Meet Kirstin, our lovely Brand Ambassador. Kirstin is Bilingual, speaking both German and English. Kirstin is passionate about storytelling and books and brings both to life through play
What do you love about sharing books with your children?
I think sharing books with children opens up a whole different world to them. It’s a great way of sparking curiosity and encouraging imagination. When I read books to and with my children it’s always a special time for us. I can fully focus on them, give them my whole attention and they love it. I always make sure to squeeze in 1 or 2 stories a day. It’s a firm part of my 4 year old's bedtime routine and it gives me the opportunity to squeeze in some learning opportunities for my almost 2 year old as well.
I think it’s super important to implement books in a child’s daily life not only to spark curiosity but also to enrich their vocabulary and strengthen their communication skills. Books are even a great tool to support emotional support to children.
Personally I would always choose a book over a tablet. From a young age onwards I enjoyed reading and flicking through books. I remember my dad reading aloud fairytales to me when I was little. Once I was able to read myself, every night before I went to sleep, I would read a book, fictional or non-fictional. It was always a way of stepping into different worlds and characters, be whoever you want to be or learn new things about the world.
As I’m raising my boys bilingual, I want to make sure that they understand and might even be able to speak my mother language. We have not only plenty of English books but also German ones and I read books in both languages to them. I think It’s also a great way of sharing my favourite childhood books and stories with them.
Dinosaur Farm is a brilliant and fun story, a perfect bedtime read. Get it here
What is your favourite story to share?
There are so many amazing children’s books and stories out there but I really love reading “the rainbow fish” to both my children. It’s a book I had when I was little and when my eldest was born, my brother bought a bilingual copy in English/German. If you don’t know “the rainbow fish”, it’s a story about a little fish, who is actually the most beautiful fish in the ocean and the other fish ask him to share his pretty sparkly scales with them. He first denies but very soon he sees and feels the happiness in sharing and what sharing can bring yourself and others. Not only is the story heart-warming, the illustrations are beautiful too and make me actually feel quite nostalgic.
Your play account is full of wonderful ideas, what inspired you to start sharing your play ideas?
I’ve never been a person who was much interested in social media but after I had my youngest and while on maternity leave I was looking for some play inspiration and felt super inspired by all those lovely play accounts. I shortly after, started creating my own account and didn’t think much of it at the start, but It was not only a way of sharing our play and books but also became some kind of creative outlet for myself. And I met so many gorgeous, like-minded women on this journey so far! I really hope that I can inspire others as well and show them how much fun children’s books are! Discover Kristen's account here
You bring strories to life through play, what is special about exploring stories this way?
I think it helps the child to have a deeper understanding of the story and it is another great way of enhancing imagination. My children always enjoy a play set up alongside a story as they can be creative too. It gives them an opportunity to retell the story with their own words or actions.
How do you like to spend your free time?
I have no exciting hobbies I’m afraid, but the little free time I have, I like or try to spend outdoors. Even if it’s just a little walk around the local park. Especially after a busy day at work and with the kids, it’s just great to get some fresh air. In a way it helps me to reconnect with myself again.
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