If you are hoping to raise a reader, sharing books with them as early as possible is the best way to get started. Reading together remains the single most effective way to help children become proficient readers. Children who enjoy being read to are more likely to want to learn to read themselves!
Here are some more tips for reading with a baby (0 to 18 months):
- Snuggle with baby while you read and move your tone of voice up and down—use “baby speak.”
- Don't rush. Slowing down language helps your baby hear the rhythm in language. It's also okay to linger on a page baby seems extra interested in.
- Respond to your baby's cues. If your baby turns away or gets fussy that may be a cue that it's time to change activities and read again later. Short reading sessions add up throughout the day!
- Choose books with bright colors or high-contrast illustrations that are easier for young babies to see with their developing eyesight.
- Try books with different textures, like board books or soft books (especially good for babies who love to put everything in their mouths!)
- Make reading a regular part of your day. At bedtime, before bath or whenever makes sense. Routines can soothe your baby and help them know what to expect.
- Keep books handy. Keeping books with baby's toys, in your diaper bag and anywhere else baby is will make it easier for you to reach for books regularly!
Try some of these great books for babies!
Babies love looking at books with photographs like Global Baby Grandparents and Black & White in Color.
Rhyming books like Little Blue Truck and Llama Llama Red Pajama are fun for adults and kids to read aloud.
Interacting with books is so fun! Dear Zoo invites babies to lift the flap and find the animals. They can press and pull on Press Here and see what happens. Practice saying hello and bye-bye in many different situations in I Can Say Bye-bye!: Plus, find helpful tips for parents at the back.
Eating the Alphabet introduces the alphabet with bold illustrations of fruits and vegetables.
My nap and Hello, friend are colorful bilingual books that tell a story in English and Spanish.
Add a comment to: How to Read With a Baby