Reading: Set Your Child Up for Success

 The Benefits of Reading to Your Child

“A book is a gift you can open again and again.” – Garrison Keillor  Why not give your child such an amazing gift?  Reading to your child every day is such a precious gift for you and your child. Consistency produces amazing results.

1.       It establishes a bond between you and your child.

2.       It improves cognitive skills, boosting their IQ.

3.       It helps their speech development.

4.       It boosts their vocabulary.

5.       It shows them the fun and joy of reading.

WWhen to Start Reading to Your Child

The best time to start reading to your child is right now.  Whether your baby is 2 weeks old, 6 months, or a year, it can only help them.  Even if they do not understand the words, they understand the feeling of comfort and security.  Statistics show that babies with books read to them daily improved their speaking, comprehension, and vocabulary skills to a great extent more than those babies that were not so privileged to have a book read to them daily.

 

The Best Books for the 1^st Year

   

The first year of a baby’s life is full of learning and growing.  Their brain is making thousands of neural connections and we should take advantage of that precious time.  Different books coincide with each stage of development:

               

Approximately 0-3 months

·         In the first few months of your baby’s life, the best books are books with great contrast like black and white graphics.  Board books, cards, or soft and crinkly books with high-contrasting colors will stimulate their visual skills.  Here are my favorites:

Black on White

My First Soft Books set

Visual Quiet Book

 

Approximately 3-6 months

·         When your baby begins to bat and grasp at things and everything goes to their mouth, the next books to add to your library are the soft and crinkly books as well as vinyl or bath books.  Here are some favorites:

Toy Deer

Farm Animals

Fabric Baby Book

Baby Bibi books

Real Photo Vinyl Book Set by Kaplan

Personalized Soft Book

 

Approximately 6-9 months

·         Then as your baby learns to sit up, crawl, and explore the world around them, you can add the sensory books and board books to your library.  Again, here are some favorites:

Touch & Feel: Adorable Animals

Touch & Feel: Farm Animals

Touch & Feel: Trucks

Baby Touch and Feel: Animals

Baby Touch and Feel: Trucks

Baby Touch and Feel: Colors and Shapes

Baby Touch and Feel: Bedtime

Priddy Books: On the Farm

Priddy Books: Baby Animals

Shake, Touch, Play

See, Touch, Feel: A Creative Play Book

 

Approximately 9-12 months

·         When your baby is pulling up to furniture and attempting to imitate words and sounds, it's time for books with some action.  Look for books with buttons to push, sounds to hear, and are entertaining.  And here are some favorites for this stage:

        My First: Noisy Animals

        My First: Noisy First Words

        My First: Noisy ABC

        My First: Noisy Baby Animals

        My First: Noisy Farm

        My First: Noisy Things That Go

        My First: Noisy Trucks

        Wheelie Books: Sports Car

        Wheelie Books: Dump Truck

        Wheelie Books: Fire Truck

        Wheelie Books: Farm Tractor

        Wheelie Books: Motorcycle

        Wheelie Books: Bus

        Wheelie Books: Digger

        Tabbed Board Books: My First Words

        World of Eric Carle: My First Library

The Best Books for the 2^nd Year

The 2^nd year of a baby’s life is fun as they begin to walk, talk, and express themselves more.  But their little brain is still making all those neural connections and it’s a good time for them to learn about the world around them.  Find board books, books with easy-to-turn pages and short sentences to satisfy their short attention span.  Here is a collection of my favorites for the 2^nd year that you can add to your growing library:

My First Library

1, 2, 3, What Do You See

My First Book of Airplanes

My First Book of Trains

My First Book of Earth

My First Book of Colors and Shapes

My First Prayers

My First Seasons

My First Shapes

My First Colors

My First Numbers

My First Trucks and Diggers

Baby’s First Book of Prayers

Let’s Say Our Colors

Let's Say Our Numbers

Go, Go, Cars

Go, Go, Fire Trucks

Go, Go, Construction Trucks

Shapes in the Sky

Ten Little Ladybugs

The Everything Book of Horses and Ponies

The Everything Book of Cats and Kittens

The Everything Book of Dogs and Puppies

 

The Best Books for the 3^rd Year

Now it’s time to get serious about getting your child ready for school and see how fun learning can be.  Good books to add to your library are books about letters, numbers, colors, and shapes.  Get books to keep those little fingers busy.  Here are my favorite books to read and do with your 2-year-old:

Trace and Flip: 123 Count With Me

Trace and Flip: A is for Apple

Lift-and-Trace: Shapes

The Big Book of Letter Tracing

Bedtime Prayers

My First Bedtime Prayers

Busy Board Quiet Book

Montessori Quiet Book

I Spy: Animals

I Spy: Letters

I Spy: Numbers

Sticker Early Learning: Colors

Sticker Early Learning: Numbers

Sticker Early Learning: Shapes

Ultimate Sticker Book: Diggers and Dumpers

 

A Good Reading Environment

One important thing to remember when it comes to reading to your child is the environment you create for your child.  It needs to be a fun and exciting thing they can look forward to in their daily routine.  Set up a comfortable and cozy setting and make it fun. Make the noises and expressions as you read.  Don’t worry about reading the same books every day over and over.  You’ll get sick of it long before they do, but do your best to make it fun for them each time and enjoy these precious moments.  Here are some great options for your reading corner sorted by price.

