As an early interventionist, one of the questions that I hear most often is “When should I read to my baby?” Parents know that it is important to read to their children but may feel a little silly reading aloud to an infant. Reading together when your child is an infant increases the chances that parents will continue to read as the child gets older. It also starts the building blocks for language which is developing even before the child is able to talk. The more words the baby hears over time, the more words they will learn.
Here are some guidelines for what types of books are best for children birth to age 3 years of age.
Birth to 6 months– Chunky board books, soft fabric books and even the bathtub vinyl books. Babies will enjoy your company and the sounds of your voice and words. They will start to anticipate your reading time with smiling, get excited by kicking feet and squealing. Babies this age will explore the books by grabbing out for the books and even chewing on them.
6 months to 18 months– Board books, touch and feel books, poke books, books with pictures of other babies and real animal pictures. Children may still mouth and chew on books. They will start attending to pictures more, explore opening and closing the books on their own. They will enjoy books with rhymes and phrases that will catch their attention. You can start asking questions such as “where is the dog?” and they may want the same book over and over again.
18 months to 24 months– 100 first words books, books that have a story line, and start introducing some paper page books. Children this age will start to point to pictures when asked. They will try to copy words and sounds in books. They may associate a sound like “meow” for the cat or they may be able to label some familiar pictures. They can turn the pages after you read the words or name the pictures. One can ask more questions with the books like “Who is hiding behind the barn?” Do not worry if your child does not sit through a book entirely. Their attention spans are not that long so even if you can’t read the book word for word, you can just focus on labeling the pictures.
24 to 36 months– Start introducing books of interest like construction vehicles, trains, dinosaurs, Disney princesses or animals. Begin reading books about feelings, stories about animals such as Cliford the dog, books about seasons and holidays, Flip and flap books, some easy Dr. Suess books, and more books with a story line. You can start asking more complex questions such as “How do you think the boy is feeling?” or “What do you think will happen next?” By 3 years old, the child may be able to tell you the story based on what is happening in the pictures. They still will want to read the same books over and over. Toddlers love repetition. They may be able to fill in the lines when reading for example “Brown Bear Brown Bear what do you—– pause and the child says “see”.
Always remember that you can tell stories and talk to your children anytime of the day. It can be during diaper changes, mealtimes, car rides to daycare or to the store, bath time or before bed. Each of these moments create an opportunity to build a deeper connection with your child and build their language and literacy skills, too.
By Tiffany Owens, Butler County Infant/Toddler Services Program, Early Childhood Special Education Teacher
