6 Tips For Reading to Your Baby And Some Fun Book Suggestions
Notice how the baby is looking directly at his Daddy and fully engaged in what he is saying.
As you can see from the picture above it is never too early to start reading to your baby. In doing so you are introducing your child to the gift of books and building a passion for reading. This time together is a sweet and wonderful way to emotionally connect with your newborn. In addition, you are providing the building blocks needed for language and cognitive development.
Danielle Roberts, MD, a pediatrician with Muskingum Valley Health Center in Ohio says, “Not only does reading help infants learn their native language and develop their speech with the more words they hear but they also benefit from an emotional connection with the person reading to them and holding them."
Here are 6 tips for reading to your baby along with some fun book suggestions to help you get started.
Read stories that are poetic and have a nice melodic rhythm and rhyme. An example of this would be Wynken, Blynken, & Nod by Eugene Field. I recall my dad reading this story to me and I read it to my children as well. There are also many different collections of children’s poetry. Here is a nice collection A Child’s Book of Poems.
Your baby loves hearing your voice so be sure to be vocally expressive and make sure he/she can see your face. Your baby is not only captivated by your voice but also by your face, so smile and be expressive with your eyes and facial expressions as well.
Read books that have repeating phrases. Eric Carle has many, but one of my favorites is The Very Busy Spider. This also has fun farm animal sounds throughout the story as each animal visits the Spider. In addition, when the child is older he/she can feel the web on the page. This book has so much to offer as it becomes a multi-sensory experience to touch, see, and hear.
Read the same books over and over. The repetition becomes familiar and comforting for your baby. Yes, you may grow weary of the same story over and over again, but after a while, you will have it memorized and you can now share the story with your baby anywhere. The classic story Goodnight Moon by Margaret Wise Brown is one I have memorized by heart. Even today I can retell the story without the book because I have read it numerous times to my children and to the children I taught.
When you see that your baby starts noticing the books look for books with bright, bold yet simple illustrations. A great example is Brown Bear, Brown Bear What Do You See? By Donald Crews and illustrated by Eric Carle.
Lastly, end by praying a blessing over your child. If you are not sure what to pray for, The Power of Blessing Your Children by Mary Ruth Swope is full of beautiful blessings.
May you and the children in your life be blessed as you spend time reading and sharing books together.
If you are looking for a book to add to your baby’s library, check out my book Come Under My Umbrella. It has a short and simple song that repeats throughout the story and I have included a prayer and blessing for the child at the end.
