Books for 15 – 18 year olds + massive Puffin book Christmas giveaway
Hello!
We have only just over a month until Christmas and I am in the process of wrapping up my Christmas shopping which is exciting! How are you going with yours?
Books have always been a big part of our gift-giving Christmas tradition. Once the kids reached an age where they wanted to buy each other a present for Christmas, we agreed that they could buy each other a book for Christmas. This worked super well in a few key ways:
the kids then had books to read over the summer
it showed we value books highly as we give them as Christmas gifts
they were timestamped moments – the kids wrote a note in the book before wrapping it and these messages are gorgeous to read years down the track
it reduced the amount of junky toys etc that was brought into the house at Christmas
Now that we have three adult children in the house the kids and they have more disposable income they are wanting to buy different gifts for each other which I respect. This year our book gift giving will look different as it will be just me including a book for each child with their presents.
Giving books as gifts is a small but very important action we can take as parents. Kym Simoncini, an Associate professor of Early Childhood and Primary Education at the University of Canberra notes:
A 2011 report from the UK showed the number of young people who say they own a book is decreasing. The report also showed a clear relationship between receiving books as presents and reading ability. Children who said they had never been given a book as a present were more likely to be reading below the expected level for their age.
In a world now biased towards tech and online activities making sure you have plenty of books in the house as an option for kids is critical not only for a love of reading but also for their education. A study that looked at data from 27 countries, including Australia, found children growing up in homes with many books got three years more education than children from bookless homes. This was independent of their parents’ education, occupation and class.
So as you are thinking of Christmas gifts for the kids this year, make sure books are part of it. And as parents, the best thing we can do is role model reading and make sure we add a book to our Christmas list for summer reading too!
Massive Puffin Book Christmas Giveaway
Thanks to the team at Puffin I have a fabulous Puffin Book Christmas Giveaway. It is valued at over $300 and includes:
A GIANT Puffin rug!
Bluey: 12 Days of Christmas
Bluey: Merry Christmas: A Colouring Book
Spot’s First Christmas by Eric Hill
Peppa Pig: Peppa and the Christmas Elf
Peter Rabbit: Happy Christmas Peter by Beatrix Potter
The Very Hungry Caterpillar’s Night Before Christmas by Eric Carle
Mr Men Little Miss The Christmas Elf by Roger Hargreaves
Zola and the Christmas Lights by Melina Marchetta
Meerkat Christmas by Aura Parker
Books for 15 – 18 year olds
Thanks to my 16 and 18 year old I have a great new book list on the blog aimed directly at this hard to buy for age group. You can check out their excellent recommendations here - Books for 15 – 18 year olds.
Enjoy the rest of your week!
Nic