Sometimes parents are unsure how to read to a baby. Reading to a baby does not necessarily mean finishing an entire book or reading for long periods of time! Even a three minute story or reading a few pages of a book will peak your child’s interest in reading. It is also a great time to bond with your baby! Make it fun with snuggles, silly voices, and even singing.

Here are a few tips to get you started!

• Start Building the Foundation for Literacy Early:
  • Singing, rhyming, and talking are all very important for babies. They are born with an interest in words and sounds. Singing, rhyming, and talking can be incorporated into different aspects of your day, like diaper changes or clean up time.
  • Find books that engage all the senses for young children. They love to listen, look, and feel things. Infants also love black and white books because they are drawn to the high contrast between black and white.
  • Books that have a lot of repetition are important for building language skills. Children will want to read them over and over. The repetition is actually “hard-wiring” the brain for language development.
  • Don’t get stuck with just reading the words on the page! Extend language by asking questions. Comment on the pictures or ask what images they see.

Zero to Three is a wonderful resource for more information on young children. Check out this article on introducing toddlers and babies to books! https://www.zerotothree.org/resources/304-how-to-introduce-toddlers-and-babies-to-books