First 5 California: Reading to Young Children
Baby
From: First 5 California
- Read just a few pages at a time. Babies have short attention spans so it's okay to put the book aside when your child loses interest.
- Choose brightly colored board books that have pictures of familiar objects, like toys or animals.
- Pick board books that have pop-up characters, different textures to feel, flaps to lift, and holes where kids can poke their fingers through.
- Cuddling while you read helps your baby feel safe, warm, and connected to you.
- Read the same stories over and over again so your child can start making connections between words and pictures.
- Encourage your child to turn the book's pages.
- Ask your child to name what's in the picture or what will happen next.
- Change your voice to match different characters or the action that's taking place in the story.
- Let your child choose the book that she wants you to read.
- Have your child follow along by moving your finger under the words as you read.
- Encourage your child to sound out simple words and phrases with you.
- Ask your kids which character they like best or what they think is going to happen next in the story.
- Make up a different ending to the story.
- Extend reading time by doing a related activity together, like drawing a picture that describes the story
From: First 5 California