reading
Babies, eager to learn about the real world around them, benefit most from books that feature things they see in everyday life. Infants learn best when their books feature one realistic image per page. Books with no written words are a powerful language tool and help you to model active engagement with a book.
how to do this?
why do this?
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Reading daily to young children, starting in infancy, stimulates that part of the brain that helps with language acquisition, vocabulary, communication skills, social skills, and literacy skills
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Reading books aloud to children stimulates their imagination and expands their understanding of the world. This will create a positive association with books, the first step in fostering a lifelong love of reading
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Books are also great memory stretchers. As babies remember books they have been read to, they begin to choose what they want to hear over and over
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With consistent modeling from you, your child will learn to turn its pages when reading
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The ideal way to read with a child is to actively engage them. This means asking questions about the book and then guiding your child to elaborate, expand, and discuss
tips for reading
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Try reading to toddlers often, if possible, at least once a day. Choosing regular times to read (especially before naps and bedtime) helps kids learn to sit with a book and relax
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Embrace repetitive reading. Children often request that the same book be read to them again and again. It is favoured by children because of the comfort, confidence, phonemic awareness, and expanding vocabulary that comes with it
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Read slowly so your toddler can understand the story
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Read expressively, using different voices for different characters, and raising or lowering your voice as appropriate
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Choose board books or cloth books that are durable. You can let your child use these books without having to worry about pages getting ripped!
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Talk about the pictures, point to items and name them
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Read expressively, using different voices for different characters, and raising or lowering your voice as appropriate
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Trying to read to a toddler who won't sit still can be frustrating. Be patient and keep trying. Find a book or a few pages that are interesting. If that doesn't work, don't force the reading but be sure to try again later. Remember that toddlers love repetition — if your child doesn't seem interested in books, you may need to find a favourite and read it over and over again
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Keep a basket of books and rotate. Have three or four books for your child to choose from. Praise the selection. Rotate the books every couple of weeks, to keep things interesting