Your baby will try to put the babies to books in his mouth rather than turn the pages. But it doesn’t rule out the possibility of introducing reading into your child’s life sooner rather than later.
According to experts, exposing babies to books throughout their first year is critical for their cognitive and emotional development.
Perhaps, reading to infants can help them develop their brains faster and become more sensitive to learning.
According to Marilyn Segal, Ph.D., dean emeritus of Nova Southeastern University’s Institute for Early Childhood Studies in Fort Lauderdale:
You’re teaching your infant that different sounds have different meanings when you read aloud to them, which is the foundation of speech and comprehension.”
How can you introduce books?
The first and simplest piece of advice for reading books with young children is to have fun! Children tend to learn better when they are involved and having fun.
Perhaps, children who have favorable relationships with books develop positive sentiments about reading. As a result, this encourages them to seek out books and other literacy tools as they mature.
Here are some other ways to help your infant or toddler develop reading skills:
Start with a few minutes
Children usually only sit for a few minutes for a story, but as they grow older, they will sit for longer periods. Perhaps, allow your child to choose how much (or how little) reading time you spend together.
You don’t have to read every page, either. Your child can have a favorite page or perhaps a particular photo. She or he might want to remain there for a bit before moving on to another book or activity.
Read the pictures
To tell a story, you do not need to read the words. Try “reading” a book’s picture to your kid. Later, ask your baby to read the photos to you when he is old enough.
Let the baby have the book
Although babies are unable to turn pages on their own, an 18-month-old will want to try, and a 3-year-old will be able to do it independently. Perhaps, it’s quite acceptable to skip pages!
Relate stories
Discuss the activities and things that you see in the images or that you read about in the text. However, a story can be memorized by youngsters as young as three years old, and many children enjoy becoming creative through storytelling.
Make picture books of your loved ones. To make word books, cut images from magazines or digests. In addition, play with crayons, markers, and paints to create a coloring book.
Secondly, allow your child to narrate a story to you as he or she grows older. Later, have him or her create images to go along with the words.
Add books to your daily routine
The more books are infused into children’s daily lives, the more likely they are to regard reading as joy and fun activity. So, let’s see where you can fit them in your routine:
- During mealtimes
- Dropping off your child at child care
- When you are at the doctor’s office
- In the supermarket
- At the end of the day
- Before going to the bed
During mealtimes
During a calm nursing session or to collect the kids around the loud breakfast table, sing or read a story.
Dropping off your child at child care
A favorite story might soothe a weeping kid during good-bye time. Therefore, leave a photo book at child care with images of cherished family members for your child to go at when she misses you.
When you’re at the doctor’s office
In the waiting room, read or give a soothing story to your child. In addition, sing or chat through the scary aspects of the session. Read books about going to the doctor before the appointment so your child understands what to expect.
In the supermarket
Put a few board books in your shopping cart or tie a cloth book to it so you don’t have to wipe up books off the floor as you go!
At the end of the day
You’re tired, and the baby is irritable. Lie down surrounded by books on the floor. For your baby, listen to a book on tape. Sing a song together while attempting to unwind.
Before going to bed
Bedtime calming books and stories might help babies who are having trouble sleeping. Perhaps, give it a try!
Choosing books for your kids
Since now we are aware that it is essential, as parents, to introduce books to your children from the start. Perhaps, what sort of books will be appropriate for your kids as per their age bracket?
Well, let’s look at some tips:
0 to 6 months
Select books with big pictures or images set against a contrasting background. Look for books with one simple illustration per page. Infants will adore browsing through images with no words or just a single word.
However, hearing language is crucial for infants. For this age group, nursery rhymes and verse books are appropriate.
7 to 12 months
Try books featuring illustrations of familiar characters, such as animals, children, TV characters, or adults in familiar positions, for youngsters this age.
Perhaps, look for books with action pictures because your baby is starting to appreciate more detailed pictures.
12 to 18 months
Toddlers will continue to love books with well-known characters, however, they will also become interested in illustrations that are full of information, action, and detail.
Short stories or predictable books with repeated text, rhymed words, and illustrations that relate to the text are good choices.
Conclusion
To conclude, it is now evident how essential it is to introduce books to your babies. It helps in mental cognitive development along with interactive abilities.
Perhaps, choosing books and setting their routine is another essential task for parents. However, parents can even choose books online and get them designed in board books printing style for their infants.
Board books are a perfect choice for your kids since they will be hard enough for them while they intend to take it in their mouth!