 

Keeping your books organized and accessible to your child is important.  Here are some different options:

Furinno Pasir 3-Tier Bookshelf

Delta Children Sling Book Rack

Panana Wooden Bookcase

ECR4Kids Single-Sided Book Display

 

 

Comfy seating options can be quite vast, but here are my favorite ways to cuddle with my baby and a book:

 

Bean Bags

Air Candy Faux Fur Inflatable chair

Chill Sack Bean Bag chair

ULTIMATE SACK Bean Bag Chair w/Footstool

 

 

Rocking Chairs

TIMBER RIDGE Folding Rocking Chair

NIOIIKIT Nursery Rocking Chair

Psilvam Patio Rocking Chair

 

Hammocks

Y-STOP Hammock Chair

LA SIESTA Domingo hammock

NICESOUL Double Swing Egg Chair

 

Big Chairs

HollyHOME Modern Soft Lazy Chair

 

 

A nice soft rug quiets your corner down and makes a great place to sprawl out on the floor if you so desire.

Dwelke Super Soft Shaggy Rug

Smabee Interlocking Carpet, ShaggySoft Foam Mats

 

You’ll want a lamp with warm lighting as it’s easy on the eyes and it will give your corner a cozy atmosphere:

Cordless Table Lamp

Vintage Floor Lamp

EDISHINE Wood Corner Floor Lamp

 

Speaking of cozy, nothing makes things feel quite as cozy as a fireplace.  Depending on your budget, here are a couple options:

Infrared Fireplace Stove with 3DFlame

SEI Furniture Calvert Fireplace

Childhood Impressions: Those Important 1st years

I was on a small road trip with my family and we stopped at a station to fuel up and get a bite to eat.  As we entered the convenience store, the girl at the register looked up at me and her face lit up.  She gave me a warm welcome and seemed exceptionally friendly.  When we went to check out, she told me it was so good to see me, calling me by name.  I was surprised and tried to think who she was when she spoke up, "I'm Radonda's, you tended me when I was little?"  I glanced at her name tag and a small flash of memories came to mind.  Once again, I was surprised, I babysat her a couple of times when she was very small.  "Wow, you remember me?", I asked.  She was all smiles, "Yes, I remember you, I loved it when you came over." 

We never know the impressions we are making on little minds and the first 5 years are the most impressionable.  The slightest words and even the attitude we have, they pick up on very quickly and easily.  They may not remember the words we spoke or sometimes, even the small things we did.  But they will always remember the way we made them feel.  To this day, there are people I feel uncomfortable around as I remember them from my childhood, but not exactly where or why.  On the other hand, there have been people I ran into and remembered how much I liked them as a child although I couldn't remember a single thing they did or said.

Interacting with your child is so important.  Babies love the interaction and it makes them so sad when we ignore them.  In this viral TED talk, a seven-year-old demonstrates the importance of interaction with our children.  As a working mother, I spend a lot of time at the computer.  I was amazed as I would spend time interacting with him, then go to sit down at the computer and it would break his heart.  I had to learn to save important things for when he was napping and I would take him on my lap and sing, bounce, or play an educational slideshow for him as I worked.

Take advantage of these precious years.  This is the time to spend with your child teaching, bonding, loving, and learning together.  Research has shown that during these tender first years in their life, the brains of small children are making connections and their personality is developing. What we do and teach them makes a huge impact even on their ability to study and learn when they are older.  Here is a list of things you can do to make the most of this precious time and help their brains to develop wisdom, knowledge, and understanding:

Talking

Talk to your child, express positive thoughts, and always be smiling and approving.  You'll find that for a child that grows up in an environment where you are always smiling and encouraging when they misbehave, a simple frown or look of disapproval is all it takes to reprimand them.  Even if your baby is only 2 weeks old and doesn't understand a thing you're saying, their tiny little brain is making connections as you talk to them.

Reading

Reading to your child is so important in the development of a little brain.  They may not understand what you're saying, but they can feel and they are learning a great deal.  Research has shown that babies that were read to daily, learned to talk and understand at an earlier age.  Check out blog post on reading and my collection of books on my website.

Music

Music is known to increase a baby's intelligence by about 46% compared to children who grew up without music.  It inspires creativity, improves children's motor skills, and enhances communication skills.  Singing to your child or playing an instrument for them does amazing things for them.  As soon as they are old enough, letting them learn how to play a musical instrument is very beneficial.  One exercise that seems to cajole their brain is to sing in a whisper and then sing out loud.  Also, teach them rhythm by tapping your foot or leading in the air with your hand as you sing.

Exercise

Physical exercise increases the flow of oxygen to the brain and increases brain neurotransmitters.  It improves your child's literacy, coordination, and memorization skills.  At least 60 minutes of physical activity a day is recommended.  For a newborn, it can be something like stretches or tummy time.

Self Help

I know how anxious we can be to jump in and help our children when we see them struggling, but sometimes we need to step back and give them a minute to try and figure it out.  Don't ever let it get to the point of frustration for them, but as long as they are trying, they are learning.  Whatever the case may be, taking off a lid, clicking a pen, or even trying to feed themselves, encourage them to help themselves but be right there if they need help.

Consistency

In all things, consistency is key.  Read to them daily.  Sing to them often.  Help them do exercises and stretch regularly.  Give them a chance to help themselves every day.  A little every day is by far more beneficial than a lot once in a while.  It does so much more good to do ten minutes a day than to sporadically do it for an hour in every aspect of child development.

Remember, what we learn with pleasure, we never forget.  Make it fun and the second your child acts like they are not enjoying it, put it away and do something else, whether it's reading a book, singing to your child, or doing some stretches, it has to be something fun for them for it to help them.  Use lots of praise and smiles.  Enjoy the journey!