Tuesday, April 24, 2007
Reading to your baby
Why?
Reading to your baby is beneficial on so many levels.
Your baby likes the sound of your voice, and being close to you. Reading brings both these two things together and generates an eventual love of books. When you read you introduce your baby to new words, facial expressions, and changes in the tone of your voice.
Reading out loud to your baby will help stimulate communication skills and eventual vocabulary development. It will also help strengthen your bond with your baby. It's a special time that the two of you can enjoy together.
What age?
The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends reading aloud to your child every day starting at 6 months. But you can start earlier, the baby will enjoy the closeness and bonding that comes with reading.
In the first few months your baby can't understand what you are reading, so at this point it could be anything. The fact that you are reading with your baby rather than what you are reading is the important thing. It could be the latest John Grisham book, or even the local newspaper.
By the fourth month your baby may be more interested in what you are reading. Your baby will enjoy rhyming or repetitive text with simple, uncomplicated but brightly coloured pictures.
By six months your baby will start to understand that the pictures represent objects and may start to have favourite pages or text that they like seeing/hearing over and over again. If you find a book your baby seems to love more than the others, then read often using the same voice each time so the baby get used to the pattern. Babies love and learn from repetition.
By twelve months your baby will start taking a more active role, perhaps even helping turn the pages for you, or taking part in the sound affects and story.
When?
Before nap or bedtime is a good time to start reading out loud to your baby. The familiarity before bed of reading together quickly becomes an enjoyable routine. Try to also read during the day when your baby is attentive, dry and fed. You can read out loud a few pages, you don't need to read a whole book at a time.
If your baby shows signs of boredom or that it's not happy, stop reading. The length of time your baby will pay attention and enjoy the reading will likely grow over time. The focus is on this being a fun, loving and enjoyable activity. So stop reading immediately if it seems it's not.
How?
Cuddle and be close to your baby while reading. Try to look at both the book and your baby, pointing to the pictures and let him see what you see. Babies see more clearly between 20 to 25cms so don't hold the book too far away from him.
Big board pictures books work well. Let the baby feel and touch the book if they want. Don't be too worried about the baby damaging the book, inexpensive replaceable books are best in this regard.
Remember to use the tone and expression of your voice to help convey the emotions and feeling of the text and pictures. Feel free to break away from the story to point to pictures and talk or ask questions about the story with your baby. Use sound effects and facial expressions.
Remember, make this reading time with your baby as fun as possible for both yourself and your baby.
What books?
Follow the age guidelines above to help point out which type of books to read at what age levels. Sometimes it helps to pick out books that you yourself enjoyed to read, or have read to you, when you were growing up. Don't get to hung up over reading the "right" book. Sharing the pleasure and enjoyment of reading together with your baby is more important than what you are reading.
One my own personal favs is Dr. Seuss books.
Should I be teaching my Baby the letters and words in the book?
The focus should be on the enjoyment of reading. Trying to teach your baby letters, syllables and words can take away from the pleasure of story time. Your child will on his own eventually make the connection between the words on the page and your voice. Instilling the enjoyment of reading is much more important at this early age then teaching how to read. I'm not saying you can't teach your baby letters or words, just that the enjoyment and fun of reading should be the primary emphasis.
Reading to your baby is beneficial on so many levels.
Your baby likes the sound of your voice, and being close to you. Reading brings both these two things together and generates an eventual love of books. When you read you introduce your baby to new words, facial expressions, and changes in the tone of your voice.
Reading out loud to your baby will help stimulate communication skills and eventual vocabulary development. It will also help strengthen your bond with your baby. It's a special time that the two of you can enjoy together.
What age?
The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends reading aloud to your child every day starting at 6 months. But you can start earlier, the baby will enjoy the closeness and bonding that comes with reading.
In the first few months your baby can't understand what you are reading, so at this point it could be anything. The fact that you are reading with your baby rather than what you are reading is the important thing. It could be the latest John Grisham book, or even the local newspaper.
By the fourth month your baby may be more interested in what you are reading. Your baby will enjoy rhyming or repetitive text with simple, uncomplicated but brightly coloured pictures.
By six months your baby will start to understand that the pictures represent objects and may start to have favourite pages or text that they like seeing/hearing over and over again. If you find a book your baby seems to love more than the others, then read often using the same voice each time so the baby get used to the pattern. Babies love and learn from repetition.
By twelve months your baby will start taking a more active role, perhaps even helping turn the pages for you, or taking part in the sound affects and story.
When?
Before nap or bedtime is a good time to start reading out loud to your baby. The familiarity before bed of reading together quickly becomes an enjoyable routine. Try to also read during the day when your baby is attentive, dry and fed. You can read out loud a few pages, you don't need to read a whole book at a time.
If your baby shows signs of boredom or that it's not happy, stop reading. The length of time your baby will pay attention and enjoy the reading will likely grow over time. The focus is on this being a fun, loving and enjoyable activity. So stop reading immediately if it seems it's not.
How?
Cuddle and be close to your baby while reading. Try to look at both the book and your baby, pointing to the pictures and let him see what you see. Babies see more clearly between 20 to 25cms so don't hold the book too far away from him.
Big board pictures books work well. Let the baby feel and touch the book if they want. Don't be too worried about the baby damaging the book, inexpensive replaceable books are best in this regard.
Remember to use the tone and expression of your voice to help convey the emotions and feeling of the text and pictures. Feel free to break away from the story to point to pictures and talk or ask questions about the story with your baby. Use sound effects and facial expressions.
Remember, make this reading time with your baby as fun as possible for both yourself and your baby.
What books?
Follow the age guidelines above to help point out which type of books to read at what age levels. Sometimes it helps to pick out books that you yourself enjoyed to read, or have read to you, when you were growing up. Don't get to hung up over reading the "right" book. Sharing the pleasure and enjoyment of reading together with your baby is more important than what you are reading.
One my own personal favs is Dr. Seuss books.
Should I be teaching my Baby the letters and words in the book?
The focus should be on the enjoyment of reading. Trying to teach your baby letters, syllables and words can take away from the pleasure of story time. Your child will on his own eventually make the connection between the words on the page and your voice. Instilling the enjoyment of reading is much more important at this early age then teaching how to read. I'm not saying you can't teach your baby letters or words, just that the enjoyment and fun of reading should be the primary emphasis.
# posted by Rick @ 7:27 AM 
