Surprised! That’s what I felt when I learnt for the first time that it’s easy to have fun with my baby while getting her to know and love books without having to sit down with an actual book.
Let’s take a look at how did I help my infant learn to enjoy books.
The first step was to reconnect with my habit of reading.
As work and marriage caught up with life, I stopped making the space and time to read books.
Now that I wanted my daughter to start reading, I figured now was the best time to bring back my habit of reading.
The next step is to use books as a way to bond.
I guess it’s not always about reading the words. Often, it is about enjoying the interaction with mom and dad. When my child sits in my lap as I read aloud, I realise that she doesn’t just enjoy books, but she also wants the security of my undivided attention–which is easier when I have a book rather than a smartphone in my hand.
Reading out loud makes a big difference.
Did you know that you can read anything to a newborn? They don’t really prefer books about unicorns, mermaids or magic. You can read anything ranging from self-improvement books, parenting books, science fiction novel or even a cookbook that teaches dads how to make comfort food for new moms dealing with postpartum depression.
While the content does not matter, your voice matters a lot. The words you use and the cadence of your voice have a big impact on language development and literacy for your child.
There is a catch however. The words and language that you use to help a child improve the language has to be live and directed at the child so that they don’t consider it as background noise. This means that turning on a YouTube video or an audiobook or podcast does not work.
Whatever you do, make sure to enjoy yourself.
Building traditions
There is a reason that bedtime stories have become a time honoured tradition. Regular reading time and cozy corner of your room create a calming routine that young children love. Occasionally you can experiment with a twist to the ritual, by pairing it with breakfast, bubble baths, or even on the potty.
Feeling and reading
Children love it when they can hold and manipulate the books themselves. Get board books that your baby can touch, feel and hold or even those that have pop-up cartoons in them.
Babies can involve all the senses while reading: they can enjoy feel of the pages, the visuals of the illustrations, the sound of their parent’s voice. Texturized books work well to provide a tactile experience.
Bright and clear pictures of things, animals, places or objects are almost always loved.
Some examples:
- International classics like ‘The very hungry caterpillar’
- The Dr. Seuss series
- Panchatantra books
- Karadi tales
- Stories for children by Ruskin Bond
- The Ladybird series
Bonus tip: Regional languages
Do you speak Malayalam, Tamil, Kannada, Hindi or other local languages at home? If yes, you can get books in that language too as your toddler will prefer books in a language that he or she can quickly understand.
