Reading with your baby, toddler and preschool child...
S
haring books with children right from the time they are babies helps them enormously to understand the world and gives them a fantastic head start when they begin school. It’s also an amazing and fun way to bond with your children, building strong and loving relationships, opening eyes, hearts and minds and stretching horizons.
The routine of sharing books, stories, songs and rhymes helps to build pre-literacy skills. It also provides the excuse to find a special time and place for you to really bond with each other
Favourite books for babies...
ven very young babies enjoy looking at books, and older babies love to grab books, lift the flaps and turn the pages.
E Three of our favourites are:
Faces (Baby’s Very First Book) - John Fordham.
This beautifully designed high contrast book has black-and- white images that are easy for babies to focus on.
Head, Shoulders, Knees & Toes & other Baby Board books - Annie Kubler.
This award winning series is a great introduction to books through well-known nursery rhymes and interactive text. Singing songs and rhymes is the perfect way to bond with your baby and share quality time.
while you enjoy stories together. Many mums and dads build in book sharing at a regular time which allows their child to really look forward to it, perhaps at a quiet time after lunch or just before bed time.
It doesn't have to be costly to give your child access to books. You can join your local library for free and Birmingham libraries support the Bookstart programme which encourages your child to enjoy books (see page 16).
Dear Zoo lift the flap book - Rod Campbell.
This classic lift-the-flap book has been a favourite with older babies and toddlers ever since it was first published - we love it!
Why not visit Small Steps parenting website for more baby book ideas as well as books for older toddlers and pre-school children?
Fairy Tales...
Young children love the magic of fairy tales and never tire of hearing them - again & again & again! Why not make them part of your daily routine? The top 5 fairy tales, as voted by mum & dad members of Small Steps parenting website, are:
1. Three Little Pigs 2. Cinderella 3. Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs 4. Jack and the Beanstalk 5. Beauty and the Beast
You can buy, or borrow from the library, young children’s versions of these stories, packed with vivid illustrations to bring the stories to life! Happy reading with your little one, from The Small Steps Team
Small Steps 19
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