7 Ways to Build a Better Reader from Birth-Age 2
- Create reading rituals. Set aside a specific time of day to be your daily reading time. Make a routine of picking out the day’s books together and then sitting in your designated reading spot.
- Cuddle. Find a comfortable, quiet place to read and snuggle close with a book and your child’s favorite toy or blanket.
- Read with expression. Emphasize rhythm and rhymes, and use different voices for characters, but don’t read in “baby talk.”
- Talk about the pictures. Point out colors, shapes, animals, and things of interest to the story.
- Share different kinds of books. Picture books with bright art and simple words like those by Eric Carle will hold her attention. Delight your child with rhyming sounds or songs like those in My Very First Mother Goose Book and other collections. Introduce words and concepts with books that teach colors, letters, and numbers. Also use lift-the-flap books and pop-ups that let her interact with the story.
- Read it again. Infants and toddlers love hearing the same sounds and words over and over. Reading a book several times also helps him become familiar with common words.
- Record yourself reading. Make an audiotape of yourself reading a favorite book and play it on car rides or as an alternative to television. Let your toddler “read” along on her own.
Adapted from scholastic.com
