setting the expectations ahead of time will help everyone.
- Look through the flyers beforehand. Most book fairs send home a flyer leading up to the event, which gives you a good opportunity to look through it together and pick some favorites. Not all of the books being sold will be in the flyer, but most of the popular ones will be. Having some exposure to what is being sold, and already knowing some books that they are interested in purchasing, will help your child not feel too overwhelmed when they walk in with their class. Plus, it helps build excitement!
- Shop with them. Each class at KCS is given multiple opportunities throughout the week to visit the Book Fair where they can see what’s available, make wish lists, and come back to make purchases. The Book Fair is also open till 4:00pm on school days for parents to come and shop, with or without their kids. Shopping with your child will give you another opportunity to see what books they are interested in, help them find things on their reading level, and spend some quality time with them. I like to flip through the books my kids are interested in before purchasing, and shopping together also eliminates buying books that we already own or books that are too easy or hard for them to read on their own. Shopping together is my favorite way to make the most of our school’s Book Fair!
- Buy a book for your child’s classroom. Most teachers will make a Classroom Wish List, and buying a book off this list not only helps the teacher grow their classroom library, but it’s also fun for the child. Consider purchasing a book from the Classroom Wish List and having your child write an inscription on the inside cover. They’ll be able to see it used in the classroom, and so will all the students who come after. What a great way to thank your child’s teacher for their hard work.
Hopefully these ideas will help you make the most of our King’s Christian School Book Fair this month, and help make the experience magical for your kids. Make sure you stop by after school to visit the week of
February 12th - 16th.
We can’t wait to see what books your child chooses!
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