Babies begin learning to read as soon as they are born. Early literacy includes all of the experiences babies and toddlers have with language (both verbal and nonverbal), conversation, books, stories and print. Reading to babies helps prepare them for writing reading and language skills they will develop later. Young children build these skills through playing with books and magazines, holding and turning the pages of books, being read to, singing nursery rhymes and other songs, listening and telling stories with caregivers and talking about the pictures in books. Babies learn by exploring. Give your baby access to lots of books and let them explore them on their own. This may even mean allowing them to put a book in their mouth, spread books all over the house or beg you to read the same one again and again.

Reading to children on a consistent basis builds a love of books. It also lowers stress for both of you and nurtures your relationship. Read to baby at every possible opportunity. Books help strengthen your child’s skills in all areas of development. Rhyming books, for example, help strengthen language development and popup books are great for developing fine motor skills. It’s really useful to get into a baby bedtime routine of reading and singing as it is so helpful for your child’s development of language.

There are several things to consider when picking books for your baby. They should be sturdy and easy for small hands to carry and hold easily. Board books are a great option. Only a few words on each page are needed for babies. Look for books with a simple story or topic, such as the alphabet, animals, vehicles, favourite characters, counting, bedtime, playtime, or shapes and sizes. Babies love repetitive books about every day conversations they can repeat, such as “Hello” and “Goodbye”. Showing photos of children doing familiar things, such as playing, eating and sleeping all help. Rhymes that can easily be memorized and text that is predictable is most appropriate for small children. Pat the Bunny by Dorothy Kunhardt, Goodnight Moon by Margaret Wise Brown and The Very Hungry Caterpillar by Eric Carle are three very popular books for babies and toddlers.