Fostering the Love of Reading - Part 1

Guest post written by Jomary Schulz, 3rd grade public school teacher

Fostering the Love of Reading is a 5 part series posted on Mondays beginning on November 5, 2012.

Part 1 – Newborn to 12 months

Before a child can talk, sit up, or hold anything in their hands, they can begin their journey into books. Fostering the love of reading in a child can be reasonably easy and can begin as early as infancy.

When a child begins to hear the rhythm and tone of your voice when reading, they begin picking up necessary skills needed later in life as they begin to learn how to read. Reading to a baby does not only strengthen the bond between you and the child, but you are also giving this child a gift that will carry them throughout their lifetime.

Listening to reading is the first step to learning how to read and enjoying it. This is where vocabulary can begin to develop in a child. Background knowledge and interests also begin to flourish in children that are read to at a very young age.

Here are some ways you can begin to foster the love of reading in a baby.

1.     Choose books to read that rhyme and that may have animal sounds.
2.     Look for books that are colorful. The bright illustrations will capture a baby’s eye and begin to stimulate their curiosity.
3.     Visit the local library – they often have free interactive story-time for babies under the age of 1.
4.     Buy books for the tub. They make these out of plastic so they can get wet.
5.     Pick out books for your baby that make sounds when touched or noises when a button is pressed.
6.     Books that include an opportunity for babies to touch different textures stimulates their senses.
7.     Anyone can read to the baby! Grandma, Grandpa, Aunt, Uncle, Cousin and even an older brother or sister.

Finally, choose a time when all other distractions are gone. Make it a special time your baby will begin to look forward to. Soon they will be crawling and then walking over to that bookshelf to pick out the book for you to read!

Question:
What was your child's favorite book when they were a baby?

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