I recently hosted a kids book swap for the mom’s group in my neighborhood. It was a really easy and fun way to clear out some of our books, and stock up on some “new” books for the kids to read.
If you’re interested in hosting your own book swap, here are the steps you can follow, along with a flyer that you can use to advertise your swap.
Book swap flyer
Grab the PDF and customize it with the information for your own book swap. (Save as an image and add text, or print and fill in your info.)
How to organize your book swap
Step 1: Pick a day, time, and location for your swap
I decided to host our neighborhood book swap in my garage. I left the garage door open during the hours of the swap, and everyone was able to stop by whenever they wanted to browse.
Step 2: Decide how you will collect books
You might just have your friends bring their books with them to the actual swap.
I was doing a drop-by event, so I decided to collect books ahead of time. (I wanted to already have a bunch of books for the first few people who came!)
So I designated a drop-off location: a bin on my porch.
Easy peasy.
Step 3: Advertise your book swap
Use the flyer above, or create something of your own. I was doing our book swap with my local mom’s group, so I shared the information online within our private Facebook group.
You could keep it as simple as sharing the important information (date, time and location) in a group text message.
Step 4: Collect and organize books as you get them
This is also a great time to go through the books in your own home and decide which ones you can contribute to the swap.
As I received books, I organized them on tables and in bins.
I also separated and labeled board books and chapter books just to make it a little easier for parents who were looking for something specific.
Step 5: Have fun swapping books!
Don’t forget to grab a few new books for yourself. 😉
Step 6: Donate any leftover books
If you need some ideas on what to do with the extra books, check out this post for 8 things to do with decluttered books.
Have fun, and happy planning!
-Laura
Share How to Host a Book Swap on Pinterest:
Christmas planner: Free printable
This 36 page Christmas planner for moms (free printable PDF download) includes a Christmas bucket list, to-do checklists, book and movie lists, gift ideas for kids, non-toy gift ideas, a Christmas party planner, Christmas activity ideas for kids, thank you card checklist, a holiday meal planner, and more! It’s absolutely everything you need to keep…
Best Christmas Movies for Kids
Here are 24 of the best Christmas movies for kids to watch this year. Enjoy! 1. Home Alone (1990) I recently did a poll in my Instagram stories, and Home Alone came out as the number 1 favorite Christmas movie to watch with kids. 2. The Grinch (2018) This version of The Grinch is sooo…
November gratitude calendar for kids
This gratitude calendar is the perfect way to encourage your kids to be grateful and thankful for all they have during the month of November. What a great way to celebrate Thanksgiving! Download the gratitude calendar for kids Download the november Gratitude calendar for kids here! Link not working? Click here instead. Tip: When you…
How to organize legos for kids
As a mom of 4 kids, I’m here to share the secret about how to organize legos for kids. The secret? It all depends on how your kids play with their legos. Let me explain: Our kids used to love doing lego sets. They would build a set, take it apart, and build the same…
Easy sports night dinners: 100 ideas
When I signed my kids up for sports, I didn’t realize that it meant we would either be eating dinner at 4:00, or at 9:00 pm! Evenings with sports practices and games can make eating dinner as a family tough. Which is why I decided to make a list of over 100 easy sports night…
How to organize your iPhone photos (the fun and easy way!)
Here’s how to organize your iPhone photos without losing your mind: My phone was out of storage. I had WAY too many photos and videos that I never sort through, but the thought of going through them all was wildly overwhelming. Which is how I came up with the photo cleanup challenge. It’s a fun…
Continue Reading How to organize your iPhone photos (the fun and easy way!)
Leave a Reply