What to buy for the holidays?

Christmas and Hanukkah are coming up... 
What gift is always good for blind children?
BOOKS!

You can find many places to buy braille books online. And isn't that the easiest way to shop anyways? No crowds and no long lines; just a couple clicks and you are done. As a parent, I think that books are probably the best gift you can give to your child. They can be enjoyed for years and years. I'm a big book nerd and I'm trying my best to make sure that Thomas loves reading as much as I do.

Most children's braille books have clear plastic strips of braille added to regular storybooks so that blind and sighted family members can read together.

It is very important for blind children to have braille constantly available. This is their form of reading and writing and it should be everywhere. We have braille labels all over the house so that Thomas can get used to finding braille the way a sighted child would be used to seeing print everywhere. All you need is a $30 Braille label maker to do this and it's a good way to start learning the braille alphabet yourself.

Where to find Braille Books for Children

Seedlings
Seedlings has a great variety of books and if you order by December 2nd you can ship FREE MATTER FOR THE BLIND and have the item by Christmas!

Beulah Reimer Legacy (BRL)
Beulah Reimer Legacy is another excellent resource for children's Braille books! You can use a PayPal account to purchase books on this site.

National Braille Press
National Braille Press has a great selection of books everyone knows and loves! Find all your childhood favorites. You can also find cool gifts with braille on this site like puzzles, valentines and calendars.

Should I get Contracted or Uncontracted Braille?
Uncontracted Braille is spelled out letter for letter. Contracted Braille has contractions for common words   similar to the way contractions shorten words in print. Some people start young children with uncontracted Braille and some go right to the contracted Braille.

We have both styles of Braille books but we are starting to think we prefer the contracted Braille since that will be the form he will eventually read anyway. And some books he will want to enjoy long past preschool. However, any book with Braille is great and sure to be appreciated!