Read to Your Baby
The American Academy of Pediatrics says that only half of infants and toddlers are to routinely read to by their parents. That is a concern to doctors because reading aloud to children stimulates brain development and improves communication skills, according to The Jewish Ledger of Connecticut.
The newspaper did a fine job of helping parents figure out which types of books are best for young readers and tips for cultivating a lifelong love of reading.
The academy suggest that parents begin reading to their children on a daily basis at six months of age, but my husband and I didn't wait that long.
We have been reading to Hendrick, our toddler, since he was two or three months old. I've heard experts say that big, colorful picture books are best to stimulate infants so we bought quite a few of those. They're great not only because they help kids learn language but it forces you to talk to your child about the "ball" or the "duck" and have a little conversation about them. Sometimes, as you all know, it's hard to strike up a conversation with someone who can't talk back, but these types of books make it easier.
Hendrick still loves his baby books, the cloth ones with the silky tabs on the edges, but now we read lots of short rhythmic books and nursery rhymes. I 've also heard that rhyming books are very helpful to the learning process. They are also easy to remember so you can recite them to your child in the car or when you're waiting in line in the supermarket.
The most important thing is to buy board books because they are more durable than paper, and more importantly, they wipe clean. (We do a lot of reading during meals.) Cloth books that can be thrown in the washing machine are great, too.
Hendrick, who is now 20 months old, loves pop-up books, but if I'm not careful he will rip them to shreds. We began storing paper books on shelves he can't reach after he destroyed a few of those.
The best part about reading is the cuddling. At the end of the day or during an afternoon break, I take my little boy in my lap and kiss his little blond head in between pages.
Here's the link to the Jewish Ledger:
http://www.jewishledger.com/articles/2007/07/11/news/on_the_cover/news02.txt
For more tips, here's the link to the American Academy of Pediatrics Web site:
http://www.aap.org/family/readmeastory.htm
The newspaper did a fine job of helping parents figure out which types of books are best for young readers and tips for cultivating a lifelong love of reading.
The academy suggest that parents begin reading to their children on a daily basis at six months of age, but my husband and I didn't wait that long.
We have been reading to Hendrick, our toddler, since he was two or three months old. I've heard experts say that big, colorful picture books are best to stimulate infants so we bought quite a few of those. They're great not only because they help kids learn language but it forces you to talk to your child about the "ball" or the "duck" and have a little conversation about them. Sometimes, as you all know, it's hard to strike up a conversation with someone who can't talk back, but these types of books make it easier.
Hendrick still loves his baby books, the cloth ones with the silky tabs on the edges, but now we read lots of short rhythmic books and nursery rhymes. I 've also heard that rhyming books are very helpful to the learning process. They are also easy to remember so you can recite them to your child in the car or when you're waiting in line in the supermarket.
The most important thing is to buy board books because they are more durable than paper, and more importantly, they wipe clean. (We do a lot of reading during meals.) Cloth books that can be thrown in the washing machine are great, too.
Hendrick, who is now 20 months old, loves pop-up books, but if I'm not careful he will rip them to shreds. We began storing paper books on shelves he can't reach after he destroyed a few of those.
The best part about reading is the cuddling. At the end of the day or during an afternoon break, I take my little boy in my lap and kiss his little blond head in between pages.
Here's the link to the Jewish Ledger:
http://www.jewishledger.com/articles/2007/07/11/news/on_the_cover/news02.txt
For more tips, here's the link to the American Academy of Pediatrics Web site:
http://www.aap.org/family/readmeastory.htm
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