Welcome to a new feature of the baby blog and one that’s dear to my heart. Reading out loud to your baby is one of the best activities you can engage in. Sometimes parents ask me how early should you start reading and my answer is as soon as you possibly can!
The sing-song pattern of simple rhyming books help babies learn language patterns. Board books that have textures engage their senses, and even the simple act of handling a book and learning which way is right side up, believe it or not, is an important reading skill. Read while you’re nursing or read before bed time–but make reading out loud a priority in your day. Nothing will go farther to instill a love of reading in your child.
To go along with our theme in activities that help build sound awareness, here are a few books that go along with sound awareness.
Animals, Animals by Eric Carle
This is actually a book of poetry. While reading it, point out to your baby the animals and the different sounds that they make.
Barnyard Banter by Denise Fleming
Simple, patterned prose that lends itself to a certain rhythm, while going through many different barnyard animals. Another great book to point out what sounds animals make.
Pudgy Book of Mother Goose Rhymes by Richard Walz
Who does love Mother Goose? When reading anything that rhymes, emphasize certain words or phrases or create hand motions to go along with what’s being read. Your baby probably won’t mimic you at first, but the extra emphasis continues to help build strong foundations for future language learning.
Song books–These books are beautiful recreations of popular children’s songs. Of course it is impossible to read them without singing out loud so go ahead. . .sing your way through!
Old MacDonald Had a Farm by Rosanne Litzinger
The Wheels on the Bus by Todd South
The Itsy Bitsy Spider by Iza Trapani
Related Articles:
Baby Sign Language: Good or Bad?
Valorie Delp shares recipes and kitchen tips in the food blog, solves breastfeeding problems, shares parenting tips, and current research in the baby blog, and insight, resources and ideas as a regular guest blogger in the homeschooling blog. To read more articles by Valorie Delp, click here.
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