| Learn to Read - Books and Babies |
What You'll Need
- Some baby books (books made of cardboard or cloth with flaps to lift and holes to peek through).
What To Do
- Start out by singing lullabies and folk songs to your baby. At around 6 months, look for books with brightly colored, simple pictures and lots of rhythm. (Mother Goose is perfect.) At around 9 months, include books that feature pictures and names of familiar objects.
- As you read, point out objects in the pictures and make sure your baby sees all the things that are fun to do with books. (Pat the Bunny by Dorothy Kunhardt is a classic touch-and-feel book for babies.)
- Vary the tone of your voice, sing nursery rhymes, bounce your knee, make funny faces, do whatever special effects you can to stimulate your baby's interest.
- Allow your child to touch and hold cloth and sturdy cardboard books.
- When reading to a baby, be brief but read often.
Courtesy of Education Publications Center
