4babybooks

Anyone who has ever watched over a child has probably read a book lower than their natural reading level. But you know what? Reading childrens’ books to a child can benefit you in more ways than one.

Benefits of Reading to Children

1) You can become a better speaker.
Reading out loud is easier said than done. Reading in your head is naturally a faster and more efficient way to read. Unfortunately, your small child can’t read yet. Reading out loud with difference voices and inflections than your more natural ones, helps a child understand tone. Using voices and different cadences and inflections can help you in your own life to understand the world. When you are reading to a child, you are a performer on a stage. Reading out loud can help you be more confident and more fluid when you are speaking to others.

2) You can build your imagination.
Reading a book is like opening your mind to a whole new world. Though most childrens’ books are illustrated and have story lines written out, that doesn’t mean that you can’t tell the story a little bit differently every time. Asking who, what, when, where, why, and how as you read, can lead you to think about a common story in a new and exciting way. The sharing of ideas is one of the greatest things that parents can do with their children. It enriches you both with wider horizons.

3) You can gain perspective.
This one sounds cheesy, but hear me out. First off, if you are reading to your children, you know exactly what cultural references they are being exposed to. This also applies to watching television or movies with your kids. When you do this, you know exactly what’s going into their brains. Childrens’ books (especially baby books) can be plot-less and sort of tedious to read. There are a great deal of fascinatingly interesting and even inspiring books too, made for children, that can really get you thinking, and can open your mind to other worlds. The easy language these books are written in make concepts easier to understand, which helps you grow mentally.

We all love to read to our children, but sometimes it can be a handful, especially at night when we are tired and just want to lay down after a long day. Here are some dos and don’ts when reading to your child.

Exploring Books with Babies
Reading to a squirmy infant or an active toddler can be challenging—but it’s so important. Here, dos and don’ts for reading to the under-2 set.
By Susan Straub

Babies don’t so much read books as explore them. It’s not about the words, the story, or the sound of your voice. It’s not about the pictures. It’s not about the physical book itself. It’s actually about all of the above, combined. Babies use all their senses to take in a book. Your job is to keep your mind open to the possibilities—a book can be just as satisfying as reading it—and have fun. It can take a lot of patience to get through even a short picture book with a baby, but you’ll be rewarded with a child who’s received an excellent start to literacy—and life. Here are some dos and don’ts for you and your budding reader:

Do:
Expand your child’s “library.” Very little babies have no real idea what you’re reading, so why not read aloud to her from whatever you’re reading, like a novel or a magazine? That way you both get to hear terrific stories together.

Expose her to art. Show your baby pictures from the family photo album or a coffee table art book—just be careful she doesn’t grab precious pages! Babies enjoy looking at images and respond well to simple, high-contrast pictures.

Get tactile. Touch-and-feel books, like the classic Pat the Bunny, are great sensory as well as literary tools. Guide your baby’s hand over various textures while you read.

Follow your baby’s lead. Some babies like to open and close books, hand them back to you, or stack them like blocks. That counts as “reading” too. The more you use books for fun, the more likely she’ll see that they are an enjoyable part of her daily life.

Keep books handy. Stow board books in your stroller, diaper bag, car, near the highchair, at the changing table, or even in the bathtub (there are some wonderful waterproof bath books). You’ll always have a book ready to distract and entertain.

Read enthusiastically. Use silly voices, make animal sounds, and read with drama.

Hand your baby a book. When your baby’s reached the “grabbing” stage, he’s likely to take the book out of your hands. Let him; just have a couple books on hand so you can switch back and forth and read them all at once.

Be prepared to repeat, and repeat, and repeat. Babies often get stuck on a particular favorite, and will zoom right to that book on the shelf even if you offer others. Repetition and familiarity are soothing to babies and toddlers. Let her have her way—she’ll pick a new favorite soon enough.

Point to pictures. For your pre-literate baby, illustrations are just as important (sometimes more so) than words. Don’t feel you have to read every page every time, but do point at the pictures (“Look at the green car!” “Where’s the moon?”) as you flip pages.

Join the public library. It’s a great way to expand your reading repertoire. You can join story-time groups and classes and meet other families.

Don’t:
Take it personally when baby rejects reading. Your infant may have seemed relaxed and ready to settle in to “read” with you, but after one page he starts squalling. Just put the book aside; he’ll have a better moment again soon.

Stop your baby from mouthing books. This is one of the ways your baby explores books; it’s part of how she learns about everything in her world.

Be surprised when your toddler crawls away. Two things to remember about a toddler: he is more interested in moving than sitting still, and he can still hear you. Keep reading—he’ll come back (and if not, you can try again later).

Get mad at ripped pages. Has she ripped off a dinosaur’s head? Don’t get upset with her. Babies are stronger than most books! Plenty of baby-friendly board books are made just for the purpose of being gnawed and chewed. Just refrain from giving children under 2 pop-up books and from reading “good” books that you’d like to save for when she’s older. Toddlers may be interested in helping you fix torn books. Keep some tape handy for repairs.

Think you have to finish every book you start. For your baby or toddler, the process is more important than the outcome. You may not have reached the end of the book, but you did share some nice reading time together.

Give away baby books prematurely. Even when he grows into the next stage, he may like to revisit her old, gummed, and torn favorites.

Read at the same pace all the time. Speed up or slow down, depending on your baby’s interest.

Underestimate your baby. You may not be able to see it right away, but your baby is profiting sensually, intellectually, and socially thanks to your reading.
http://www2.scholastic.com/browse/article.jsp?id=10215

All children love being read to, especially right before bedtime. But how young do you start reading to them and what kind of books?

The American Academy of Pediatrics recommend that you should start reading aloud daily to you child as young as 6 months of age. Around this time, your child start to enjoy looking at books with you. Other experts suggest that you can start as young as a newborn, as reading provides a great opportunity for cuddling and bonding.

Reading is essential for you child’s vocabulary, to stimulate their imagination, and to improve their communication skills. The more you speak to your child, the better it is for their growth and development. There have been some tests that suggest that an infants intelligence is based on how words they hear each day.

Pretty much anything is suggested for you to read to your infant. For the first couple of months, your child is picking up the rhythm of language rather than what it’s about. When your child start to grow up, let them be the judge of what books they like. Books that are colorful and have catchy phrases are always a winner. Since they are being handled by children; heavy-duty or board books are the going to survive the wear and tear.

Reading to your child when they are young is going to be essential to their growth and will help them later in life. So go ahead and read as much as you would like. Who doesn’t like to be read to right before bed?