“Children are made readers on the laps of their parents.” — Emilie Buchwald
It’s never too early to start reading to your child. Reading to your baby or toddler promotes language development and encourages him or her to talk, listen, and learn. These Tips For Reading To Your Child are simple ways you can help your little one develop essential skills and become life-long learners.
Tips For Reading To Your Child:
Picking A Book…
- Choose child-friendly board or cloth books. My children love Goodnight, Gorilla which is a simple and funny board book and Peek-A-Book Forest which is a fun and interactive cloth book.
- Pick books with familiar characters or things. Elmo is one of our favorites! You can Reading a book about farm animals is a great way teach your child the sounds that animals make. If your child already knows the sounds, have him or her make the sounds as you point to the animals in the book.
- Find books that play music or have songs that your little one knows such as Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star or The Wheels On The Bus.
- Select books that are repetitive so your child can predict what is going to happen and repeat the story. My kids love We’re Going On A Bear Hunt. It is an adventurous tale that repeats a part of the story on every page so children can join in the storytelling.
As You Are Reading…
- Read with a lot of enthusiasm and expression
- Explore the pictures
- Describe to your child what things are and what people are doing
- Ask your child questions
- Make hand gestures or motions to follow the story (clap hands, wiggle fingers, etc.)
- Find words or other things in the story that make your child laugh
- Let your child hold the book and turn the pages
- Emphasize sounds and rhythms of language (rhyming words, etc.)
These Tips For Reading To Your Child are simple ways you can teach your little one and create a love for reading that will last a lifetime.
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