Each of us can recall a story that we loved in our childhood and perhaps even specific moments when we read a fairy tale or a story about superheroes with our caregiver. Nurturing your baby’s reading and writing skills at an early age is extremely important. During toddlerhood, their brains are still developing and constantly absorbing new information. Parents can take an active part in their baby’s language development by fostering their reading skills at an early age. By doing this, you will help fast-track their learning and development.
Nurturing an enthusiasm for your baby to read starts with surrounding your growing toddler with different books. Books will engage your toddler and spur their curiosity to learn more! Not only will reading help them with comprehension skills, but it will also develop their liking towards their favorite material to read. In addition, reading will help your baby develop many other skills, including:
- Visual-proprioception skills
- Visual tracking skills
- Language and vocabulary development
- Expand their imagination
You can encourage your toddler’s love of reading by introducing them to board books with colorful illustrations and patterns. The visual appeal of those books will draw them along with the narrative of the story, which will also help drive their desire to flip the pages of a book. Try using other tools and devices to enhance your baby’s reading and learning experience, such as playing music, audio recordings of their favorite books, and letting the recordings play as background noise during their playtime, or adding sound effects to accompany the narrative of the plots.
Parents play an important part in developing their toddler’s love of reading. During reading times, a parent’s presence is crucial to develop a stronger bond with their child and establish them as a role model and teacher for their baby. Think of creative and fun ways to encourage your child to read more. You can try some of the following suggestions to develop your baby’s curiosity about books and reading:
- Let them pick their next bedtime story. Try to establish a routine for bedtime stories and reading time throughout the day and week. This will train them to look forward to reading and will instill reading habits.
- If available, try to use props and toys while reading. Not only will the colorful characters entertain your toddler, but they will provide them with visual experiences that will help bring a story to life.
- Try to read stories and biographies from all aspects of life, including science and arts. Books with different topics will broaden and expand your baby’s imagination.
As parents, reading is an important activity during our adult lives, the benefits of which start from very early on and continue throughout our experiences as parents. Reading with your toddler will help instill reading habits in our children, which is critical throughout their education and their own adult experience. Encouraging your baby to read and develop a love of reading will give them a richer learning experience. It will also give them fond memories to look back on and recall their time spent with their parents reading their favorite stories. So, pick up some of the classics to incorporate reading time for you and your baby – and cherish those moments!
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